Season 24 of Hell’s Kitchen continued to test chefs’ skills and teamwork in episode 9, with the focus on a challenge for Johnson & Wales University’s 50th anniversary and the dynamics within the Red Team dorms.
The episode highlighted both the anniversary cooking competition and the ongoing tensions among the Red Team members, which carried into dinner service.
During elimination, Alexandra was the contestant sent home.
Ramsay noted that while she voiced concerns about team conflict, her overall performance in the kitchen did not meet the standard required to continue in the competition.
The chefs competing in this season represented different U.S. states and were divided into two teams.
The Blue Team consisted of Anthony from Iowa, Antonio from New Hampshire, Bradley from Louisiana, Carlos from Alaska, Chase from Montana, Chris from New Jersey, Henry from Texas, Jayden from Massachusetts, Jon from Georgia, and Paul from Colorado.
The Red Team included Alexandra from Oregon, Anaiya from Delaware, Cara Marie from Rhode Island, Cat from Maryland, Cydni from North Carolina, Elaina from South Carolina, Ellie from Nevada, Jada from Florida, Lisa from California, and Maddy from New York.
This team division, along with the state each chef represented, formed the basis for the “Battle of the States” theme of the season.
Prior to the cooking challenge, tensions surfaced in the Red Team dorms. Ellie overheard Jada and Anaiya speaking about her late at night.
In her confessional, Ellie described feeling undermined and expressed that she wanted to confront them, though no direct confrontation occurred at that time.
The interactions contributed to ongoing friction in the dorms and influenced collaboration during the challenge and dinner service.
The disputes among the Red Team members set the stage for later conflicts, particularly at the fish station during dinner service.
The challenge for the Johnson & Wales University 50th anniversary required the chefs to create tasting plates using classic French technique and a limited number of ingredients.
Each chef chose a course to prepare, and the results were:
Scallops: Jayden defeated Lisa
Squid: Anaiya defeated Chris
Monkfish: Jada defeated Alexandra
Duck: Anthony defeated Ellie
Filet Mignon: Henry defeated Cydni
The Blue Team won four out of the five available spots on the anniversary menu. Their reward was a Cape Cod getaway with parasailing included.
The Red Team, having secured only one point from Anaiya’s squid dish, was tasked with baking a four-tier cake and cleaning their dorm room.
During this task, Anaiya reminded the team that she had earned the sole point, while the other team members carried out the baking and cleaning assignments.
During dinner service, Alexandra experienced difficulty preparing scallops. Anaiya intervened and monitored her station throughout the service.
Cydni observed that Anaiya frequently handled the pan assigned to Alexandra. On the Blue Team side, Chris ran out of scallops after several plates were sent back by Ramsay and returned with additional ingredients to complete service.
Both teams finished dinner service, which was attended by guests from Johnson & Wales University. Following the service, Ramsay required both teams to nominate two chefs for elimination.
The Blue Team nominated Chris and Jayden for elimination, while the Red Team nominated Alexandra and Anaiya.
During elimination, Alexandra highlighted the atmosphere in the Red Team kitchen, and Ellie commented on Anaiya’s behavior. Cydni and Lisa confirmed that some team issues were linked to Anaiya.
Despite the testimonies, Ramsay decided to eliminate Alexandra, stating that although she spoke up against conflict, her kitchen performance did not meet the competition’s standard.
Stay tuned for more updates.
TOPICS: Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the States, FOX, Hell's Kitchen Season 24, Hell's Kitchen elimination