narrator: Previously on "Hell’s Kitchen,"
\h\h\hthe final four strutted their stuff on the red carpet
for "Entertainment Weekly."
- Mm, mm, mm, mm.
In a challenge that tested the \hchefs’ presentation skills--
- One great photo \hcan really put
your restaurant on the map.
\hnarrator: --each of them made headlines.
- That’s a little bite of heaven right there.
- I appreciate that.
\h- Your sauce on the bottom is incredible.
\h\h\h\h- Thank you, Chef. - Fish is cooked beautiful.
- Thank you, Chef.
\hnarrator: But it was Dafne’s dish--
- This is doing things.
\h\hnarrator: --that stole the spotlight.
\h- Congratulations. - Thank you so much.
narrator: In dinner service, the chefs
took turns running the pass.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Sommer, on the hot plate, please.
\h\hnarrator: They each faced an assortment of sabotages--
- This is not halibut. \h\h\h\h\hThis is cod.
- --courtesy of Chef Ramsay.
- [french accent] Sabotage. \hnarrator: --with Sommer--
\h\h- Well caught. narrator: --Dafne--
- Is this Arctic shark? \h\hnarrator: --Alex--
- There’s fava beans in there instead of peas.
narrator: --and Alejandro. \h\h\h- Hey, this is orzo.
This is [bleep] up, guys.
- Each excelling. \h- Well-spotted.
Let’s go.
narrator: At elimination-- \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- [sighs]
- You made this so difficult.
narrator: --Chef Ramsay \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hchose--
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Sommer. narrator: --ending her dream
of becoming his next \h\h\h\h\hhead chef.
\h\h- I’m going to pass out, this is--
- Should we do this?
\h\h\hnarrator: Tonight on "Hell’s Kitchen"...
\h- I feel like I’m going to get married right now.
\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: --see who survives the final gauntlet.
- Ale, Ale, Ale, Ale, Ale.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: Will it be Alejandro--
\h- I’m going to pull it, cut it, taste it, and see
where the flavor is on it.
\hnarrator: --the family man from small town Ohio
and executive chef \h\h\hwith a flair
for Middle Eastern cuisine?
- Go big or go home.
narrator: Or Daphne, \h\h\hthe 29-year-old
from the City of Angels, an executive sous chef who is
a master at Italian cuisine.
- It’s delicious.
\h\hThis is a rustic yet elegant puttanesca dish.
Nothing’s going to stop me.
narrator: Or Alex, the former restaurant owner
\h\hfrom Tennessee who takes Southern cuisine
to a whole new level.
- Let’s try this.
\h\h\hI’m going to add a little bit of buttermilk.
narrator: Watch as \hthe final three--
- It’s way lighter for sure.
narrator: --put their heart \hand soul on every plate--
- There’s zero room for error.
- We have five incredible judges, Stephanie Izard.
\h\h\hnarrator: --to not only please these culinary icons--
\h\h\h- Visually stunning. - I mean, this takes guts.
- It is sexy.
\h\h\h- This steak’s cooked immaculately.
narrator: --but also prove \hthey’re ready to become--
- My head chef at \h\hthe brand-new
Hell’s Kitchen Caesar \h\h\hAtlantic City.
Step up to your door.
narrator: Only one \h\hdoor will open.
- On the count of three--
narrator: Whose life will change forever?
\h\h\h\h\h\h- One. narrator: Tonight--
- Two.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: --watch the final three--
- Three...
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: --on "Hell’s Kitchen."
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
\h- All three of you, head into the dorms.
\h\h\h\hWell done. - Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.
[laughing]
[squealing]
- Uh, hell, Yeah.
- Hey.
- What is it? Oh!
- Good champagne. \h\h\h\h- Ohh...
- I can’t unpack all the emotions so fast.
There’s so much to process.
I know that my family is \hincredibly proud of me.
It’s all for them.
- My family’s going \h\hto be so proud.
- This is so surreal.
It’s been a long journey \h\h\h\h\hto this moment
\hthat makes me tear up and get emotional
\h\hbecause I’m super, super proud of myself.
- Oh, my God.
I had to beat 15 people to be where I’m at right now.
I am the last girl standing.
