Hell's Kitchen (2005) s15e16 Episode Script
Winner Chosen
1 There is a nursery rhyme that says little girls are made of sugar Oh, I'm getting angry! And spice You've embarrassed our team all [bleep.]
day.
And all things nice It's none of your [bleep.]
business! But these two powerful women have proven that they are made up of much more than that.
Ariel This is a knockout round! Let's knock it out, guys! Equal parts bold There should be no excuse besides, "I [bleep.]
up, I did the wrong thing.
" And unapologetic.
Send 'em both home.
This 26-year-old powerhouse from Hackensack, New Jersey It's a comfort dish that oozes quality.
- Well done.
Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Overcame a challenging childhood.
I was never black enough for the black kids, never Jewish enough for the Jewish kids, never white enough for the white kids.
- Ariel.
- Yes, Chef.
- Delicious.
- Thank you, Chef.
The kitchen's the first place I felt like I really fit in.
In Hell's Kitchen, she overcame obstacles That would have most competitors leaving.
- Is it broken? - Yeah.
But instead, she grew stronger.
- Great job.
Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
All that matters is getting to the finish line.
Kristin Don't [bleep.]
me, all right? I got five minutes on this.
Started slow but then came on strong with a mix of skill - Kristin, absolute perfection.
- Thank you, Chef.
And swagger.
I've always been a beast.
I'm one of the best chefs here, and I know this.
This 27-year-old onetime wild child from Chicago, Illinois Who got you into food? My probation officer.
I started cooking because I was on house arrest.
Has found her calling in the kitchen.
This dish represents the best of the Red Team.
- Good job.
- Thank you, Daddy.
I'm more focused than I've ever been in my life.
She's stepping up in a really big way.
Even when pushed to her limits Put your hands on me, bitch.
She never lost sight of her goals.
Not even Jackie can stop me right now.
These two foes - You lied to Chef.
- Stay the [bleep.]
out of it.
Turned frenemies Kristin, our next fire is all us.
Give me five minutes total.
Meet you at the window.
Okay.
We went from not wanting to talk to each other to not needing to talk to each other.
Finally get to take the gloves off Let's go.
She's getting knocked the [bleep.]
out.
And determine once and for all who the queen bee really is.
I want to smoke Ariel.
Please let my door open.
Please let my door open.
Three Who will claim the head chef position at BLT Steak in Bally's, Las Vegas, and $1/4 million? Come on, you guys, keep pushing.
Keep pushing.
I need you to help me finish strong.
Find out right now Call back to me! Look at me.
On the season finale of Hell's Kitchen.
Well done.
Thank you, Chef.
I want you both to enjoy this milestone.
So tonight I've arranged for you both to stay in the amazing Presidential Suite at the prestigious Biltmore Hotel.
Ooh! Oh, my God.
Also, tomorrow morning you'll both be getting together with the executive chef of BLT Steak, Miami.
He happens to be a Hell's Kitchen winner Paul Niedermann.
- Wow.
- Wow.
Ask questions, get advice, discuss your menu with him.
Excited? Yes, Chef.
Pack your bags because your ride is waiting.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Good night.
- Good night, Chef.
- And well done.
- Wow.
- Holy [bleep.]
.
Oh! My God! This is so cool.
Oh, my God.
It feels good to be in the final two with somebody who I know is a strong competitor.
There's nobody else I could imagine being in the top two with.
Top two, this is crazy.
Whoo! Ha ha ha! This way? I can't see! Marino! Uhh! Ugh! Oh, my God.
This is just gonna be such a great night.
Yeah, the Biltmore.
Congratulations, ladies.
- Thank you.
- Welcome.
Please enjoy some champagne.
- Oh, my God.
- We will definitely do so.
The Presidential Suite at the Biltmore, are you serious? This is amazing.
Surprise! Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I miss my family so much.
I love you.
I love you.
I'm obsessed with my little sister.
As soon as she hugged me, like, she just started crying.
We have a really honest and open and real relationship when it comes to life, when it comes to losing our father.
- Wow.
- I'm so happy you're here.
She really is my best friend.
I'm so proud of you.
- I missed you.
- I missed you, too.
She's so cute.
Oh, my God.
I told Chef Ramsay you were auditioning for next season, by the way.
I haven't seen her in, like, two months.
A month.
So we decided to go have a drink by the pool.
Ladies, I'm really sorry to break it up, but we have to go work on your menus.
One more glass to the final two.
Cheers.
- Salute.
- Cheers.
- Lehayim.
- Cheers.
After working late into the night on their finale menus, the two finalists are up early to meet with head chef of BLT Steak in Miami and former Hell's Kitchen winner, Paul Niedermann.
This service is the biggest service you're gonna have so far in your career.
You want to make sure that when you pick your team, you put the pieces in the right place.
You've got to get them to follow, and the easiest way to do that is just by being the duck on the pond.
Your legs are going a mile a minute, but you're calm and focused.
That's a good analogy.
- Duck on a pond.
- I like that.
Right now at the point in the competition, you know, you feel a little alone.
So, you know, just being able to connect with somebody that's been in my position is something that I really needed right now.
Sit down, relax.
Relax, okay.
You have to relax.
My advice is make sure that your menu is set up and successful for your cooks.
Don't do something that only you can do.
Don't yell, don't scream, don't belittle.
Yeah.
You need to start thinking of the bigger picture.
Okay.
After getting some helpful advice from a Hell's Kitchen champion and BLT chef, the two finalists are off for a day of pampering.
You guys do whatever you want.
Like, I'll be your doll, that's fine.
Cool.
I need this right now.
This is true.
Wow! So what we're gonna do now is we're gonna go up to the roof and have a drink, relax.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, sounds good.
Come on.
This is kind of crazy.
We're on top of the Biltmore.
Oh! Oh, my God.
Look at you two beauties.
Welcome.
Did you get some great tips? - Yeah, Chef.
- Yeah, he was great.
Chef, you have two very strong finalists.
You're gonna have an amazing final service.
Allow me, please.
Definitely the right two in the final, let me tell you.
I'm so proud of you both.
Hell's Kitchen finalists, congratulations.
Good to see you.
Paul.
Always good to see you too, Chef.
I'm gonna take the girls up in the sky, and we're gonna have a little visit around LA.
I'm gonna show you some hot spots.
I'll take you up.
Good to see you.
Awesome, Chef.
Thank you.
Right, ready? Ladies, jump in.
I am speechless.
I feel so badass.
I mean, I'm flying in a helicopter over Los Angeles with Gordon [bleep.]
Ramsay.
Wow.
Oh, my God! - Uh, that's right.
- Oh, my God! Wow.
Finalists Ariel and Kristin have been whisked away on a surprise helicopter tour of Los Angeles with Chef Ramsay.
Oh, my God! - Uh, that's right.
- Oh, my God! But as they're now discovering, the surprises aren't over yet.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, my God.
I'm super shocked.
People are just going crazy down there.
Welcome to the USS Iowa.
I immediately feel nauseous to be dressed like this and to have to go into a challenge.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, please give a very warm welcome for our Hell's Kitchen finalists, Ariel and Kristin! Wow, it is time for both of you to go head-to-head and battle it out in your last big challenge.
You've both got one hour to produce five stunning dishes.
Your one hour starts now.
Let's go! Excellent.
In their final challenge, Ariel and Kristin will have one hour to create five unique dishes assisted by sous chefs Christina and Aaron.
- Just talk to me, right? - Right.
Okay, you tell me what you need.
Red wine demi.
This is for my cold app.
They must prepare one cold appetizer, one hot appetizer, and entrées featuring fish, chicken, and beef.
Kristin! Kristin! Kristin! So I'm gonna start cooking off that chicken.
I think I'm the stronger chef than Kristin.
Where did those potatoes go? She's just more classically minded, and I'm just the complete opposite.
Put a little bit more salt on this hanger.
My menu is very much me, just like, bam, tangy, feisty, and colorful.
Ariel! Ariel! Ariel! Ariel! Come on, Ariel! - Looking good, yeah? - Yes, Chef.
- Looking very good.
- Stay focused, Kris, right? I'm not worried.
This is extremely chaotic.
I'm a little frantic.
But I have the edge on Ariel because I trust my flavors and I trust my palate.
I like to take what's classic and elevate it.
I mean, you can't [bleep.]
with a perfectly cooked rib eye.
Come on.
Kristin, under control? - Yes, Chef.
- Yeah, good.
- 60 seconds.
- [bleep.]
.
Kristin! Kristin! Kristin! Oh, my God.
That crowd is definitely distracting me.
Ariel! Ariel! Everything's good.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Time up! Let's go! Good job.
Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
- We'll get it.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our Hell's Kitchen finalists, please, Ariel and Kristin! Excellent.
Welcome back.
Whoo-hoo! Whoo! Ladies, great job.
Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.
Now, tonight, you'll be judged by an esteemed panel of judges.
These judges work for ESquared Hospitality, which owns BLT Steak.
Tonight each of our esteemed judges will be scoring your dishes on a scale of one to ten.
First up, to judge the cold appetizers, this man has worked at some of the top restaurants, including BLT Steak, New York, please welcome Clifford Crooks, ladies and gentlemen.
- Hi.
How are you? - Wow.
This is major.
It's really important to impress these people.
Kristin.
Nice to meet you.
Very nice to meet you, Chef.
Kristin, please describe your dish to Chef.
I have a wagyu beef tartare, brioche, soft-poached quail egg with baby arugula salad on the side.
Nice.
How was that? That's actually quite excellent.
The egg is perfectly, perfectly cooked.
- Can't complain at all.
- Thank you, Chef.
Ariel, please.
So I have for you a cold citrus lobster salad.
Ooh, pretty.
Around the plate is some purple romanesco and crosnes dressed in a blood-orange vinaigrette.
Yeah.
I love that smile.
That means you're happy.
The blood-orange vinaigrette, lobster, and the asparagus quite striking, quite striking.
Chef, out of ten.
I'm going to give her a very well-respected eight.
All right.
What would you give Kristin's, please? - A nine.
- A nine.
- Yeah.
- Thank you, Chef.
Whoo! Yeah! - Good to see you.
- Thank you so much.
The hot-appetizer round will be judged by the executive chef of The Florentine in Chicago, Chris Macchia.
- Good to see you, buddy.
- Thank you.
- And welcome.
- Thank you very much.
Ariel is presenting a savory mushroom cheesecake.
It's seasoned really, really well.
The portion size is a little bit bigger than I would have thought, - but very well executed.
- Thank you so much, Chef.
And Kristin has prepared ricotta and chive ravioli.
It's a little bit salty for me.
I thought the execution and everything else worked really, really well together.
I would give the cheesecake a nine out of ten.
A nine out of ten.
- Whoo! - Yeah, Mookie! And Kristin's ravioli? I'd give an eight for the ravioli.
- Wow.
- I'll take it.
Yes, bro! Very nice to meet you, Chef.
Thank you.
Next up is the fish entrée to be judged by ESquared executive chef, Manuel Trevino.
- Welcome.
- Chef, good to see you.
Good to see you.
Kristin's sea bass with pork belly and brown butter sauce I think the pork belly is a little bit undercooked, - but it's still very flavorful.
- Thank you.
Is up against Ariel's mustard dill salmon and asparagus.
This dish is very close to my heart as a kind of a play on a dish my mom used to make for me.
My beautiful mother.
It's very good.
The sauce is great.
- Really good indeed.
- Thank you, Chef.
Let's score Kristin's first out of ten.
What would you give her sea bass? A definite eight.
- Eight, good job.
Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
And Ariel's salmon? The salmon I think was a little bit better put together.
- I'd give that a nine.
- A nine.
Thank you, Mom.
- Bring it home! - Ladies, well done.
Now, up to judge our chicken dishes, ladies and gentlemen, he is the executive chef of BLT Bar & Grill in New York, please welcome David Craine.
Chef, how are you? Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for giving up your time.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Appreciate it.
With Kristin down by one, she puts up her chicken breast with carrots and cheddar grits The chicken's beautiful and juicy.
I think that skin's just not as crisp as you would like it to be.
Against Ariel's herb garden chicken with carrot puree.
Fabulous idea, and I love that, but this one doesn't quite have the juiciness of the other, though.
Heard.
Right, Kristin's out of ten first.
I would have to give that a nine.
Nine.
Kristin, well done.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
And Ariel's? I would give that an eight, actually.
- Eight, well done.
- Thanks, Chef.
- Great comments, as always.
- Thank you, Chef.
Congratulations.
Best of luck to the both of you.
One dish remaining.
Judging our beef dish, this man's in charge of ESquared Hospitality, which owns BLT.
Please welcome President Keith Treyball.
- How are you? - Very good.
Welcome.
good to see you.
The girls right now are tied, and you are gonna be that tiebreaker.
So no pressure.
Okay.
Kristin, would you describe your dish to Chef, please? I have a grilled rib eye Ooh, that looks beautiful.
Gorgonzola potato puree, broccoli rabe and roasted mushrooms.
Wow.
Dig in, please.
Totally delivers.
The sauce really complements the beef.
- Very nice.
- Thank you.
- Excellent.
- Yay, Kristin! Whew! Okay.
And our second steak, Ariel, please.
So, President Keith, this is a medium-rare hanger steak.
The garnish there is poached fingerling potatoes and Thumbelina carrots.
Ooh.
The steak's delicious.
- Thank you, Chef.
- I have one comment here.
I find there's a little too much sweetness in the sauce.
Heard.
But conceptually and visually, fantastic.
Excellent.
Good.
Wow, thank you.
Good job.
So Kristin's rib eye out of ten.
I'm gonna give that an eight.
Wow.
You are the tiebreaker.
The hanger steak for Ariel, out of ten? This is tough.
Um It's the last round of the last challenge for the finalists, and the winning vote will be cast by the president of ESquared, the parent company of BLT Steak.
Keith, you are the tiebreaker.
Kristin has scored eight points on her rib eye.
The hanger steak for Ariel, out of ten? And now, Ariel's hanger steak must score eight points to tie and nine to win the challenge.
This is tough.
Um I'm gonna have to give it a 7.
5.
Give it up for Kristin, please, ladies and gentlemen! Yeah! Thank you.
Wow, this is just great.
We're fighting for a steak house, and this just proves I'm the best person for this position.
Absolutely brilliant.
Thank you so much.
My momentum is there.
Like, I just need to finish.
It's now time to choose your brigade.
Please welcome the Hell's Kitchen season 15 chefs.
Joe! Joe.
Yes, Joey! Chad, ladies and gentlemen! Jackie, ladies and gentlemen! Yes, Jersey! Whoo! - Frank! - Frankie! Oh, Frankie, look at this guy over here! Is he smiling? Dannie, ladies and gentlemen! Oh, boy, Dannie.
- Dannie! - Wow! Manda, ladies and gentlemen.
Jared, ladies and gentlemen.
And finally, Ashley! Chefs, welcome back.
Great to see you.
Now, Kristin, because you won the challenge, you get to pick first.
The first chef that I'm picking I'm picking because I know I can trust this chef.
My first choice is Ashley.
- Ashley, wow.
- Good job, Ash! Ashley! It's an honor.
Welcome back.
Kristin is my closest friend, so I'm happy to be here for her.
It just sucks for me.
Okay, Ariel.
She's a beast on the line.
She takes her job very seriously, and my pick is Jackie.
- Jackie, wow.
- Yeah! Jackie? I can definitely see that backfiring on Ariel.
Not my problem.
Yeah, bitch! Shh.
Jackie, please.
Sorry, Chef, I'm just excited.
Ariel's team is gonna kick ass.
Bring it on.
Really, bring it on.
- Welcome back.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Your hair looks amazing.
- Thank you, Chef.
So does yours.
Okay, Kristin, second choice.
My next chef I'm choosing is because of the speed and determination that he uses on the line.
I'm gonna go with Frank, Chef.
Frank, welcome.
- Hey, Frank! - Frankie! - Good job.
- Good to see you.
Frank, good to see you.
I feel like I'm home.
My next chef is a feisty little firecracker.
She loves food.
She loves her family.
My next choice is Manda.
Manda, welcome.
Wow.
All right, Kristin, third choice.
I actually don't even need to preface this, because I miss you, Joe.
Aw, I miss you, too.
There you go, big Joe.
Damn it.
Send it.
Send it.
- Send it.
- Send it.
- My man, my man.
- All right, Ariel? I know that this chef has a strong heart.
I know that she is gonna speak up and she is gonna communicate on my team.
Dannie is my next chef.
Wow.
Welcome, Dannie.
The ball is in your court.
I can't take 'em both? You can't take them both.
Is it Chad or Jared? I have a feeling he's gonna bring a lot of flavor and depth to my team.
Chad.
Yes.
Let's get it.
Let's get it.
Obviously, Jared, you're gonna be on my team.
I know you're a fighter and you have a group of women.
I know you like to listen to us.
You're a mama's boy.
So come on and join the team, Jared.
Yeah! Welcome back, Jared.
Glad to be back.
Ladies and gentlemen, please, our Hell's Kitchen finalists.
With their brigades chosen, everyone heads back to Hell's Kitchen, where Kristin and Ariel will review their menus with the teams they have assembled for the final dinner service.
Getting into the rib eye, Frank, you're gonna be really busy.
As the orders are called in, you want them just seared? - I want a hard sear.
- A hard sear.
Yeah.
What do I want? Hard sear.
I hate you, by the way.
