22x15 - And Then There Were Two

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Previously on Hell's Kitchen:
The American Dream...

Go! Let's go!

[narrator] The final four chefs
raced for ingredients

in the Hell's Kitchen Grand Prix.

-I want corn.
-Peruvian ají amarillo. Yes!

[narrator]
But in a surprise turn of events...

[Ramsay]
You were shopping for one another.

-Oh, no.
-I need to see how you adapt

under pressure.

[John] Didn't see that coming.

[narrator]
...the chefs had to pump the brakes...

[Carmen] Don't know what
I'm about to do with that.

Not a fan of clam juice.

-[blows raspberry]
-...and reroute.

These ingredients
are not making sense to me.

[narrator] Ryan's dish hit the skids.

-That is desperately needing salt.
-[Ryan] Yes, Chef.

[narrator] Sammi and Carmen
vied for pole position.

You have a crab cake with amarillo paste.

Crab cake is delicious, young man.

[narrator]
But ultimately, it was Johnathan's dish

that took the checkered flag.

-Congratulations, Johnathan. Well done.
-[sighs]

[narrator] At dinner,
the chefs faced their biggest test yet,

leading the kitchen.

Show me you've got
the head chef potential, yes?

[narrator]
Ryan excelled at running the pass...

-Carmen!
-...catching every mistake...

-I need medium rare. These are way over.
-Refire.

...including whatever type of
sabotage was thrown at him.

[Ryan] That's not risotto, Chef.

-That's orzo, Chef.
-Well spotted.

[narrator] While Sammi...

-You think this is under?
-No. What is that?

-That is bass. Come on. Take it off.
-Okay. Oh, my God.

-...Carmen...
-One halibut, one salmon, one lamb.

-One, two, three.
-We're missing an entrée.

-Gotta spot that.
-...and Johnathan

each stumbled on one
of Chef Ramsay's sabotages.

-[Ramsay] You happy with that?
-[John] Yes.

-Look at the fish. g*dd*mn it.
-[John] Wrong fish.

[narrator] When it came time to decide

which chefs would advance
to the final three...

This is tough,
but I have made my decision.

...Chef Ramsay first selected...

-[Ramsay] Ryan.
-[sighs]

...then...

[Ramsay] Johnathan.

[narrator] With one spot left...

The final person advancing is...

...Chef Ramsay chose...

[Ramsay] Sammi.

...ending Carmen's American dream
of becoming head chef

at Gordon Ramsay's
Hell's Kitchen restaurant

at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

And now, the continuation of
Hell's Kitchen.

Celebrate the moment.

Head into the dorm.
Put your feet up and relax.

-[both] Thank you.
-Thank you so much.

Congratulations.

Oh, my God. Yes!

[cheering, laughing]

I'm overwhelmed with emotions.

[Sammi] Top three!

[Ryan] It's crazy. I can't believe it.

I really can't believe it. I'm speechless.

Like, I really can't believe...
it hasn't sunk in yet.

[cheers]

[all laugh]

Yeah!

I was really so nervous that I wasn't
going to be picked in the top three,

and I am just so ecstatic right now.

I am so emotional.

I am so happy,
and I'm just so proud of myself.

Things work out the way they should be,
and I keep...

I hate using the word destiny,
but we are all right where we should be.

The stars have aligned.

[sighs] I am so f*cking determined
to get my hand on that door.

-[John, Sammi laughs]
-And I'm putting Saxon on my back,

and we're going to the finish line.

Listen, guys.

When I get to Vegas, I need a dishwasher,
and you guys are at the top...

-[Sammi laughing]
-The top of my list.

-Oh, nice.
-You smell good.

He smells so good.

-What is that? Chanel?
-I wanna ask him what aftershave is.

[laughs]

I love it when he calls us young man.

-[John] Me too.
-[phone ringing]

-Hello, this is Johnathan.
-[Ramsay] Johnathan, this is Chef.

I need to see all three of you
in the dining room.

-Okay. Right away.
-[Ramsay] Let's go.

Yes, Chef. Dining room.

I don't know if I can handle
anything else right now.

[Sammi] I know.

Oh, my gosh.
What could this mean right now?

I have no idea. It could be a challenge.

I mean, it is late at night,
but you never know in Hell's Kitchen.

[Ramsay] All three of you
now need to design a menu.

Each of you will be assigned a sous chef
for your final challenge.

There are three of you,
so we need three sous chefs.

I called in a favor
to one of my dear friends,

the amazing Chef Jonathan Scallion.

-Whoa!
-He finished third in season 11.

[Scallion]
It sucks not to be in a final pairing,

but, uh, it was a hell of a ride.

You've managed to nail it.
You had the highest scoring dish.

The winning dish belongs to Jon.

[sighs]

He became one of my executive chefs

for Gordon Ramsay North America
on the corporate side.

Now, Chef Christina, Chef Jason,
and Chef Jon Scallion

are all waiting for you to have a meeting.

In a moment,
I'll ask one of you to step up,

press the button,
and the monitor will begin to spin

and that will reveal
the place where your sous chef awaits.

Right, Ryan. Step up first.
Hit that button.

Let's see where you're going.

You are heading...

-to the patio.
-Yes, Chef.

Sammi, your turn.

-The office.
-All right.

-Okay, Johnathan.
-Yes, Chef.

-No need for you to spin.
-No, Chef.

-Head to the dorm.
-Okay.

-Your sous chef awaits. Good luck.
-Okay. Thank you, Chef.

-Chef. Pleasure to meet you. Ryan.
-Hey, what's up? Pleasure to meet you.

I'm so happy that I got Chef Jonathan,
to be honest.

-How you feeling right now, first of all?
-Feeling? Oh, my God. It's insane.

I love the fact that Chef Jonathan and me
have no idea who we are to each other,

so it's a complete blank canvas.