Gracias dios mio for \h\hthis opportunity.
I love you.
All I have to do is beat two boys.
I’m so close.
I wouldn’t ask for better \h\hmen to go against me.
\h\h\h- It’s me, Dafne, and Alejandro fighting it out.
May the best chef win.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
[metallic scraping]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[phone rings]
\h\h- This is Alex. - Alex, it’s Chef.
\h\hI need a quick chat with all three of you.
Please, meet me in \hthe dining room.
- Absolutely, we’re on the way.
- Chef.
- Let’s go.
Line up, please, all three of you.
- Yes, Chef. - Thank you.
Right, listen carefully.
For your final challenge, \h\h\h\hall three of you
will need to design a menu.
\h\hNow, to help start planning those dishes,
\h\hI have menu books for all three of you.
- Creating my own menu \hfor Hell’s Kitchen--
this is a dream.
Here we go.
- Each of you will be assigned a sous chef.
There are three of you.
So I’ve called in an \hextraordinary chef,
one of my dear friends, Chef Jonathon Scallion.
He finished third in season 11.
You’re going to walk out of here as my lone, shiny star
from that Blue Kitchen.
Do me a favor.
Stay in touch.
- I will.
\h\h- Because there’s always something around the corner.
He went on to become \h\han executive chef
of my corporate team.
- It just goes to show you that whether you’re
\h\hthe winner or third place, I feel like you
can make a career out of this.
\h- Now I want you to open your menu books.
Inside that menu is an envelope containing the location
of your sous chef.
Dafne, you’re off where?
- Your office, Chef. \h\h\h\h- Alejandro?
- Patio. \h- Alex?
\h\h- Dorm kitchen. - Get out of here.
\h\h\h- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.
- Thanks, Chef.
\h- I feel like a VIP going into Chef Gordon’s office.
\hI am praying to God it’s Chef Christina.
She’s seen me cook throughout \h\h\h\h\hthis whole journey.
Yes.
- Congratulations. \h\h\h\h\hAmazing.
You did so good tonight. \h\h\h\h\h\h- Oh, my God.
Thank you.
Oh my God.
This is crazy.
- Ha ha ha! \h\h\hAhh!
Aah!
- Good job, man.
Congrats.
\h\h- Thank you. - What’s up, bro?
- Nice to meet you, man. \h\h\h\h- Hey, pleasure.
\h\h- I’m so excited to see this come to life.
I want to do things \h\hthat are going
to push me forward, maybe take \h\ha risk outside of the box.
\h\h\hA little bit of back story about me,
I’m so connected to Middle Eastern
and Thai food, Asian food.
\h\hI’m already thinking first course of tartare,
very Vietnamese style, lime, \h\hginger, garlic, shallot.
- That makes me hungry.
I’m not going to lie to you.
- All right, what’s the deal?
- So I’m going to go Italian heavy.
\h\h\hI think I feel so comfortable with that.
\h\hEven though I’m a Latina, I’m going
to go very heavy Italian.
It’s what I love to do.
So I’m pumped.
For the first course, \hit’s a beef tartare
with uni emulsion.
\h\h\h\h- Very decadent. - Yeah, it’s Los Angeles.
People are so bougie.
- I think it sounds very much like you.
- Yeah.
- So prawn fritter.
Like a hush puppy \hsort of thing?
\h\h- So one of the best sellers at Dallas & Jane
was a crawfish hush puppy \h\hwith an Old Bay mayo,
cotija cheese on top.
I’m from the South, man.
You know, fried things work.
People love them. \h\h- Yeah, same.
In my restaurant, we sell \h\htons of hush puppies.
- Yeah.
\h\h- What about even using like sea bream,
really mild, flaky fish.
- I’ve never cooked \h\hwith sea bream.
\hSo I’m down to try something different.
\h\h\h\h\h\h- OK, cool. - I feel like if I can
execute that perfectly, \h\h\h\h\hit would be--
it’d be pretty ballsy.
- So second course, it has \h\h\hto be something light
that’s not going to fill \h\h\h\h\h\heveryone up.
- Agnolotti, a nice raviolo.
- Ah, I’m going to write that. \h\h\h\h\hThat’s really smart.