I know.
I'm doing just, like, a classic house salad.
- Okay.
- So, like, candied walnuts and then chives, I mean, like fines herbes in the salad.
Okay.
The next one is, like, a cold lobster salad.
I do a savory mushroom cheesecake - So wait, tell me - With a cream cheese, goat cheese, like, chopped mushrooms.
- And then - And the lobster - You said lobster salad, right? - Yeah.
So that's apps.
Meats Ariel's going through her menu faster than Chef Ramsay calls out his tickets.
The sauce for that is just gonna be a pan jus.
Fines herbes, so tarragon, parsley, chives.
I'm gonna be doing pan-roasted halibut, like a raw beet salad with, like, - a Tabasco lemon vinaigrette.
- Okay.
I'm gonna braise beet greens with that.
That's my menu.
Any questions? No? Okay, bye.
That's it.
That was really fast, huh? - Yeah.
- Yeah, it was.
With an exhausting night of menu review behind them, Kristin's red crew and Ariel's band of blue are in the kitchen early - Dannie, you're good for now? - Mm-hmm.
Cutting board on fish.
Cutting board on meat.
Starting prep for the most important dinner service of their lives.
Ariel, I know this is probably a stupid question, but you want me to salt that, right? I just don't want to do anything that's not what you want to do.
I picked my team because I trust all of your guys' - culinary intuition.
- All right.
Everyone is in the zone and I'm ready to kill it.
This tastes so black, Jared.
- Is that a good thing? - Yeah.
It has a lot of soul in it.
I like that.
I'm anticipating that these smiles on Ariel's face are just gonna totally go away, and she's gonna be like, "Listen, [bleep.]
, you need to do this!" Which way is on? Oh, my God.
Are you doing a timing in your head? - No.
- You better be.
I want these chives [bleep.]
done in the next two minutes.
Oh, God.
You know, you don't have to be like that.
That's what makes people want to kill themselves or kill you.
Let's go.
Right.
Ariel, Kristin, two seconds please.
- Yes, Chef.
- Come with me.
On the count of three, girls, yes? - Yes, Chef.
- One, two - Marino.
- Si, Chef.
Open Hell's Kitchen.
- Si, Chefs.
- Let's go.
The dining room fills quickly with customers, including several VIPs excited to be witness to this final showdown.
Potatoes on top, scallops on the bottom now.
Can you cut up some butter so everyone can have butter - on their station? - Yeah.
Guests, including the chefs' family members, will be dining on original menu items created by Ariel and Kristin for this final dinner service.
Go do it, Kristin.
- Yes.
- Cheers.
All right, guys, we have our fist table in.
Two octopus salads, two lobster salads.
Heard.
I picked people that I knew that I could trust.
I'm expecting everyone on my team to bang everything out and rock their stations.
I need those lobster salads to the pass.
Ariel, I'm doing all four of your lobster salads at once, okay? You have two lobster salads, two octopus salads.
Okay.
I'm dragging.
I'm dragging.
Manda, I need you to multitask a little bit better.
Okay, okay, okay.
You got it, Manda.
Stay focused.
You got this, Manda.
Octopus, two minutes one minute, Chef.
While Ariel works to organize and wrangle her team Thank you, guys, nice hustle.
On the red side, Kristin's kitchen is already under way on appetizers.
All right, a lot of orders coming in now, guys.
This is your mom and dad.
And a very important ticket has just come in.
First table, VIP, very important to me.
- Yes, Chef.
- One duck salad, - one crab salad.
- Heard that.
Kristin's family, yes.
Yes, Chef.
So three minutes out on that duck.
Make it nice, don't rush it.
I'm extremely confident being on meat station always.
And Kristin picked me because that's where I've flourished since I've been here.
Walking with one crab and one duck.
Oh, come on.
Kristin.
Yes, Chef.
There's something wrong.
It's just over 20 minutes into the final dinner service and Frank has sent his duck salad for Kristin's parents to the pass.
- Kristin.
- Yes, Chef.
There's something wrong.
Unfortunately, they won't be receiving it.
Right now in your kitchen, you've got nothing going out.
- These are your parents, right? - Yes, Chef.
And it's still cold in the middle, okay? So it's just not good enough.
- No, Chef.
- Yeah, let's go.
What the [bleep.]
, Frank? Check that before you bring it to me so Chef Ramsay doesn't have to see it.
Get this heated up now.
Yes, Chef.
Frank is not there.
He needs to get his head out of his [bleep.]
.
How long on that duck? It's ready, Chef.
Thank you.
Beautiful.
Thank you, Ashley.
With Ashley's help, the refired duck salad makes it out to Kristin's parents.
Appetizers first.
Table 41 pickup right here.
And with a steady stream of appetizers now leaving the kitchen I like this because the dressing is so light.
I could eat this every day.
Kristin and Ariel are now moving their brigades onto entrées.
First entrées, stand by, two sea bass, two hanger steaks.
Heard.
I definitely want to provide a great service to Ariel.
I mean, she's up there for the win.
Walking with pork.
Walking with hanger steak.
But at the same time, it's like, I don't want to be here.
Pork.
Oh, Lord.
Dannie, I need these pork chops back in the oven.
Cut them open before you bring them to the pass.
Make sure they're cooked first.
I thought they were Heard.
These were some really, really big pork chops, and unfortunately, I made a mistake.
You know, I'm human.
Is table ten fired? - Yeah, go ahead.
- Yeah? Okay.
I have these two hanger steaks, so I just asked - Yeah.
- Jason if table ten's ready.
Flip it, yeah, smart.
Smart, smart, smart.
- Thank you so much.
- You got it.
Ariel, come on.
She's so talented.
She's a [bleep.]
genius.
Ariel's quick thinking buys some time for Dannie on her refire.
Over in the red kitchen Joe, I'm walking on my fish, yeah.
All right, walk on your fish, Chad, walk it.
A steady stream of entrées are being delivered to the pass.
I've got two bass on the right.
- Two rib eye.
- Hey, we're here.
Where's the [bleep.]
garnish? Sea bass garnish is right here.
Oh, dear.
[bleep.]
hell.
Both of you just taste that.
Stinking of garlic.
- No seasoning.
- Hey, no [bleep.]
seasoning.
Hey, you.
Hey, come here, you.
- Yes, Chef.
- Taste that.
Come on, Joe, salt.
- Salt.
- Yes, Chef.
Joe, I want you to put those in a bowl.
- Toss them, season them, okay? - Heard.
Yes, Chef.
Yes, Chef.
Sorry, Chef.
Easiest section tonight, and you're still [bleep.]
screwing up.
Sea bass garnish is right here.
- It looks much better.
- It's good.
- Thank you, Joe.
- All right, we're good.
Glad you picked that up.
Thank you.
With Joe's seasoning now on point, entrées are making their way out to the dining room.
- There you are.
Bon appétit.
- Thank you.
Walking with refire.
Meanwhile, over in the blue kitchen Refired pork chop.
Awesome.
Ariel is sending out Dannie's refired pork chop Ooh whee! To rave reviews.
Pork chop's amazing.
All right, our next fire is two sea bass, two hanger steak.
Heard! Make it perfect, guys.
All these pieces are different sizes, so I have a plan to just cut those [bleep.]
, so they look the same shape.
- Jackie, I need you to - Yes, I got it.
I cut them down.
I just cut them.
Fire two of the whole sea bass, two of the whole ones.
Jackie, you're killing me! You're killing me right now.
They're all different sizes.
It's not by the way that they look.
It's by weight.
People are paying for the entrées.
They need to get what they're paying for, Jackie.
- All right, so these two? - Yes.
- Did she cut them down? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, [bleep.]
hell.
Well spotted.
It was worth a shot.
Walking with sea bass.
Salad in your hand, yeah? - Salad in my hand.
- Yes! Jackie, nice on that sea bass! It better be.
I don't wanna lose.
As Jackie's properly portioned sea bass makes it out to Ariel's family - I love it.
- You love that? It's so good.
Over in the red kitchen, Kristin's team is ready for their next ticket.
Order in.
Keep cooking.
Entrées, two salmon, two sea bass.
Call back to me.
Look at me.
Focus on me.
Come on! Four minutes.
- Come here a minute.
- Yes, Chef.
Whether you like it or not, you better get tough, and you better get tough quick.
You are dictating to them the pace of your kitchen.
- Absolutely.
- Do something - to get your team moving.
- Yes, Chef.
I worked way too hard to get to this point, and I'm not going down without a fight.
Two sea bass, two salmon, how long? 2 1/2 minutes, two salmon, two sea bass.
Pace that.
I want it in two minutes.
Heard that.
Followed by a rib eye and a salmon.
- Heard, five five minutes.
- How long? - Five minutes.
- Heard! All right, I'm trusting you guys.
You can do this.