And I think
that's the best way to start off

any kind of relationship
when it comes to food.

I'm here to work. It's for a job.

This is a job opportunity.
It's a job interview.

-I've never lost sight of that.
-Yeah.

-Yes! Yes! Oh, my God.
-Yes. Yes for me too.

-Thank God. Oh, thank you.
-Congratulations.

I open the door, and I see Chef Christina.

Oh, my God.
Thank God I'm with her right now.

-I'm so happy. [laughs]
-Yeah, me too.

I would not want to be doing this
tasting menu with anyone else but her.

Let's go.

I open the doors,
and I see that blue hair.

-I knew you'd be here.
-Thank you, bro.

I'm so happy to have you.

He's been my greatest mentor.

[Santos] Let's get down to business.

And creatively, he respects me.
I got the exact chef I wanted.

-All right, so your menu...
-You've had poke, yes?

It's like my signature dish.

I'm hyped
that your-your signature dish is poke.

-So ahi tuna, right?
-Yes.

This reminds me of my mom.

-Like, "Ooh, let's go get poke."
-Yeah. Yeah.

I keep thinking back to, like,
my mom and my family

and flavors I grew up with.

I wanna do tasty food plated sexy.
You know how I do it.

Yeah, totally.

All of this is, like, my m...
sh*t my mom would order.

-I would order this in two seconds.
-Yeah.

Ah, there's... there's one dish to me
that's really close to my heart

'cause it was the first dish
that my dad taught me how to make.

-Yeah?
-He's a chef.

It's just a straight-up chicken and
black truffle and mushroom vol-au-vent.

Oh, okay. Yeah.

Could go a lot of ways with this,
but I mean, I...

-I want this to be classy.
-Right.

But I also want it to show who I am,

and what I'm about
and where I've come from.

I feel like I can see the dishes.
I can see the menu.

It's me coming from Ireland,
where food isn't that great,

and turning the dishes
that I grew up eating

into something phenomenal
that everybody can enjoy.

Yeah, so you definitely got some heart
going into all of this.

Every single thing that I thinking about,
I'm doing for...

To be honest,
I think that is what it takes here.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

I wanted to do a hamachi sashimi...

-Okay.
-...with... I was thinking, like,

a tomato water, yuzu kosho
kind of dressing with it.

I kind of want to do a kind of California,

Asian, French kind of flair with my menu.

Do something, like,

-maybe blood orange and radish.
-Okay.

Me being French classically trained,

I am just really wanting to
tie those two together,

and I feel like being in the
American dream

and doing different fusion dishes
has really inspired me.

-These things need to be impactful...
-Be so colorful.

...as soon as they get in front of Chef,

-right?
-Right.

I wanted to showcase, like,
the pot of food for what it is.

Again, I don't come from a lot of money,

was just a load of vegetables
and meat in a pot,

-and we all ate from it.
-Yeah.

Mushroomwise, king trumpets,
would they be nice, you know?

-And have-have one beautiful one...
-Yeah.

-...across the top.
-Right across the top

-with a nice little hatch.
-Nice crosshatch.

But it's a crown. The king...

Funny is I just wrote this on top,
"royal."

This is like the theme
of your whole thing.

Yeah. Dude, you're right. Yeah, it is.

And it's so funny because
you know what my name means in Irish?

-Little king.
-Yeah. There you go.

-Ryan in Irish means "little king."
-My man.

-Good work tonight. It's been a pleasure.
-Yeah. Pleasure's all mine.

-I can't wait.
-Appreciate that.

Can't wait to get in there and throw down.

-Me too. Thank you so much.
-All right, brother.

Like, I got really emotional, like,
actually talking about my American dream.

I haven't talked about it that much.

I just wanna do it, like, for my dad.

What is it about your dad that pushes you?

My dad had a stroke two years ago.
It was really major.

I'm an only child. My dad never remarried,
and I take care of my dad

-every single day for...
-Okay.

for the past two years.

I feel like I needed to let my walls down
and be completely vulnerable with her

because I really am doing this for my dad.

-He'll be proud, huh? Yeah.
-So proud. Yeah.

I'll get in that category with your dad.
I'm so proud of you.

I know he would be so
proud to see me right now,

and I am really wanting to
make him even more proud with winning.

-I'm so excited.
-Well, I'm excited too.

-I'm so glad you made it through.
-Yes! Thank you.

So another thing my mom did a lot
growing up is...

She calls them "burnt" carrots,
but it's glazed carrots, like brown sugar.

That sounds exciting.
That makes me, like... be like, huh?

Again, you've seen my food,
so I don't wanna play it safe here.

-I don't want you to play it safe.
-He believes in me,

and it just makes me believe in myself
so f*cking much

that I have to pull this off.

You have your biggest challenge ahead

-so just get some sleep.
-Okay.

I am so close to the finish line.
I cannot explain how hungry I am for this.

I need to go out here and win this.

[narrator] After an evening
of preparing their menus,

Chef Ramsay has sent
the three remaining chefs

out for a day of inspiration
ahead of their final challenge.

What the f*ck?

Can you believe that food got us here?

Not at all.

-[Ramsay] Chefs, look over here.
-This is intim...

[Sammi] Oh, my God.

What the f*ck?

Chefs.

-f*ck.
-[exclaims]

Welcome, final three, to the iconic
LA Memorial Coliseum,

home of the 1932,

1984, and upcoming 2028 Olympic games.

-On this very site...
-[crowd cheering]

...countless athletes
have fulfilled their American dream.

And there's no greater athlete

than the man who was the star
of the 1984 Olympics,

winning an incredible four gold medals,

Carl Lewis.

-Come on out, sir.
-[Ryan] Hey.

-[Sammi] Wow. [laughs]
-[Carl] Hey, Chefs!

