Episode Report Card Daniel: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT I'm Kind of A Big Deal
By Daniel | Season 9 | Episode 15/16 | Aired on 09.19.2011
Seafood app: Victor Albisu, the executive chef for BLT Steak in Washington D.C., chooses Will's seared scallops over charred corn salad and corn puree with micro cilantro over Paul's clams and mussels in lemongrass broth. Salad: Brian Moyers, executive chef of BLT Steak in Los Angeles, chooses Paul's mixed greens over roasted potatoes over Will's beet salad with champagne vinaigrette (with a hot pink beet sauce that Will worried looked too much like Pepto-Bismol). Fish entrée: John Svensson, chef de cuisine of BLT Steak in Honolulu, picks Paul's bronzini over Will's Dover sole. Cliff Crooks, executive chef of BLT Steak in New York (future co-worker for one of the chefs!), opts for Will's grilled ribeye with Gruyère cheese over Paul's pan-roasted ribeye and buttermilk puree. If you were to tell me that the judges were instructed to make sure the challenge was tied going into the final dish, I would be the least surprised person ever.
Anyway, the final judge is Keith Treyball, president of BLT Steak. Keith Treyball! Watch out for everyone in the audience whipping out their phones to take pictures! "This is the boss of the bosses that will be the bosses of me," as Will puts it (like a boss). Paul serves up his steak frites: pan-roasted filet mignon with braised endive and truffled potato fries. Treyball calls it superb, with great balance. Will has grilled filet mignon with buttered brussels sprouts, a black truffle and potato puree, and a red grape jus. It looks great, although Ramsay seems taken aback by the grape jus. Will proclaims himself to have a "set of balls" to put the grape in there, and he just hopes Treyball gets it.
Treyball gets it! He chooses Will's dish, making him the winner, and Will helps the crowd get all hyped up about it while is mom and wife get teary-eyed. Paul tells us he's not worried, because he didn't "go out like a punk" and he plans to win the dinner service tomorrow night.
When they get back to Hell's Kitchen, there's a big present waiting in the dining room for them. James, you shouldn't have! They pull the ribbon to make the box fall apart, and inside are Jennifer, Elise, Krupa, Jonathon, Elizabeth, Elise, Tommy (who is mooning them as the box opens) and Carrie. Everyone looks great, all dressed up and rested and not being screamed at by Ramsay.
So it's time to pick their teams for the final dinner service, and Will gets first pick thanks to winning the final challenge. He goes for Tommy, who should have been sent home after waving his disgusting ass around in a dining room like that. Paul takes Elise. "Paul feels confident in my ability. He should," Elise tells us. Carrie says she wouldn't have made that pick, in case we'd all forgotten how much they hate each other. Will takes Natalie next, and then Paul takes Elizabeth. Jennifer seems surprised that Paul didn't pick her, despite the fact that he didn't reciprocate his love. Oh, and there's the fact that she kinda wanted to kick his ass after she got eliminated. Will picks Jennifer next, which Ramsay calls a great choice. Jennifer's just excited she's not on Elise's team. Speaking of that: Will's last pick is Krupa, which he does mainly so Carrie winds up on the same team. People are immediately leery about it, and even Ramsay is like, "Elise and Carrie, fuck me." He sends the teams off to the dorms so Paul and Will can start briefing them.