Let's [bleep.]
go.
I need food, you guys.
I need food.
I'm walking two salmon right now and then followed by two sea bass.
Walking rib eye.
Garnish, I want garnish on my right.
- Behind hot, behind hot.
- Potatoes.
Salmon first on your left.
Hot, hot, hot.
With Kristin pushing harder, her brigade comes together and delivers.
I give her a 10 1/2.
I'm getting in here.
Meanwhile, a delivery to one of Ariel's diners Okay, you guys, I don't know that much about pork, but I do know it needs to be cooked, right? Appears to have left the kitchen a little too soon.
Buona sera.
- Hi.
- Hello.
I mean, last time I heard, pork was supposed to be really done.
Yeah, you don't want to have a pork tartare.
- Mm-mm.
- No.
Chef Ariel, table 22 is raw.
[bleep.]
hell.
Oh, man.
Dannie, I have another pork chop.
This needs to go back in another a little bit longer.
Dannie, no [bleep.]
way.
You can't do that.
She's got to be on point with cooking the pork.
This ticket needs to go out right now.
Refired pork chop, awesome.
- [bleep.]
.
- This one's over? Dannie! Yes, Chef.
What do you think of that? - That it's dry.
- Yeah.
I have two more standing by.
Look, look, I know you don't care.
I do.
- No, I do care, Chef.
- Okay.
Dannie's gonna flip out.
Dannie's gonna flip out.
I wanted to get it up to the pass.
I should have checked it.
I understand.
I can bring two more up.
Dannie, you know, just shake it the [bleep.]
off, and let's go.
I'm, like I'm gonna lose it in a second.
I just want the best.
I didn't you know, I didn't ask to come back.
[bleep.]
it, I didn't ask to come back.
You go Dannie.
Come on, Dannie, I know you're strong.
Get me those pork chops as soon as you can, Dannie! Where is Dannie? It's nearly two hours into the dinner service that will help determine the winner of Hell's Kitchen, and in Ariel's kitchen Jackie.
What? The pressure has proven to be too much for one chef Where is Dannie? Leaving Ariel's brigade shorthanded.
- One more minute.
- Where is she? - She left.
- What do you mean, she left? Oh, my God.
You're cooking one meat, and you've given up.
Chef Ramsay says one mean thing to you, and you're ready to go home and cry.
I was just like, "No, [bleep.]
way.
" Jackie, are you gonna pick up that pork chop for me? - Got it.
- You been strong all night.
I need you to help me finish strong.
You can't just leave.
What is wrong with you? Who does that? All right, Jackie, concentrate on all those pork chops.
- Get 'em out.
- I got it.
I got it.
This is now Ariel's career on the line, and unless you're dying, get over it.
Jackie, how long for those two pork chops? Right now.
Right now I'm coming.
Walking with two pork chops.
With Jackie picking up where Dannie left off Thank you so much.
Properly cooked pork is making its way to Ariel's hungry diners.
- Now, we're talking.
- That should be delicious.
Yes.
Meanwhile, back in the red kitchen Salmon to the pass.
Chad is ready with Kristin's next entrée.
Oh, man.
- Kristin.
- Yes, Chef.
Salmon's raw.
Just touch that there.
Just touch it.
Cold.
- Chad.
- Yeah.
Cold salmon, refire.
It's raw.
Okay, heard that.
- Ashley, jump on fish.
- Heard.
Jump on fish, and let's finish strong.
You guys know these dishes.
You know how to cook.
No matter how hard it is at this point, that is null and void.
This is a service to help Kristin win this thing, and I'm going to make sure that I get her over the finish line.
Here's the refire, two salmon.
With Ashley coming to Chad's rescue on the fish station, both Kristin Send it, guys.
And Ariel are pushing their brigades toward the finish line.
Nice steak, Jackie, nice steak! Thank you! Here's the other two salmon.
Rib eyes walking to the pass right now.
Walking bass.
Behind hot.
Our last table is two pork chops.
Two pork chops is all we need to do.
Good job, guys, this is my last ticket.
- Last ticket.
- Here we go.
- Push! - Thank you.
I did the best that I could.
There's some things that I wish would have been different, but we pushed through it.
We came back.
We finished strong.
Thank you, guys.
You guys have been strong all night, and we finished strong.
I think my team did really well.
We had a few hiccups, but win or lose, I'm extremely proud of myself.
Arrivederci.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you.
Listen, both teams had bumps, let's get that right.
Yes, Chef.
But you hung in there, and you never gave up.
Okay? Well done.
Right now, head to the dorms.
- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
I'll call you when I've made my decision.
Yes, Chef.
Bye, guys.
- Bye, Kristin.
- Oh, thank you so much.
You did phenomenal.
I'm super proud of you.
I'm super proud of us.
- Bye.
- Love you, Kristin.
All right, bye.
It was a good fight.
It was a good competition.
Whatever happens, I was happy and proud of what I did, and I left it all on the field.
I did better than I could have ever imagined.
Definitely the greatest service of my life.
Yeah, mine too.
My heart hasn't stopped racing.
Like, I'm proud of myself, but I just want to know whatever the outcome is gonna be.
I don't even know right now.
I'm just like, phew.
Arctic char, one Wellie, how long? - Minute and a half.
- Char, two minutes.
Kristin is stepping up in a really big way on a on a really big night.
For my flavor profile, the way I like to eat a steak, I would have to say Kristin's rib eye.
- Wow.
- Thank you, Chef.
Two sea bass, two salmon, how long? 2 1/2 minutes, two salmon, two sea bass.
Pace that, I want it in two minutes! Heard that.
Got two minutes on my risotto, two minutes on the lobster tail.
We're all gonna meet at the pass at the same time.
Perfect, perfect.
Ariel, always the sign of a great leader, supporting the weakest and getting them to the very top.
That's five for five.
Ariel, that's one of the most delicious dishes you've done so far in this competition.
Thank you so much, Chef.
Jackie, I need you to fire two of the regular sea basses, Jackie.
- Did she cut them down? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, [bleep.]
hell.
Well spotted.
Holy [bleep.]
.
Hello.
Ladies, please make your way up to my office.
I've made my decision, thank you.
Yes, Chef.
To the office.
Ladies, welcome.
Kristin, you were a late bloomer here in Hell's Kitchen, let me tell you.
But the fascinating thing about you, once you hit your stride, you were not only good, but you were dominant.
- Ariel.
- Chef.
Right from the very beginning, let's be honest, - you were never shy.
- Chef.
Your creativity and your attention to detail has been second to none.
Unfortunately, there can only be one winner.
And this has been one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made.
Ariel, Kristin, please step up to your doors.
This is amazing.
Finally, this is my moment.
I'm definitely going to win this thing, and this is going to change my life.
Good luck.
Thanks, Chef.
You too.
After tonight, I definitely think I'm ready for BLT.
I'm really happy, and I'm really excited, and I'm really hopeful.
Please let my door open.
Please let my door open.
The chef whose door opens will become the winner of Hell's Kitchen.
That comes with a salary of $1/4 million.
Ariel and Kristin, place your hand on top of the handle.
On the count of three, you'll turn your handles.
One two three.
The chef whose door opens will become the winner of Hell's Kitchen.
On the count of three, you'll turn your handles.
One two three.
Thank you, guys.
Oh, my God.
Good job.
Well done.
Do not be despondent, okay? Come on, head up high.
You did great.
I'm a little overwhelmed, but this is a turning point in my life and a turning point in my career.
I've grown into someone that I'm so proud of.
You know, my picture's not in the hallway, but being a finalist has been the best experience ever.
I'm proud of you, so very proud.
Oh, my God.
This opportunity is just gonna open the doors for me to have a happy life.
Mom, oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I cannot tell you how talented you are.
It's just really an awesome feeling.
I mean, I can't even imagine $1/4 million.
Like, I've never had more than $2,000 in my bank account at one time.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Hell's Kitchen winner, Ariel! Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
I really can't wait to share this with all of my family and friends that have believed in me.
This has been an awesome journey.
I really have to thank my family, first of all.
I couldn't have done this without my family.
My fellow contestants, I learned so much from all of you, Chef Ramsay, both of the sous chefs, and they gave me a lot of inspiration.
- It's a lot to take in.
- A round of applause, please, - ladies and gentlemen.
- Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Right from the very beginning, Ariel let her presence be known.
She was always outspoken, but she backed up her confidence with her cooking.
There we are.
Come on, give it up.
Creative, talented, and unique, she is an out-of-the-box thinker who will make a great head chef at BLT Steak.
Salud! Are you guys gonna drink, yes? Come on, cheer up, you.
Let's go.
Yes, Chef, absolutely.
Thank you so much for everything.
- Good job, bitch, really.
- Thank you, babe.
Good job, babe.
You better hire me.
Of course.
Welcome to the Jackie show.