-[Ryan] How you doing?
-[John] Carl Lewis, he's a legend.

It's crazy to see him in person.

I don't think anybody could describe
how this feels.

Congratulations.

-[Ryan] Thank you.
-[John] Thank you.

You guys have made it
down to the final three.

You're the end, right?
Well, I was the anchor leg.

And just right down there,

I ran one of the last Olympic races
ever run in this stadium.

-Wow.
-Wow.

But we have more in common
than just me being the anchor leg,

the guy that brings it home,
like one of you are gonna be.

I was a dreamer.

When I was a little kid,

my parents used to buy a new television
every Olympic year.

And we'd huddle around this one TV,
and I was just dreaming,

"Gosh, I wish I could go there one day."

Years later, 90,000 people
were screaming in the stadium every day.

-Wow.
-And then at the end,

they picked me up and carried me out
when I got their fourth gold medal.

-Wow.
-Wow.

But you never remember the easy times...
the easy menus...

you remember the tough times,
the challenging times.

I guess this is part of
your great new stories.

Hearing Carl Lewis's story
definitely is motivating me

to push myself even more
in my career as a chef

and to go for my dreams, go after it.

This is just stop one of your tour.

Stop two is gonna be
really interesting because

Chef Ramsay has set up
a helicopter tour of Los Angeles

-for all of you.
-sh*t.

Oh, no way.

I cannot believe this.
I've never been in a helicopter before.

I know this is gonna sound kinda corny.
We got to the end of this, so I gotta run.

[all laugh]

I am so pumped for this.

[whirring]

-Dude. This is your captain speaking.
-[Sammi laughs] Oh, my gosh.

None of this feels real.

-[cheers]
-[John] Rock and roll.

It's just so breathtaking.

I've never seen LA like this.

And if you've drove through LA
and you know the city,

to see it from a helicopter
is just insane.

[all laugh]

Wow. This is really freaking happening.

It has been such a crazy journey,

and I feel like it's really just
setting in on me right now.

Look, Hell's Kitchen.

I never would imagine
that I would even get the opportunity

to be in a helicopter.

This is crazy.
Like, thank you so much, Chef Ramsay.

[no audible dialogue]

Oh, my God. It feels amazing.

Never in my wildest dreams
would I think that I'd be

landing a helicopter
up on the roof of the US Bank,

the tallest helipad in the country.

I've played video games

where I've jumped off the building
with a parachute.

Super, super VIP.
Nobody gets to do this kind of stuff.

I'm excited for what's ahead.

All right.

[narrator]
First up in LA's famous tower building

is a visit to the boutique.

[whistles, chuckles]

I do like it actually.

[Ryan] If you look good, you cook good.

Getting treated by Chef Ramsay is...

a dream.
Never thought that this would happen.

[Ryan] Shocker.

-[shutter clicks]
-Oh, my God. I feel like a million bucks.

I feel so sexy right now.

Tom Cruise, watch your back.

-I know, right?
-[chuckles]

I feel good in this outfit, you know?
I feel bold and boisterous.

I could go start a fight,
or I can go save the world.

It's one or the other.

It's feeling so good to get dressed up
and get into a really cute dress.

-[narrator] It's off to the 71st floor...
-sh*t.

-...for a meal at the exclusive 71 Above.
-Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my goodness. Oh, my gosh.

Chef Ramsay is here, and I am so excited.

-You look amazing. Absolutely amazing.
-Thank you, Chef.

Gents, sit there.

I finally get another meal
with Chef Ramsay.

-Congratulations.
-[John] Thank you.

-[Ryan] Thank you, Chef.
-Will you relax now?

-Yes.
-Yes, we will.

-Promise?
-Yes, we promise.

And it is just crazy
to actually be here in the top three.

-[Ramsay] Do you have a partner?
-[John] No, Chef.

-You're single?
-Yeah. Single dad.

How is that possible,
someone so cool and dapper?

I don't know. [stammers]
Hopefully, I get one now.

-I don't know, Chef.
-Oka...

[chuckles] What do you mean get one now?

You can always get one, for goodness sake.
Look at you.

I don't know. Sax... You know,
Saxon is my only girl.

I appreciate that,
but don't give up on yourself, young man.

-You got a lot to give.
-I know, Chef.

-[Ramsay] Sammi.
-[Sammi] Yes.

I'm dying to find out.
Where did this start?

Take me back to school.
What were you like at school?

Uh, growing up,

definitely, uh, not the brightest in...
like, academics-wise, but...

Mmm. Same here.

-Yeah.
-Yep.

-No, seriously.
-And, um, like, I was kind of rebellious,

-honestly, in high school, and then...
-Got you.

...that's kind of what led me to get into
my first restaurant job.

-[Ramsay] Right.
-And then I found such a passion

and love for it that I wanted
to continue that exploration.

[Ramsay] If you could describe
the experience so far.

This has been the furthest
I've been pushed in all aspects,

and I've...

Like, just to see my growth,
I am so proud of myself.

I just feel like whenever you fall down,

you have to set goals for yourself
to get back up and achieve more and more.

And being on Hell's Kitchen,
setting these goals for myself

has just been the most amazing thing
that I think has ever happened to me.

How has it been for you?

I think the best way to describe it
is validating.

-[John] Yeah.
-It's been very validating

because I didn't have a lot of confidence.

Why, when you've got so much skill?

Just... I just...
I just never really had self-confidence,

and especially growing up, you know,
always picked last for stuff.

-Right. Wow.
-[Ryan] In my ten years,

-I've never cooked for my dad.
-Seriously?

I just felt that I wasn't good enough to

because I-I just hold him
to such a high stature.

When this is over,

-you can cook for him, right?
-Yes, Chef.

After the walk I just walked,
you know, I'm gonna be...

I'm gonna hold my head high.
Nothing can stop me now.

