Episode Report Card Monty Ashley: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT What Happened to the Sabotage?
By Monty Ashley | Season 5 | Episode 4 | Aired on 02.26.2009
Giovanni tries to settle things down so the other team doesn't see the fighting, but Ben eventually stomps out. The editors would have us believe that he throws a chair, but it is an obvious falsehood. Danny interviews that Ben's reaction is understandable because he, Danny, can be a cocky jerk. That's fair.
As the men start cleaning, the women load into a limousine and go to the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons, where they hang out by a suspiciously empty pool. Robert interviews that Ben and Danny are both being jerks, but that he's more unhappy with Ben. "Who is he to make other people feel small?" he asks rhetorically. Okay, now I'd like to take up the issue of the punishment/reward transitions. They like to have a shot in one splitscreen with a similar thing happening in the other. For example, right now, we see Ben using a spray bottle to clean a, um, kitchen thing. I think it's the garbage hole in the counter. And speaking of garbage holes -- I'm sorry. That was crass. What I meant to say was that they juxtapose that shot with a hotel employee spraying something on one of the women. And it's a good transition. I'm told it's probably scented water, but I think that sounds weird. Do you think the men would have gotten the scented water reward if they had won? Or is it just coincidence that the men's reward involves hanging out with Gordon Ramsay? (To be fair, the men did get a spa reward last season. So I'm really just making trouble.)
The women return as the men are trying to finish the prep, and they do some trash talking. The women call the men bitches, and then the men call the women bitches. If you like, you can decide which team is being more sexist. I think I've already done my speech about how I think the word "bitch" is interesting because of how its meaning changes based on who it's applied to.
Someone, possibly Andrea, is seen putting on a wig. She's already got hair; she's just adding a bit more to the ponytail area. I don't understand. Anyway, the women get down to the kitchen and have to do some of the prep, which was supposed to be the men's job. Where's the tomato-butter sauce, Ben?
Chef Ramsay lines up the teams for a pre-service pep talk. "If we stay united and bonded, we'll get through as a team. If we become fragmented, we'll disintegrate rapidly." Well, I'm sure we don't want that. Wait, do you think he's talking about the tomato-butter sauce? Cooking is complicated. No time to parse it further, though. It's time!