The Jackie show, the Jackie show.
Ariel, ladies and gentlemen, well done.
Wow.
day.
And all things nice It's none of your [bleep.]
business! But these two powerful women have proven that they are made up of much more than that.
Ariel This is a knockout round! Let's knock it out, guys! Equal parts bold There should be no excuse besides, "I [bleep.]
up, I did the wrong thing.
" And unapologetic.
Send 'em both home.
This 26-year-old powerhouse from Hackensack, New Jersey It's a comfort dish that oozes quality.
- Well done.
Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Overcame a challenging childhood.
I was never black enough for the black kids, never Jewish enough for the Jewish kids, never white enough for the white kids.
- Ariel.
- Yes, Chef.
- Delicious.
- Thank you, Chef.
The kitchen's the first place I felt like I really fit in.
In Hell's Kitchen, she overcame obstacles That would have most competitors leaving.
- Is it broken? - Yeah.
But instead, she grew stronger.
- Great job.
Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
All that matters is getting to the finish line.
Kristin Don't [bleep.]
me, all right? I got five minutes on this.
Started slow but then came on strong with a mix of skill - Kristin, absolute perfection.
- Thank you, Chef.
And swagger.
I've always been a beast.
I'm one of the best chefs here, and I know this.
This 27-year-old onetime wild child from Chicago, Illinois Who got you into food? My probation officer.
I started cooking because I was on house arrest.
Has found her calling in the kitchen.
This dish represents the best of the Red Team.
- Good job.
- Thank you, Daddy.
I'm more focused than I've ever been in my life.
She's stepping up in a really big way.
Even when pushed to her limits Put your hands on me, bitch.
She never lost sight of her goals.
Not even Jackie can stop me right now.
These two foes - You lied to Chef.
- Stay the [bleep.]
out of it.
Turned frenemies Kristin, our next fire is all us.
Give me five minutes total.
Meet you at the window.
Okay.
We went from not wanting to talk to each other to not needing to talk to each other.
Finally get to take the gloves off Let's go.
She's getting knocked the [bleep.]
out.
And determine once and for all who the queen bee really is.
I want to smoke Ariel.
Please let my door open.
Please let my door open.
Three Who will claim the head chef position at BLT Steak in Bally's, Las Vegas, and $1/4 million? Come on, you guys, keep pushing.
Keep pushing.
I need you to help me finish strong.
Find out right now Call back to me! Look at me.
On the season finale of Hell's Kitchen.
Well done.
Thank you, Chef.
I want you both to enjoy this milestone.
So tonight I've arranged for you both to stay in the amazing Presidential Suite at the prestigious Biltmore Hotel.
Ooh! Oh, my God.
Also, tomorrow morning you'll both be getting together with the executive chef of BLT Steak, Miami.
He happens to be a Hell's Kitchen winner Paul Niedermann.
- Wow.
- Wow.
Ask questions, get advice, discuss your menu with him.
Excited? Yes, Chef.
Pack your bags because your ride is waiting.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Good night.
- Good night, Chef.
- And well done.
- Wow.
- Holy [bleep.]
.
Oh! My God! This is so cool.
Oh, my God.
It feels good to be in the final two with somebody who I know is a strong competitor.
There's nobody else I could imagine being in the top two with.
Top two, this is crazy.
Whoo! Ha ha ha! This way? I can't see! Marino! Uhh! Ugh! Oh, my God.
This is just gonna be such a great night.
Yeah, the Biltmore.
Congratulations, ladies.
- Thank you.
- Welcome.
Please enjoy some champagne.
- Oh, my God.
- We will definitely do so.
The Presidential Suite at the Biltmore, are you serious? This is amazing.
Surprise! Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I miss my family so much.
I love you.
I love you.
I'm obsessed with my little sister.
As soon as she hugged me, like, she just started crying.
We have a really honest and open and real relationship when it comes to life, when it comes to losing our father.
- Wow.
- I'm so happy you're here.
She really is my best friend.
I'm so proud of you.
- I missed you.
- I missed you, too.
She's so cute.
Oh, my God.
I told Chef Ramsay you were auditioning for next season, by the way.
I haven't seen her in, like, two months.
A month.
So we decided to go have a drink by the pool.
Ladies, I'm really sorry to break it up, but we have to go work on your menus.
One more glass to the final two.
Cheers.
- Salute.
- Cheers.
- Lehayim.
- Cheers.
After working late into the night on their finale menus, the two finalists are up early to meet with head chef of BLT Steak in Miami and former Hell's Kitchen winner, Paul Niedermann.
This service is the biggest service you're gonna have so far in your career.
You want to make sure that when you pick your team, you put the pieces in the right place.
You've got to get them to follow, and the easiest way to do that is just by being the duck on the pond.
Your legs are going a mile a minute, but you're calm and focused.
That's a good analogy.
- Duck on a pond.
- I like that.
Right now at the point in the competition, you know, you feel a little alone.
So, you know, just being able to connect with somebody that's been in my position is something that I really needed right now.
Sit down, relax.
Relax, okay.
You have to relax.
My advice is make sure that your menu is set up and successful for your cooks.
Don't do something that only you can do.
Don't yell, don't scream, don't belittle.
Yeah.
You need to start thinking of the bigger picture.
Okay.
After getting some helpful advice from a Hell's Kitchen champion and BLT chef, the two finalists are off for a day of pampering.
You guys do whatever you want.
Like, I'll be your doll, that's fine.
Cool.
I need this right now.
This is true.
Wow! So what we're gonna do now is we're gonna go up to the roof and have a drink, relax.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, sounds good.
Come on.
This is kind of crazy.
We're on top of the Biltmore.
Oh! Oh, my God.
Look at you two beauties.
Welcome.
Did you get some great tips? - Yeah, Chef.
- Yeah, he was great.
Chef, you have two very strong finalists.
You're gonna have an amazing final service.
Allow me, please.
Definitely the right two in the final, let me tell you.
I'm so proud of you both.
Hell's Kitchen finalists, congratulations.
Good to see you.
Paul.
Always good to see you too, Chef.
I'm gonna take the girls up in the sky, and we're gonna have a little visit around LA.
I'm gonna show you some hot spots.
I'll take you up.
Good to see you.
Awesome, Chef.
Thank you.
Right, ready? Ladies, jump in.
I am speechless.
I feel so badass.
I mean, I'm flying in a helicopter over Los Angeles with Gordon [bleep.]
Ramsay.
Wow.
Oh, my God! - Uh, that's right.
- Oh, my God! Wow.
Finalists Ariel and Kristin have been whisked away on a surprise helicopter tour of Los Angeles with Chef Ramsay.
Oh, my God! - Uh, that's right.
- Oh, my God! But as they're now discovering, the surprises aren't over yet.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, my God.
I'm super shocked.
People are just going crazy down there.
Welcome to the USS Iowa.
I immediately feel nauseous to be dressed like this and to have to go into a challenge.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, please give a very warm welcome for our Hell's Kitchen finalists, Ariel and Kristin! Wow, it is time for both of you to go head-to-head and battle it out in your last big challenge.
You've both got one hour to produce five stunning dishes.
Your one hour starts now.
Let's go! Excellent.
In their final challenge, Ariel and Kristin will have one hour to create five unique dishes assisted by sous chefs Christina and Aaron.
- Just talk to me, right? - Right.
Okay, you tell me what you need.
Red wine demi.
This is for my cold app.
They must prepare one cold appetizer, one hot appetizer, and entrées featuring fish, chicken, and beef.
Kristin! Kristin! Kristin! So I'm gonna start cooking off that chicken.
I think I'm the stronger chef than Kristin.
Where did those potatoes go? She's just more classically minded, and I'm just the complete opposite.
Put a little bit more salt on this hanger.
My menu is very much me, just like, bam, tangy, feisty, and colorful.
Ariel! Ariel! Ariel! Ariel! Come on, Ariel! - Looking good, yeah? - Yes, Chef.
- Looking very good.
- Stay focused, Kris, right? I'm not worried.
This is extremely chaotic.
I'm a little frantic.
But I have the edge on Ariel because I trust my flavors and I trust my palate.
I like to take what's classic and elevate it.
I mean, you can't [bleep.]
with a perfectly cooked rib eye.
Come on.
Kristin, under control? - Yes, Chef.
- Yeah, good.
- 60 seconds.
- [bleep.]
.
Kristin! Kristin! Kristin! Oh, my God.
That crowd is definitely distracting me.
Ariel! Ariel! Everything's good.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Time up! Let's go! Good job.
Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.
- We'll get it.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our Hell's Kitchen finalists, please, Ariel and Kristin! Excellent.
Welcome back.
Whoo-hoo! Whoo! Ladies, great job.
Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.
Now, tonight, you'll be judged by an esteemed panel of judges.