-How does Vegas sound for all of you?
-Amazing.

-Yeah? Congratulations. I'm so proud.
-Thank you, Chef.

-Well done.
-Cheers.

-[Ramsay] You've made your families proud.
-[John] Yes, Chef.

Uh, just excuse the mess,
will you, please?

-[Ryan] Yes.
-[John] Of course.

[Ramsay]
A lot of construction going on there.

-[Ryan] Okay.
-[John] Wow.

[Ramsay] Ahead of the finale,
we wanna make it exciting.

I wanna show you this.

Now...

all three of you.

-[Ryan] Holy sh*t! Oh, my God!
-Oh. [chuckles]

Excuse the mess, will you, please?

A lot of construction going on there.

Ahead of the finale,
we wanna make it exciting.

Now, I've put this together
for all three of you to rem...

-[Ryan] Holy sh*t! Oh, my God.
-Oh. [chuckles]

-[John] Little tour.
-[Sammi] Wow. [chuckles]

-[Ramsay] To remind you...
-[John] Oh, man.

...of all that you've been through
on this incredible journey.

[Ryan] This is crazy.

-[John] Aw, man. Can't forget that.
-[Sammi] Oh, my gosh.

[John] Man, this museum
is a trip down memory lane.

I don't know if I'm sentimental,

or if I have PTSD,
but every little thing sticks out.

Let's just go back to the beginning.

-Remember that moment?
-[John] Yeah, Chef.

-Right at the beginning.
-I remember. I was standing right here.

[Ramsay] Oscar De La Hoya,
Martina McBride and Dia Simms.

[contestants cheering]

-I'll never forget that.
-Yeah.

That first day was a phenomenal day
for all three of you.

-Yeah, it was.
-[John] Feels like years ago.

-That signature dish, three fives.
-[Ryan] Yeah.

Yeah, undoubtedly five. Congratulations.

-Thank you.
-[applause]

Congratulations, Sammi. It's a five. Um...

[cheering]

It tastes like you've been cooking
since the age of five

'cause you're gonna get a five.

-Well done.
-Thank you.

-[applause]
-[contestants clamoring]

The speed brunch. Remember that?

-[John] Oh, yeah.
-[Ryan] I do.

[Ramsay]
Where we served the new Americans.

Congratulations on becoming citizens
of the United States of America.

[cheering]

'Cause one day,
you're gonna be a citizen, right?

-[Ryan] Yeah, absolutely.
-After how long?

Five years, so I've got...
I've got two more left.

Sammi, I see this,
and I think of you falling on that bar.

[groans]

[all] Oh! Oh!

-Oh!
-Oh, sh*t.

-Yeah. I got right back up though. Yeah.
-Remember?

-We're blasting off.
-[Sammi chuckles]

-Remember this one?
-How can we forget?

-The blind taste test.
-Oh, yeah.

What's he doing there?
That little bugger...

-I didn't even see that. Oh, my God.
-Ah, food fight. Food...

[contestant clamoring, laughing]

-Food fight. [chuckles]
-[contestants squealing]

And then for me,

one of the most significant
points in this competition,

the black jacket there.

Johnathan, you got up there quick,
young man.

Yeah, Chef.

Who has two thumbs and was
the first person to get a black jacket?

This guy.

Do you know what?
That dish just sung all the right harmony.

Come here, young man.

-I'm not gonna wait anymore.
-Go, John.

-[Dahmere] Great work.
-[John] Oh, my... Wow.

The highlight of my career.

I've been so, so,
so proud of all three of you.

And you've all been individually
up and down in this competition,

but you so deserve to be here, okay?

One more little gift for you.

Another present?
I'm like, what does Chef Ramsay have?

-[Ramsay] Follow me, please.
-Yes, Chef.

[Ramsay] Sit down, the three of you.

Well, I've got one more
little surprise for you all.

I have, for each of you,
two amazing tickets

to fly anywhere that Allegiant flies.

Oh, my gosh.

-[both] Thank you so much, Chef.
-[John] Thank you, Chef.

[Sammi]
I am so excited to use these tickets.

I never want to leave Hell's Kitchen,
but getting on a flight,

going somewhere cool
sounds like a lot of fun.

Come this way. You want to take a peek?

-Yeah, let's check it out.
-[Ramsay] The paint's still wet.

Pull that down for me.

[mumbles] What's goi...

[cheering]

[Ryan exclaims]

Oh, boy. Let's go.

Oh, my God. I should have known better
that-that-that...

there is always something going on
in Hell's Kitchen.

[cheering continues]

-Yep. "Just relax."
-I told you, relax.

Sammi, Johnathan, Ryan,
this is your final challenge.

Ladies and gentlemen,
please give it up for our final three.

From Orange County, California,
it's Johnathan.

From Los Angeles,
ladies and gentlemen, it's Sammi.

From Florida,
by way of Cork, Ireland, Ryan.

[cheering continues]

Amazing.

Chefs, listen carefully,
'cause just in a moment

you're gonna be cooking
your very important

five course tasting menu.

All three of you will have one hour
to execute your entire menu.

The stakes are huge
because the top two finishers tonight

will move forward
in the grand finale tomorrow night,

right here inside Hell's Kitchen.

Make them the best five dishes
you've ever done.

You have 60 minutes
to nail those five amazing courses,

and your time starts now. Off you go.

[cheering]

[John] I'm always ready to cook.

Let's get in the kitchen,
and I'm f*cking dialed in.

[cheering continues]

[Atoye] I'm rooting for you, Johnathan.

I am so rooting for you. That's my guy.

-You ready?
-Yep.

[Sammi] You have to expect anything
to happen in Hell's Kitchen,

so I am ready to go,
and I am ready to win this challenge.

-All right. Talk to me. Talk to me.
-[Scallion] All right. Let's talk.

