‘Hell’s Kitchen’: And then there were three

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Um, can someone explain why Andrea is still in this thing?

The ‘Taste it, now make it’ challenge kicked off the night, and victory went to Danny. Maybe it was the editing, or Danny’s loudmouth ways, but who would have known that this self-described redneck would make it to the Final 3. But there he is, along with Paula -- also a bit of a surprise -- and Andrea. Andrea!

Can someone please explain why Andrea is still in this thing?

That meant Ben went home, but Ben beat Andrea hands down in the attitude department -- Chef Ramsay said as much -- and certainly was at least as bad a cook as Andrea. That’s not saying much, of course, but given the choice between those two, Ben could more easily lead a kitchen of his own. And besides, this just allows Andrea to have bragging rights. And do we need her to be any more self-aggrandizing than she already is?

The contestants got a set of Ramsay’s new cookware, but there were bigger reasons to celebrate: Chef Ramsay said he was wiping the slate clean, meaning that all the contestants would be judged on their performance from that point forward. Pretty sweet.

But, as might be expected, the night’s dinner started to implode. Ben might have been able to get away with his mishaps -- flubbing orders, missing cues to begin cooking the spaghetti -- but Andrea had a much better night than usual. (Still, she managed to lose -- flat out lose -- two beef Wellingtons. Did she check her back pockets?) Chef Ramsay also seemed to be bird-dogging Ben, looking for any slip-up, such as the ‘plain green salad’ mishap. Ben had the audacity to put croutons on the salad. Ramsay acted like any idiot knows that a ‘plain green salad’ is free of needless croutons. I’m not so sure.

Chef Ramsay showed he had a heart, and a sense of humor, when he helped a diner spring an engagement proposal by putting a ring on the dessert tray. More surprising was his seemingly heartfelt goodbye to Ben as he bounced him out the door. He complimented Ben on his staying power and a can-do spirit that would be welcome in any professional kitchen.

Well, any kitchen other than Chef Ramsay’s.

--Rene Lynch