These judges work for ESquared Hospitality, which owns BLT Steak.
Tonight each of our esteemed judges will be scoring your dishes on a scale of one to ten.
First up, to judge the cold appetizers, this man has worked at some of the top restaurants, including BLT Steak, New York, please welcome Clifford Crooks, ladies and gentlemen.
- Hi.
How are you? - Wow.
This is major.
It's really important to impress these people.
Kristin.
Nice to meet you.
Very nice to meet you, Chef.
Kristin, please describe your dish to Chef.
I have a wagyu beef tartare, brioche, soft-poached quail egg with baby arugula salad on the side.
Nice.
How was that? That's actually quite excellent.
The egg is perfectly, perfectly cooked.
- Can't complain at all.
- Thank you, Chef.
Ariel, please.
So I have for you a cold citrus lobster salad.
Ooh, pretty.
Around the plate is some purple romanesco and crosnes dressed in a blood-orange vinaigrette.
Yeah.
I love that smile.
That means you're happy.
The blood-orange vinaigrette, lobster, and the asparagus quite striking, quite striking.
Chef, out of ten.
I'm going to give her a very well-respected eight.
All right.
What would you give Kristin's, please? - A nine.
- A nine.
- Yeah.
- Thank you, Chef.
Whoo! Yeah! - Good to see you.
- Thank you so much.
The hot-appetizer round will be judged by the executive chef of The Florentine in Chicago, Chris Macchia.
- Good to see you, buddy.
- Thank you.
- And welcome.
- Thank you very much.
Ariel is presenting a savory mushroom cheesecake.
It's seasoned really, really well.
The portion size is a little bit bigger than I would have thought, - but very well executed.
- Thank you so much, Chef.
And Kristin has prepared ricotta and chive ravioli.
It's a little bit salty for me.
I thought the execution and everything else worked really, really well together.
I would give the cheesecake a nine out of ten.
A nine out of ten.
- Whoo! - Yeah, Mookie! And Kristin's ravioli? I'd give an eight for the ravioli.
- Wow.
- I'll take it.
Yes, bro! Very nice to meet you, Chef.
Thank you.
Next up is the fish entrée to be judged by ESquared executive chef, Manuel Trevino.
- Welcome.
- Chef, good to see you.
Good to see you.
Kristin's sea bass with pork belly and brown butter sauce I think the pork belly is a little bit undercooked, - but it's still very flavorful.
- Thank you.
Is up against Ariel's mustard dill salmon and asparagus.
This dish is very close to my heart as a kind of a play on a dish my mom used to make for me.
My beautiful mother.
It's very good.
The sauce is great.
- Really good indeed.
- Thank you, Chef.
Let's score Kristin's first out of ten.
What would you give her sea bass? A definite eight.
- Eight, good job.
Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
And Ariel's salmon? The salmon I think was a little bit better put together.
- I'd give that a nine.
- A nine.
Thank you, Mom.
- Bring it home! - Ladies, well done.
Now, up to judge our chicken dishes, ladies and gentlemen, he is the executive chef of BLT Bar & Grill in New York, please welcome David Craine.
Chef, how are you? Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for giving up your time.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Appreciate it.
With Kristin down by one, she puts up her chicken breast with carrots and cheddar grits The chicken's beautiful and juicy.
I think that skin's just not as crisp as you would like it to be.
Against Ariel's herb garden chicken with carrot puree.
Fabulous idea, and I love that, but this one doesn't quite have the juiciness of the other, though.
Heard.
Right, Kristin's out of ten first.
I would have to give that a nine.
Nine.
Kristin, well done.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
And Ariel's? I would give that an eight, actually.
- Eight, well done.
- Thanks, Chef.
- Great comments, as always.
- Thank you, Chef.
Congratulations.
Best of luck to the both of you.
One dish remaining.
Judging our beef dish, this man's in charge of ESquared Hospitality, which owns BLT.
Please welcome President Keith Treyball.
- How are you? - Very good.
Welcome.
good to see you.
The girls right now are tied, and you are gonna be that tiebreaker.
So no pressure.
Okay.
Kristin, would you describe your dish to Chef, please? I have a grilled rib eye Ooh, that looks beautiful.
Gorgonzola potato puree, broccoli rabe and roasted mushrooms.
Wow.
Dig in, please.
Totally delivers.
The sauce really complements the beef.
- Very nice.
- Thank you.
- Excellent.
- Yay, Kristin! Whew! Okay.
And our second steak, Ariel, please.
So, President Keith, this is a medium-rare hanger steak.
The garnish there is poached fingerling potatoes and Thumbelina carrots.
Ooh.
The steak's delicious.
- Thank you, Chef.
- I have one comment here.
I find there's a little too much sweetness in the sauce.
Heard.
But conceptually and visually, fantastic.
Excellent.
Good.
Wow, thank you.
Good job.
So Kristin's rib eye out of ten.
I'm gonna give that an eight.
Wow.
You are the tiebreaker.
The hanger steak for Ariel, out of ten? This is tough.
Um It's the last round of the last challenge for the finalists, and the winning vote will be cast by the president of ESquared, the parent company of BLT Steak.
Keith, you are the tiebreaker.
Kristin has scored eight points on her rib eye.
The hanger steak for Ariel, out of ten? And now, Ariel's hanger steak must score eight points to tie and nine to win the challenge.
This is tough.
Um I'm gonna have to give it a 7.
5.
Give it up for Kristin, please, ladies and gentlemen! Yeah! Thank you.
Wow, this is just great.
We're fighting for a steak house, and this just proves I'm the best person for this position.
Absolutely brilliant.
Thank you so much.
My momentum is there.
Like, I just need to finish.
It's now time to choose your brigade.
Please welcome the Hell's Kitchen season 15 chefs.
Joe! Joe.
Yes, Joey! Chad, ladies and gentlemen! Jackie, ladies and gentlemen! Yes, Jersey! Whoo! - Frank! - Frankie! Oh, Frankie, look at this guy over here! Is he smiling? Dannie, ladies and gentlemen! Oh, boy, Dannie.
- Dannie! - Wow! Manda, ladies and gentlemen.
Jared, ladies and gentlemen.
And finally, Ashley! Chefs, welcome back.
Great to see you.
Now, Kristin, because you won the challenge, you get to pick first.
The first chef that I'm picking I'm picking because I know I can trust this chef.
My first choice is Ashley.
- Ashley, wow.
- Good job, Ash! Ashley! It's an honor.
Welcome back.
Kristin is my closest friend, so I'm happy to be here for her.
It just sucks for me.
Okay, Ariel.
She's a beast on the line.
She takes her job very seriously, and my pick is Jackie.
- Jackie, wow.
- Yeah! Jackie? I can definitely see that backfiring on Ariel.
Not my problem.
Yeah, bitch! Shh.
Jackie, please.
Sorry, Chef, I'm just excited.
Ariel's team is gonna kick ass.
Bring it on.
Really, bring it on.
- Welcome back.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Your hair looks amazing.
- Thank you, Chef.
So does yours.
Okay, Kristin, second choice.
My next chef I'm choosing is because of the speed and determination that he uses on the line.
I'm gonna go with Frank, Chef.
Frank, welcome.
- Hey, Frank! - Frankie! - Good job.
- Good to see you.
Frank, good to see you.
I feel like I'm home.
My next chef is a feisty little firecracker.
She loves food.
She loves her family.
My next choice is Manda.
Manda, welcome.
Wow.
All right, Kristin, third choice.
I actually don't even need to preface this, because I miss you, Joe.
Aw, I miss you, too.
There you go, big Joe.
Damn it.
Send it.
Send it.
- Send it.
- Send it.
- My man, my man.
- All right, Ariel? I know that this chef has a strong heart.
I know that she is gonna speak up and she is gonna communicate on my team.
Dannie is my next chef.
Wow.
Welcome, Dannie.
The ball is in your court.
I can't take 'em both? You can't take them both.
Is it Chad or Jared? I have a feeling he's gonna bring a lot of flavor and depth to my team.
Chad.
Yes.
Let's get it.
Let's get it.
Obviously, Jared, you're gonna be on my team.
I know you're a fighter and you have a group of women.
I know you like to listen to us.
You're a mama's boy.
So come on and join the team, Jared.
Yeah! Welcome back, Jared.
Glad to be back.
Ladies and gentlemen, please, our Hell's Kitchen finalists.
With their brigades chosen, everyone heads back to Hell's Kitchen, where Kristin and Ariel will review their menus with the teams they have assembled for the final dinner service.
Getting into the rib eye, Frank, you're gonna be really busy.
As the orders are called in, you want them just seared? - I want a hard sear.
- A hard sear.
Yeah.
What do I want? Hard sear.
I hate you, by the way.
I know.
I'm doing just, like, a classic house salad.
- Okay.