The stakes are at the highest ever.

One of us are gonna be going home
after this cook.

110% the biggest challenge so far.
Not in Hell's Kitchen, in my life.

-[Scallion] This is for your life.
-[Ryan] Yes, Chef.

[crowd] Johnny! Johnathan!
Johnathan! Johnathan!

Johnny!

Think you got
a f*cking good chance of winning this.

I do too, Chef. And I appreciate
everything you're doing, so...

Going into this cook, man,
I can't tell you the confidence I have.

Thank you for all your help.
You're working your ass off.

Thank me by winning.

And the fact that I have Chef Jason
on my side,

I feel invincible.

Twenty-five minutes, guys.

[crowd] Sammi! Sammi! Sammi! Sammi!

-Sammi, they can see you.
-I don't wanna be distracted.

I'm super happy for the support,
but I really need to have my game face on.

The chicken dish was, I think,

the only thing
that I was a little worried on, but...

-You think it looks all right now?
-[Sammi] Yeah.

This is crazy adrenaline right now.
The stakes are so high.

So, of course,
I want to bring my top A game.

Yeah. I just... it just needs more spice.

-[crowd] Ryan! Ryan! Ryan! Ryan! Ryan!
-[spectator] Come on, Ryan!

-Asparagus coming out.
-Wait.

-Taste that real quick, please?
-Yeah.

[crowd cheering]

-Perfect, Chef.
-[Scallion] Okay.

I'm feeling really good about everything
at this moment in time.

I'm in my element right now.
I feel right at home here.

All right, Chef. I'm gonna start plating.

Plate.

I'm very confident that
I'll make it to the final.

-[Ramsay] Ryan, three minutes. Let's go.
-[Ryan] Yes.

[Santos] Three minutes.

-[Ramsay] Three minutes. Johnathan?
-[John] Yes.

-Good. Taste everything, yes?
-Yes, Chef.

I am so close to the finish line
that I have to pull this off.

I just want to do it for Saxon.

-[Ramsay] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...
-[crowd] Nine, eight, seven, six...

-...five, four, three, two, one.
-...five, four, three, two, one.

[Ramsay] Stop. Well done.

[crowd cheering]

[Ryan] Good job, Chef.

That was an intense 60 minutes.

Please welcome back
our three amazing chefs.

-Johnathan, Ryan and Sammi.
-[cheering]

-Well done. Well done.
-Thank you, Chef.

[Ramsay] Now, you each have five
amazing dishes to be judged.

And guess what,
we have five extraordinary guest judges

that have flown in specially
to be here for all of you this evening.

-Chefs, are you ready?
-[all] Yes, Chef.

Tonight, judging round number one,
the delicious cold appetizers,

she is the chef and owner
of three amazing restaurants.

Giada, Pronto by Giada and GDL Italian.

Please welcome the amazing
Giada De Laurentiis.

[cheering]

-[Ramsay] Good to see you.
-Wow!

Oh, my gosh.
Giada De Laurentiis, are you kidding me?

She's one of the first chefs
that I ever looked up to

and one of the reasons
what has pushed me to be a chef.

Okay, uh, Giada,
time to judge the cold apps.

-Let's start with Johnathan.
-Yes, Chef.

Uh, Johnathan,
please describe the dish to Chef, please.

It's a Hawaiian-style tuna poke
with an avocado mousse,

crispy shallots, some tobiko
and some crispy wonton chips.

Mmm.

-Crunchy.
-Oh, wow.

I get a citrus,
and then I get a little spicy,

and then I get crunchy.

I mean, there's so many different
layers of flavor,

which I think hits it out of the park.

-Thank you so much.
-[Ramsay] Good start.

Uh, Sammi, please pass your dish down.
Thank you.

-Sammi, please describe your dish to Chef.
-Yes.

Right here is a hamachi crudo

with a watermelon,
blood orange, jalapeño relish,

kind of with a little citric acid
and an avocado mousse,

finished with some mint
and fresh micro cilantro on top.

-[Ramsay] Wow.
-Oh, wow.

-Yuzu. Great fruit.
-Yeah.

Opens up your palate so you can
really start to taste everything.

-Yes.
-And I love the blood orange Maldon.

-Yes. Yeah.
-That is a really, really lovely touch.

-[Sammi] Thank you.
-Might have to steal that for Giada Vegas.

[chuckles]

[Donya] My girl Sammi's up there,
and I'm super proud of her.

I'm just hoping
she makes it out on top, man.

Girls rule.

Ryan, please pass your dish down
and explain to Chef what it is. Thank you.

It's a celebration of beets.

The baby yellow beets I have grilled,

and I've let them cool
in, um, a sauce made from honey,

rosemary, orange juice, some lemon juice.

And then we have, um, candied walnuts
wrapped around in goat's cheese,

finished with some mint.

The presentation's stunning.
The beets are grilled beautifully.

I love the multicolor.

I feel like I'm eating
at a very chichi French restaurant.

Thank you.

[Ramsay] Right.

Three amazing cold apps.

On a scale of one to ten,
let's start off with Johnathan's dish.

What would you give it, please?

-I give you a ten. It was very good.
-Wow. Wow.

For her to give me a perfect score
is just mind-blowing.

And Chef, for Sammi's dish?

-A nine.
-[Ramsay] A nine. Wow.

-Thank you, Chef.
-[crowd cheering]

[Ramsay] Well done.

And then finally, Chef, for Ryan's dish.

I'm gonna give you a nine.

-[Ramsay] A nine.
-Thank you.

[Giada] It was so beautiful.

All of you, please give it up
for the incredible,

amazing, Giada De Laurentiis.

Good luck, you guys.

Thank you so much. Such a honor. Wow.

[narrator] Next up,
judging the hot appetizer round,

is chef and restaurateur Brian Malarkey.

