‘Hell’s Kitchen’: Conduct unbecoming a Marine

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Joe the Marine went toe to toe with Gordon the Chef. And guess who won? Ramsay, of course, but that wasn’t the surprising part. The shocking part was that a member of the U.S. military -- a Marine, no less -- would so audaciously buck authority, and so poorly represent the armed forces.

The best guess is that Joe was offended that Chef Ramsay put him on the spot and asked him to identify two members of the men’s team that should be put up for elimination. Perhaps Joe felt like he was being asked to ‘snitch.’ Perhaps he should have just said that. But if he’s watched the show, he should know that this is part of Chef Ramsay’s schtick. ‘One simple request, who [should be eliminated] and why, and you make a big song and dance about it,’ Chef Ramsay badgered. Well, Joe wigged. He began hollering about how he wouldn’t be someone’s ‘bitch.’ (I think this episode must have set a prime time TV record for the number of times that expletive was uttered.) Joe then ripped off his chef’s jacket and charged Chef Ramsay, challenging him to take it outside in the parking lot. We saw much of this showdown last week, but this week we saw the rest: Chef Ramsay refusing to flinch, camera crew members rushing out, poised to break up a fight, and Joe’s dressing down: ‘Do you think I am scared?’ Ramsay bellowed at him. ‘You’ve got no respect. Now get out.’ As Joe left the set, he tripped. ‘Watch the step,’ Chef Ramsay offered helpfully. Then Ramsay kicked Joe’s jacket.

I have just one question that the show didn’t answer: What kind of a discharge did Joe have?

Joe’s dismissal was good news for everyone else -- his elimination meant that everyone else got a pass. But we saw some pretty poor performances. It took both sides an unconscionable time to serve garlic bread -- not fancy garlic bread either, just bread slathered with butter and garlic and toasted. And once again, food was either overcooked or undercooked. I can understand the overcooking. But the undercooking? Really?

How about this, you ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ proteges: Just check to make sure your food is cooked before it goes on its way. That would eliminate at least 50% of the kitchen’s problems.

Photo caption: What a surprise -- Chef Ramsay yelling at an underling. Photo credit: Fox.com