- So, like, candied walnuts and then chives, I mean, like fines herbes in the salad.
Okay.
The next one is, like, a cold lobster salad.
I do a savory mushroom cheesecake - So wait, tell me - With a cream cheese, goat cheese, like, chopped mushrooms.
- And then - And the lobster - You said lobster salad, right? - Yeah.
So that's apps.
Meats Ariel's going through her menu faster than Chef Ramsay calls out his tickets.
The sauce for that is just gonna be a pan jus.
Fines herbes, so tarragon, parsley, chives.
I'm gonna be doing pan-roasted halibut, like a raw beet salad with, like, - a Tabasco lemon vinaigrette.
- Okay.
I'm gonna braise beet greens with that.
That's my menu.
Any questions? No? Okay, bye.
That's it.
That was really fast, huh? - Yeah.
- Yeah, it was.
With an exhausting night of menu review behind them, Kristin's red crew and Ariel's band of blue are in the kitchen early - Dannie, you're good for now? - Mm-hmm.
Cutting board on fish.
Cutting board on meat.
Starting prep for the most important dinner service of their lives.
Ariel, I know this is probably a stupid question, but you want me to salt that, right? I just don't want to do anything that's not what you want to do.
I picked my team because I trust all of your guys' - culinary intuition.
- All right.
Everyone is in the zone and I'm ready to kill it.
This tastes so black, Jared.
- Is that a good thing? - Yeah.
It has a lot of soul in it.
I like that.
I'm anticipating that these smiles on Ariel's face are just gonna totally go away, and she's gonna be like, "Listen, [bleep.]
, you need to do this!" Which way is on? Oh, my God.
Are you doing a timing in your head? - No.
- You better be.
I want these chives [bleep.]
done in the next two minutes.
Oh, God.
You know, you don't have to be like that.
That's what makes people want to kill themselves or kill you.
Let's go.
Right.
Ariel, Kristin, two seconds please.
- Yes, Chef.
- Come with me.
On the count of three, girls, yes? - Yes, Chef.
- One, two - Marino.
- Si, Chef.
Open Hell's Kitchen.
- Si, Chefs.
- Let's go.
The dining room fills quickly with customers, including several VIPs excited to be witness to this final showdown.
Potatoes on top, scallops on the bottom now.
Can you cut up some butter so everyone can have butter - on their station? - Yeah.
Guests, including the chefs' family members, will be dining on original menu items created by Ariel and Kristin for this final dinner service.
Go do it, Kristin.
- Yes.
- Cheers.
All right, guys, we have our fist table in.
Two octopus salads, two lobster salads.
Heard.
I picked people that I knew that I could trust.
I'm expecting everyone on my team to bang everything out and rock their stations.
I need those lobster salads to the pass.
Ariel, I'm doing all four of your lobster salads at once, okay? You have two lobster salads, two octopus salads.
Okay.
I'm dragging.
I'm dragging.
Manda, I need you to multitask a little bit better.
Okay, okay, okay.
You got it, Manda.
Stay focused.
You got this, Manda.
Octopus, two minutes one minute, Chef.
While Ariel works to organize and wrangle her team Thank you, guys, nice hustle.
On the red side, Kristin's kitchen is already under way on appetizers.
All right, a lot of orders coming in now, guys.
This is your mom and dad.
And a very important ticket has just come in.
First table, VIP, very important to me.
- Yes, Chef.
- One duck salad, - one crab salad.
- Heard that.
Kristin's family, yes.
Yes, Chef.
So three minutes out on that duck.
Make it nice, don't rush it.
I'm extremely confident being on meat station always.
And Kristin picked me because that's where I've flourished since I've been here.
Walking with one crab and one duck.
Oh, come on.
Kristin.
Yes, Chef.
There's something wrong.
It's just over 20 minutes into the final dinner service and Frank has sent his duck salad for Kristin's parents to the pass.
- Kristin.
- Yes, Chef.
There's something wrong.
Unfortunately, they won't be receiving it.
Right now in your kitchen, you've got nothing going out.
- These are your parents, right? - Yes, Chef.
And it's still cold in the middle, okay? So it's just not good enough.
- No, Chef.
- Yeah, let's go.
What the [bleep.]
, Frank? Check that before you bring it to me so Chef Ramsay doesn't have to see it.
Get this heated up now.
Yes, Chef.
Frank is not there.
He needs to get his head out of his [bleep.]
.
How long on that duck? It's ready, Chef.
Thank you.
Beautiful.
Thank you, Ashley.
With Ashley's help, the refired duck salad makes it out to Kristin's parents.
Appetizers first.
Table 41 pickup right here.
And with a steady stream of appetizers now leaving the kitchen I like this because the dressing is so light.
I could eat this every day.
Kristin and Ariel are now moving their brigades onto entrées.
First entrées, stand by, two sea bass, two hanger steaks.
Heard.
I definitely want to provide a great service to Ariel.
I mean, she's up there for the win.
Walking with pork.
Walking with hanger steak.
But at the same time, it's like, I don't want to be here.
Pork.
Oh, Lord.
Dannie, I need these pork chops back in the oven.
Cut them open before you bring them to the pass.
Make sure they're cooked first.
I thought they were Heard.
These were some really, really big pork chops, and unfortunately, I made a mistake.
You know, I'm human.
Is table ten fired? - Yeah, go ahead.
- Yeah? Okay.
I have these two hanger steaks, so I just asked - Yeah.
- Jason if table ten's ready.
Flip it, yeah, smart.
Smart, smart, smart.
- Thank you so much.
- You got it.
Ariel, come on.
She's so talented.
She's a [bleep.]
genius.
Ariel's quick thinking buys some time for Dannie on her refire.
Over in the red kitchen Joe, I'm walking on my fish, yeah.
All right, walk on your fish, Chad, walk it.
A steady stream of entrées are being delivered to the pass.
I've got two bass on the right.
- Two rib eye.
- Hey, we're here.
Where's the [bleep.]
garnish? Sea bass garnish is right here.
Oh, dear.
[bleep.]
hell.
Both of you just taste that.
Stinking of garlic.
- No seasoning.
- Hey, no [bleep.]
seasoning.
Hey, you.
Hey, come here, you.
- Yes, Chef.
- Taste that.
Come on, Joe, salt.
- Salt.
- Yes, Chef.
Joe, I want you to put those in a bowl.
- Toss them, season them, okay? - Heard.
Yes, Chef.
Yes, Chef.
Sorry, Chef.
Easiest section tonight, and you're still [bleep.]
screwing up.
Sea bass garnish is right here.
- It looks much better.
- It's good.
- Thank you, Joe.
- All right, we're good.
Glad you picked that up.
Thank you.
With Joe's seasoning now on point, entrées are making their way out to the dining room.
- There you are.
Bon appétit.
- Thank you.
Walking with refire.
Meanwhile, over in the blue kitchen Refired pork chop.
Awesome.
Ariel is sending out Dannie's refired pork chop Ooh whee! To rave reviews.
Pork chop's amazing.
All right, our next fire is two sea bass, two hanger steak.
Heard! Make it perfect, guys.
All these pieces are different sizes, so I have a plan to just cut those [bleep.]
, so they look the same shape.
- Jackie, I need you to - Yes, I got it.
I cut them down.
I just cut them.
Fire two of the whole sea bass, two of the whole ones.
Jackie, you're killing me! You're killing me right now.
They're all different sizes.
It's not by the way that they look.
It's by weight.
People are paying for the entrées.
They need to get what they're paying for, Jackie.
- All right, so these two? - Yes.
- Did she cut them down? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, [bleep.]
hell.
Well spotted.
It was worth a shot.
Walking with sea bass.
Salad in your hand, yeah? - Salad in my hand.
- Yes! Jackie, nice on that sea bass! It better be.
I don't wanna lose.
As Jackie's properly portioned sea bass makes it out to Ariel's family - I love it.
- You love that? It's so good.
Over in the red kitchen, Kristin's team is ready for their next ticket.
Order in.
Keep cooking.
Entrées, two salmon, two sea bass.
Call back to me.
Look at me.
Focus on me.
Come on! Four minutes.
- Come here a minute.
- Yes, Chef.
Whether you like it or not, you better get tough, and you better get tough quick.
You are dictating to them the pace of your kitchen.
- Absolutely.
- Do something - to get your team moving.
- Yes, Chef.
I worked way too hard to get to this point, and I'm not going down without a fight.
Two sea bass, two salmon, how long? 2 1/2 minutes, two salmon, two sea bass.
Pace that.
I want it in two minutes.
Heard that.
Followed by a rib eye and a salmon.
- Heard, five five minutes.
- How long? - Five minutes.
- Heard! All right, I'm trusting you guys.
You can do this.
Let's [bleep.]
go.
I need food, you guys.
I need food.
I'm walking two salmon right now and then followed by two sea bass.