Thank you so much
for joining us this evening.

Yes. Thank you so much.
It's amazing. Amazing.

Congratulations, you three.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

[narrator] Up first is Sammi's
pork cabbage dumplings

with a scallion, garlic chili oil.

So well-seasoned, and what I love the most

is the crunchiness
on the bottom of the dumpling.

It's got the right amount of heat.

That fish sauce gives it that umami blast
that's just so good.

-Thank you.
-[Brian] Clean, well-seasoned.

Gentlemen, you got your work
cut out for you on this one.

[chuckles]

[narrator] Next is Ryan's
wild mushroom vol-au-vent

with king trumpet mushrooms,
herbs, pickled shallots

and black truffle.

It's got a lot of flavor,
but it's so light to the taste.

Um, very, very bright.

The pickled, uh, shallots I think
was a brilliant play to bring it up.

[narrator]
And finally, Johnathan's ravioli,

stuffed with glazed carrots, hazelnuts,
brown butter and balsamic.

There's really so many different textures
going on here

that really play in with the carrot.

This is spectacular.

Wish I could stay
for the rest of the meal.

-I mean, I'm telling you...
-Aw, thank you.

...you are missing out, all right?
This is amazing, Okay?

[crowd cheering]

[Ramsay] Chef, we're gonna start
with Sammi's dish first.

On a scale of one to ten,
where are we going?

Never before have I tasted
three dishes so spectacular

-at the same time.
-Wow.

-So I don't even wanna just go to Sammi...
-Thank you.

...I would like to just go
straight down the line

and give you guys all perfect tens.

-[crowd cheering]
-Wow.

Thank you.

[Ryan] Craziness. All across the board,
gives us all a ten.

I think I'm gonna have a heart att*ck.

Let's hear it for the amazing
Brian Malarkey.

-Thank you. Good luck. Good luck.
-Good night.

-[Brian] Thank you.
-[cheering]

Judging round number three,
our fish course,

this lady is an incredible chef

with a background that includes
iconic Michelin-star restaurants.

The beautiful Mélisse.
the L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon,

and she's also starring as a mentor
alongside me in Next Level Chef.

Please give it up for the beautiful,
wonderful, Nyesha Arrington.

[cheering]

What's up, Chef? [grunts]

-Oh, my... You good?
-Thank you for having me.

Nyesha Arrington. I mean, wow.

She is such a strong and badass chef,

so I can't believe
she's about to try my food.

Uh, Ryan,
let's start with you first, please.

-Yes, Chef.
-Gently pass me the dish,

and describe your dish
to Chef Nyesha please.

So, Chef, uh, today I've prepared for you
a take on lobster pot-au-feu.

-It is a lobster ravioli in brodo.
-[Nyesha] Visually stunning.

I-I can see that there's beautiful,
um, chunks of lobster,

so I'm excited to dive into this.

Wow. The depth of flavor of lobster
that comes from that brodo

as well as the filling there's...
it's just stunning throughout.

-[Ramsay] Well done.
-[Nyesha] Great job.

Thank you.

A chef of that stature says that my dish
is absolutely stunning,

I'm over the moon.

Johnathan, describe your dish to Chef.

Yes, Chef. This is a crispy branzino
with, uh, blood orange escabeche,

with a shaved fennel, carrot,
cauliflower, capers salad,

and finished with some crispy,
spicy chickpeas.

I think the way you scored this fish
is... very beautifully, right?

-So allowing the fish...
-[John] Thank you.

...to not sort of buckle when you sear it,

-very intelligent move there.
-Thank you.

Wow. Very bright.
Very acidic, but in a pleasant way.

It's acidic, but it... there's a sweet hug
that comes in on the back end.

-Great job.
-Thank you.

-Amazing. Really good.
-Thank you, Chef.

And Sammi,
describe the dish to Chef, please.

[Sammi] So this is a orange, miso,
sweet potato puree

with a crispy Chilean sea bass,
a yuzu beurre blanc

dotted with some shiso oil
and micro shiso.

You know,
you have some great color on this fish.

Thank you.

This long, dramatic pause has me, like,
uh... what's wrong with it?

For me...

This is a crispy Chilean sea bass.

[narrator] It's the third round
in a very tight final challenge,

and Sammi has presented her fish course.

I'm a stickler for this,
but I always say some fresh herbs, right?

-Mm-hmm.
-[Nyesha] Sweet potato can get cloying,

but some fresh herbs can give it
a nice freshness at the end.

But individually,
everything is packed full of flavor.

-Great job.
-Thank you, Chef.

-Well done. Great sea bass.
-[Sammi] Thank you.

[Ramsay] Three amazing dishes.

It's time for the hardest part
of your job tonight, the scoring.

Let's start with, uh, Ryan, please,
those raviolis.

I'm gonna go with a nine.

-A nine. Well done.
-[Nyesha] Yeah. Great job.

-Great job. Great Job.
-Wow.

Johnathan's?

Johnathan, this dish is
resonating on my palate at an eight.

-[Ramsay] An eight. Well done.
-Thank you.

[Nyesha] Great job.

Getting an eight on my branzino,
it just sucks

'cause just like that,
there goes your perfect score,

so you're only as good as your next dish.

And then finally, Chef, Sammi.

I'm going to give your dish
an eight as well.

-[Ramsay] An eight. Well done.
-Thank you, Chef. Thank you.

[Ramsay] Give it up for
the amazing Nyesha Arrington.

[cheering]

-Continued success.
-Thank you, Chef.

-Appreciate you.
-I wish you well.

[narrator] Judging round four,
the chicken entrée,

is chef and owner of
two-Michelin-star restaurant, Providence,

Michael Cimarusti.

-How are you?
-Thank you. Good to see you.

-Always an absolute pleasure.
-Good to see you.

[narrator] First up is Johnathan's
pan-seared crispy chicken, dumplings,

carrots and pearl onions.

[Michael] It's not what I expected
when I think of chicken and dumplings,

but I think you achieved your goal
of, like, elevating

what traditional chicken and dumplings is.

So I think you achieved
something pretty good here.

-Thank you. Appreciate it.
-Well done.

Uh, really well done.

[narrator] Next is Sammi's
crispy pan-seared chicken thigh

with a chili soy marinade,

served with purple sweet potato
and a pad thai brussels sprout salad.

[Michael] I love Asian flavors.

-A nice spice to it too, which I love.
-Thank you. Mm-hmm.

-I'm a sucker for spice.
-Thank you.

If I were to say anything,

a little bit more on the... [stammers]
...like, acidity there in the slaw,

touch more salt, maybe fish sauce,

-something like that.
-Okay. Yes.

But it was really good. Well done.

-Delicious, great job. Spot on, Sammi.
-Thank you. Thank you, Chef.

[narrator] And finally,
Ryan's crispy chicken breast,

served with crispy prosciutto, asparagus,
and a blood orange beurre blanc.

I think our Irish friend over here
is after Michelin stars.

-It's really beautiful. It's well done.
-[laughs] Thank you.

The sauce has a great acidity to it,
nice consistency and beautiful color.

The dish is beautifully ex*cuted.

[crowd cheering]

Uh, Chef, we're gonna judge,
the hardest part.

Now, um, on a scale of one to ten,

let's start off with Johnathan
for his, uh, chicken dish, please, Chef.

-I'll give you a nine.
-[Ramsay] Nine.

-Thank you so much. Thank you.
-[Ramsay] Amazing.

And Sammi's Asian-inspired thighs.

I gotta give you a nine too.

-[Ramsay] Wow.
-Thank you, Chef. Thank you. Thank you.

Amazing.

-And then finally, Ryan's dish, Chef.
-I'm gonna give you a ten. It was amazing.

-[Ramsay] Wow.
-Thank you.

[crowd cheering]

Uh, all of you, give it up
for one of the most amazing chefs

this country's ever produced,
Michael Cimarusti.

-[Ryan] Thank you.
-Thank you.

-Good to see you, man.
-[Michael] Thank you, Chef.

Four amazing courses,

and it all comes down to this last course,
the beef round.

Judging the beef round,

he's behind some of the best restaurants
in the country, like Maude,

Gwen and Georgie.

Please welcome the Michelin-starred chef,
Curtis Stone.

[crowd cheering]

Chef, it's our final round.

Sammi, please, uh, pass me your dishes
and present your dish to Chef, please.

-Thank you.
-Yes.

So Chef, this here is a seared
New York strip with a wasabi-parm puree,

some pickled enoki mushrooms,

some seared maitakes
basted in some butter and aromatics,

and then I have
a little lime aioli with it.

-Well, what a beautiful presentation.
-Thank you.

[Curtis] You know, visually, you're just
off to the races, right from the word go.

Sammi, when it comes to steak,

the most important thing
that you have to do is cook it correctly

and you've nailed it.

-Thank you.
-[Curtis] It's beautifully cooked.

Yeah, Sammi!

The seasoning's lovely.

The umami of the mushrooms
is a beautiful marriage.

It's a very nice plate of food.

I got it, don't worry.

Really good.

-Uh, Ryan, please pass the dishes down...
-Yes, Chef.

...and describe your dish to Chef.

So I have a Wagyu, uh, fillet.
I got some king scallops. Beautiful.

Then we have the king of the forest,
we've got some black truffles.

I have a beautiful golden beet citronette,
some, uh, garlic sautéed Swiss chard,

and finished with, um, a sauce royale,
finished with some cepes.

You might have overused
the word beautiful,

but the plate is very beautiful,
so I accept it, mate.

-It looks great.
-Thank you, Chef.

[applause]

What you needed to do was really
accentuate the flavor of the scallop,

and by getting that nice
caramelization on it,

you've increased the sweetness of it,
and it really does stand up to the beef.

So the match is there.

This is a wonderful plate of food
that I think any chef

would be happy to serve
in their restaurant. Good job.

-[Ramsay] Great job.
-Thank you, Chef.

And Johnathan,

-please describe your dish to Chef.
-[John] Yes, Chef.

What you have is a New York strip, um,
crusted with a blue cheese butter.

Then you have little bread crumbs on top,
a potato pancake,

um, some spinach with garlic confit,
and a port wine sauce.

The blue cheese is strong,
but with the crispy potato,

the richness of the beef,
it still does work.

I was worried about this dish
when I first looked at it,

but the flavors are there,
and you've really done it justice.

You've done a great job.

-Thank you, Chef.
-[Ramsay] Yeah, really good. Yeah.

[cheering]

So Chef, I know this is difficult for you,
but, uh, we're grateful for your feedback.

It's now time to determine

who's gonna enter
the Hell's Kitchen finale.

We're gonna begin with Ryan, Chef.
On a mark from one to ten.

Ryan, to me this was
a stunning plate of food.

You've taken this all the way, mate.
I'm giving you a ten.

-[Ramsay] Wow.
-[crowd cheering]

-Thank you, Chef.
-[Curtis] It was very, very good.

Uh, young man, congratulations.
You are in the Hell's Kitchen finale.

[chuckles]

Amazing.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Chef, uh, Sammi's dish.

Sammi, I love the flavors.
I love the presentation.

There's really not much that I could say
on how to improve this dish.

I'm giving you a nine.

-Thank you, Chef.
-[crowd cheering]

I definitely wanted a ten,
but I will take the nine.

It is anyone's game right now
between Johnathan and I.

Chef, um, Johnathan's dish.