Walking rib eye.
Garnish, I want garnish on my right.
- Behind hot, behind hot.
- Potatoes.
Salmon first on your left.
Hot, hot, hot.
With Kristin pushing harder, her brigade comes together and delivers.
I give her a 10 1/2.
I'm getting in here.
Meanwhile, a delivery to one of Ariel's diners Okay, you guys, I don't know that much about pork, but I do know it needs to be cooked, right? Appears to have left the kitchen a little too soon.
Buona sera.
- Hi.
- Hello.
I mean, last time I heard, pork was supposed to be really done.
Yeah, you don't want to have a pork tartare.
- Mm-mm.
- No.
Chef Ariel, table 22 is raw.
[bleep.]
hell.
Oh, man.
Dannie, I have another pork chop.
This needs to go back in another a little bit longer.
Dannie, no [bleep.]
way.
You can't do that.
She's got to be on point with cooking the pork.
This ticket needs to go out right now.
Refired pork chop, awesome.
- [bleep.]
.
- This one's over? Dannie! Yes, Chef.
What do you think of that? - That it's dry.
- Yeah.
I have two more standing by.
Look, look, I know you don't care.
I do.
- No, I do care, Chef.
- Okay.
Dannie's gonna flip out.
Dannie's gonna flip out.
I wanted to get it up to the pass.
I should have checked it.
I understand.
I can bring two more up.
Dannie, you know, just shake it the [bleep.]
off, and let's go.
I'm, like I'm gonna lose it in a second.
I just want the best.
I didn't you know, I didn't ask to come back.
[bleep.]
it, I didn't ask to come back.
You go Dannie.
Come on, Dannie, I know you're strong.
Get me those pork chops as soon as you can, Dannie! Where is Dannie? It's nearly two hours into the dinner service that will help determine the winner of Hell's Kitchen, and in Ariel's kitchen Jackie.
What? The pressure has proven to be too much for one chef Where is Dannie? Leaving Ariel's brigade shorthanded.
- One more minute.
- Where is she? - She left.
- What do you mean, she left? Oh, my God.
You're cooking one meat, and you've given up.
Chef Ramsay says one mean thing to you, and you're ready to go home and cry.
I was just like, "No, [bleep.]
way.
" Jackie, are you gonna pick up that pork chop for me? - Got it.
- You been strong all night.
I need you to help me finish strong.
You can't just leave.
What is wrong with you? Who does that? All right, Jackie, concentrate on all those pork chops.
- Get 'em out.
- I got it.
I got it.
This is now Ariel's career on the line, and unless you're dying, get over it.
Jackie, how long for those two pork chops? Right now.
Right now I'm coming.
Walking with two pork chops.
With Jackie picking up where Dannie left off Thank you so much.
Properly cooked pork is making its way to Ariel's hungry diners.
- Now, we're talking.
- That should be delicious.
Yes.
Meanwhile, back in the red kitchen Salmon to the pass.
Chad is ready with Kristin's next entrée.
Oh, man.
- Kristin.
- Yes, Chef.
Salmon's raw.
Just touch that there.
Just touch it.
Cold.
- Chad.
- Yeah.
Cold salmon, refire.
It's raw.
Okay, heard that.
- Ashley, jump on fish.
- Heard.
Jump on fish, and let's finish strong.
You guys know these dishes.
You know how to cook.
No matter how hard it is at this point, that is null and void.
This is a service to help Kristin win this thing, and I'm going to make sure that I get her over the finish line.
Here's the refire, two salmon.
With Ashley coming to Chad's rescue on the fish station, both Kristin Send it, guys.
And Ariel are pushing their brigades toward the finish line.
Nice steak, Jackie, nice steak! Thank you! Here's the other two salmon.
Rib eyes walking to the pass right now.
Walking bass.
Behind hot.
Our last table is two pork chops.
Two pork chops is all we need to do.
Good job, guys, this is my last ticket.
- Last ticket.
- Here we go.
- Push! - Thank you.
I did the best that I could.
There's some things that I wish would have been different, but we pushed through it.
We came back.
We finished strong.
Thank you, guys.
You guys have been strong all night, and we finished strong.
I think my team did really well.
We had a few hiccups, but win or lose, I'm extremely proud of myself.
Arrivederci.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you.
Listen, both teams had bumps, let's get that right.
Yes, Chef.
But you hung in there, and you never gave up.
Okay? Well done.
Right now, head to the dorms.
- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
I'll call you when I've made my decision.
Yes, Chef.
Bye, guys.
- Bye, Kristin.
- Oh, thank you so much.
You did phenomenal.
I'm super proud of you.
I'm super proud of us.
- Bye.
- Love you, Kristin.
All right, bye.
It was a good fight.
It was a good competition.
Whatever happens, I was happy and proud of what I did, and I left it all on the field.
I did better than I could have ever imagined.
Definitely the greatest service of my life.
Yeah, mine too.
My heart hasn't stopped racing.
Like, I'm proud of myself, but I just want to know whatever the outcome is gonna be.
I don't even know right now.
I'm just like, phew.
Arctic char, one Wellie, how long? - Minute and a half.
- Char, two minutes.
Kristin is stepping up in a really big way on a on a really big night.
For my flavor profile, the way I like to eat a steak, I would have to say Kristin's rib eye.
- Wow.
- Thank you, Chef.
Two sea bass, two salmon, how long? 2 1/2 minutes, two salmon, two sea bass.
Pace that, I want it in two minutes! Heard that.
Got two minutes on my risotto, two minutes on the lobster tail.
We're all gonna meet at the pass at the same time.
Perfect, perfect.
Ariel, always the sign of a great leader, supporting the weakest and getting them to the very top.
That's five for five.
Ariel, that's one of the most delicious dishes you've done so far in this competition.
Thank you so much, Chef.
Jackie, I need you to fire two of the regular sea basses, Jackie.
- Did she cut them down? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, [bleep.]
hell.
Well spotted.
Holy [bleep.]
.
Hello.
Ladies, please make your way up to my office.
I've made my decision, thank you.
Yes, Chef.
To the office.
Ladies, welcome.
Kristin, you were a late bloomer here in Hell's Kitchen, let me tell you.
But the fascinating thing about you, once you hit your stride, you were not only good, but you were dominant.
- Ariel.
- Chef.
Right from the very beginning, let's be honest, - you were never shy.
- Chef.
Your creativity and your attention to detail has been second to none.
Unfortunately, there can only be one winner.
And this has been one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made.
Ariel, Kristin, please step up to your doors.
This is amazing.
Finally, this is my moment.
I'm definitely going to win this thing, and this is going to change my life.
Good luck.
Thanks, Chef.
You too.
After tonight, I definitely think I'm ready for BLT.
I'm really happy, and I'm really excited, and I'm really hopeful.
Please let my door open.
Please let my door open.
The chef whose door opens will become the winner of Hell's Kitchen.
That comes with a salary of $1/4 million.
Ariel and Kristin, place your hand on top of the handle.
On the count of three, you'll turn your handles.
One two three.
The chef whose door opens will become the winner of Hell's Kitchen.
On the count of three, you'll turn your handles.
One two three.
Thank you, guys.
Oh, my God.
Good job.
Well done.
Do not be despondent, okay? Come on, head up high.
You did great.
I'm a little overwhelmed, but this is a turning point in my life and a turning point in my career.
I've grown into someone that I'm so proud of.
You know, my picture's not in the hallway, but being a finalist has been the best experience ever.
I'm proud of you, so very proud.
Oh, my God.
This opportunity is just gonna open the doors for me to have a happy life.
Mom, oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I cannot tell you how talented you are.
It's just really an awesome feeling.
I mean, I can't even imagine $1/4 million.
Like, I've never had more than $2,000 in my bank account at one time.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Hell's Kitchen winner, Ariel! Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
I really can't wait to share this with all of my family and friends that have believed in me.
This has been an awesome journey.
I really have to thank my family, first of all.
I couldn't have done this without my family.
My fellow contestants, I learned so much from all of you, Chef Ramsay, both of the sous chefs, and they gave me a lot of inspiration.
- It's a lot to take in.
- A round of applause, please, - ladies and gentlemen.
- Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Right from the very beginning, Ariel let her presence be known.
She was always outspoken, but she backed up her confidence with her cooking.
There we are.
Come on, give it up.
Creative, talented, and unique, she is an out-of-the-box thinker who will make a great head chef at BLT Steak.
Salud! Are you guys gonna drink, yes? Come on, cheer up, you.
Let's go.
Yes, Chef, absolutely.
Thank you so much for everything.
- Good job, bitch, really.
- Thank you, babe.
Good job, babe.
You better hire me.
Of course.
Welcome to the Jackie show.
The Jackie show, the Jackie show.
Ariel, ladies and gentlemen, well done.
Wow.