He needs an eight to tie
or nine to be in the finale.

Please take your time.

[John] Wow.

[narrator] It's the final round
of the final challenge,

and Ryan has already secured
his place in the finale.

And Chef Curtis Stone
has only one dish left to score.

[Ramsay] Chef, Johnathan's dish.

He needs an eight to tie or
a nine to be in the finale.

So while it wasn't the prettiest
plate of food that was served tonight,

-I think it was one of the tastiest.
-Thank you.

-I'm giving you a nine.
-Wow.

[cheering]

Thank you.

I'm so, so grateful and feel so blessed,
but the real victory comes tomorrow night.

I feel like Kobe Bryant.
You know, job's not finished.

One more dinner service.
That's where legends are made.

Ladies and gentlemen,
the amazing Curtis Stone.

Thank you so much. Good to see you, man.

Take care. Thank you.

Oh, man. Sammi.

Chef.

[Ramsay] You have been so strong
from start to finish.

I know you're gonna get there.
Keep learning. Keep growing.

-Congratulations, young lady.
-Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Chef.

[crowd cheering]

We love you, Sammi!

-Good job. Good luck.
-Good job.

Good job.

You know, today has been the best day.

Even though I did not
get in the final two,

I've definitely grown so much
over this competition

as a chef and an individual,
and I could not be more at peace.

Ladies and gentlemen,
a very big personal thank you

to our returning chefs.

Sandra.

Atoye.

Donya.

Jason.

Leigh.

Dahmere.

Carmen.

And, of course, Sammi.

[cheering]

Thank you.

Ryan, since you received the highest score
in tonight's challenge,

you will have the first choice.

Chef, I'm gonna choose
this wonderful, wonderful chef.

We've shared a lot of time
here in the kitchen together.

And she shared the stage with me
here tonight.

I think it's only right
that she joins my brigade tomorrow,

-and that's gonna be Sammi.
-Sammi. Wow.

[crowd cheering]

Chef Ramsay can't get rid of me.

I am back again on the stage,
and I'm not leaving.

Okay, uh, young man,
time to build out your brigade.

This chef has such an amazing soul
and cooks that way,

is just a loud leader,

someone I've shared a lot of moments with
and I consider my brother,

so I'm gonna go with Dahmere.

-[Ramsay] Dahmere.
-[John] Yeah.

[crowd cheering]

Johnathan and I, we have
such a great chemistry and dynamic.

And I'ma do everything in my power
to bring that American dream to life, man.

Ryan, second pick.

[Ryan] My second pick,
he's got a lot of experience.

We can work on his attitude,
but that's going to be Jason.

[Ramsay] Jason.

[crowd cheering]

I'm so happy Jason's off the board now,
and I don't get stuck with him.

And you know what, Ryan?
He's your problem now, not mine,

and that's absolutely fine with me.

-[Ramsay] Johnathan, second pick.
-My next pick, she's a Swiss Army Kn*fe.

She holds it down, and I don't think
anything can get in her way.

-So I'm gonna pick Donya.
-[Ramsay] Donya. Well done.

[crowd cheering]

We got this. We got this.

-[Ramsay] Ryan.
-My third pick tonight,

she's got fire inside of her.

She's really energetic,
and that's gonna be Carmen, Chef.

-[Ramsay] Carmen.
-[crowd cheering]

Congrats. [chuckles]

Okay, Johnathan. Third pick.

[John] This next chef is
just such a strong person.

I'm gonna have to go with Leigh.

-[Ramsay] Leigh. Well done.
-[John] Yeah.

[crowd cheering]

Thank you. Hey, hey.

-Ryan, final pick.
-My final pick tonight, Chef,

she's been in the industry a long time,
and that's gonna be Sandra.

[Ramsay] Sandra. Well done.

-Come here, Atoye.
-[Ramsay] Atoye.

Dead ass serious, I got the team I wanted,
even though I didn't pick first.

Like, honestly, Ryan,
I don't understand any of your picks.

You can have Jason. You can have Carmen.

Good luck to you, buddy.

What a night.

Uh, Ryan and Johnathan,

the final dinner service
of this 22nd season, ladies and gentlemen,

of Hell's Kitchen happens tomorrow night.

We are in for one hell of a finale,
based on tonight's dishes.

Give it up for our incredible finalists,
Johnathan, Ryan.

[crowd cheering]

Well done.

[narrator] Next time, on the season finale
of Hell's Kitchen...

-[John] Love you, man.
-[narrator] On day one,

Chef Ramsay tried to inspire them
with a walk through those iconic doors.

Now, one of them will do it for real
and achieve their American dream.

We have a big problem on the meat station.

[narrator] But in the final service...

-Jason, come on. Let's go. I need this.
-It's not ready.

f*cking hell.

...will their brigade get in the way?

-Coming as fast as I can.
-[John] f*ck.

-[Ramsay] They're raw.
-Do not f*ck it up now.

Touch that sauce. Ice cold.

-f*cking A.
-Deal with it, yes?

[narrator] Who will stand strong...

Sandra, make sure it's f*cking seasoned.
It needs to be right.

...and push their team to victory?

-Final Table.
-Heard.

-Watch your temps, okay?
-[Dahmere] Yeah, I got you.

[narrator] Will it be Johnathan...

-[chuckles]
-Saxon!

...the single father and executive chef
from Huntington Beach, California?

-[Ramsay] Beautiful. There you go.
-Let's go.

-Jason, f*ck's sake.
-Come on!

Back in the oven, yes?

[narrator] Or will it be Ryan,
the Irish immigrant

-and chef de cuisine from Cork, Ireland?
-Hey.

Gentlemen, this is it.

-[narrator] Find out next time...
-One.

-...on the epic conclusion...
-[sighs]

-Two.
-...of Hell's Kitchen.

Three.

[crowd cheering]