And either cacio e pepe fondue
or moliterno al tartufo fondue.
- Slow down.
- I know, sorry.
- Chicken two ways.
\h\h\h- Yeah, I thought about a Southern dish,
show the versatility \h\h\h\h\hof chicken.
Give them a really good thigh with some bad ass
flavored beans.
- Just a little boring, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hyou know.
\h\h\h\h- I made like a Tennessee white sauce.
\h\hAnd it was basically the combination of Carolina Gold
and Alabama white.
- I mean, a Carolina Gold \h\hwould be bad-ass too.
- It’s a play on Tennessee.
\h\h\h\h\h\h- An American Kobe-style New York strip
would be pretty dope.
\h- That would almost tie all of this together too.
\h\h- Truffle butter basting on the Wagyu.
\h\h\h- This is really coming together nicely.
\h\h- So we slice the strip and then the mushroom vinaigrette.
- Yeah, this excites me, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hactually.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Um, OK. I think we’re good, right?
- Cool.
\h\h\h\h\h- It’s late. All right, good night.
- Whatever happens from this point on,
it’s been a hell of a ride.
And I can’t wait to see \hwhat happens tomorrow
when it comes to prep and plating.
But first, I’m going to sleep like a [bleep] brick tonight.
[light music]
♪ ♪
[upbeat music]
[phone rings]
- This is Alex.
- Alex, good morning. \h\h\h\h\h- Morning.
\h\h- Today you, Alejandro, and Dafne need to go to the patio.
Chef Ramsay has a message \h\h\hfor you out there.
- Heard, thank you, Chef.
- Thank you.
- Good luck, guys.
\hI already have anxiety as it is.
And right now, I feel like \h\hI’m going to pass out.
- Oh my gosh.
- It’s so early.
- We’re not even usually \h\h\hout the dorms yet.
- I’m nervous.
\h\hI honestly don’t know what to expect right now.
Is this another challenge?
Here we go.
- Good morning. Final three. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Oh, my God.
- I can’t wait to see what your final menus look like.
So for today’s challenge, \h\h\h\h\hI want you to--
- I’m starving.
narrator: When culinary \hicons come to dine--
- I mean, this takes guts.
- I think that one gets a 10.
- It really is beautiful.
\h\hnarrator: --two chefs will triumph.
- Difficult decision.
\h\hnarrator: And one will get left behind.
- It’s all down to this. \h\h\h\h\hPlease, Curtis.
- Um.
[punchy music]
- Right, good morning. \h\h\h\h\hFinal three.
- Oh, my God.
- I can’t wait to see what your final menus look like.
\h\hAnd I’m sure you’re all excited, probably a little
nervous about your final menu.
So for today’s challenge, \h\h\h\hI want you to...
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hrelax. That’s right, relax.
- Yeah, I love that.
- Because I prepared \ha day of wellness.
First, an exquisite \h\h\hhotel suite.
\h- Oh. - VIP.
There, you’re going to engage in a group bath.
[music winds down]
- Group bath?
\hDo you want me to sit in a bath with Alejandro and Alex?
Eew, I don’t want that.
- A sound bath, of course. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCome on.
- Sound bathing?
I have no idea what the \hhell that even means.
\h- And then, you’ll cast away your cares
with a VIP dinner \hreservation at
the amazing, opulent Castaway.
\h\hIn fact, this breathtaking restaurant, it’s so luxurious,
I’m going to join you.
- Yes.
- So all of you, \hyou really want
to get dressed to the nines.
- I feel like I’m \hgoing to faint.
Uh, this is too much.
[upbeat music]
- Hey!
♪ ♪
\h\h- Hi, welcome to your wellness suite.
I’m Roxie.
I’m going to be your \hsound healer today.
\h\hIf you’d like to take off your shoes?
- Yeah.
What the hell have I \hjust signed up for?
\h\h- Are you ready to chill out and go deep?
\h- If I wake up and I’m floating though,
I’m going to freak out.
\h\h- You might feel like you’re floating.
- Alex looks so uncomfortable.
\hThis is Los Angeles. We do stuff like this.
- Let’s take a deep inhale \h\h\hin through the nose.
And exhale.
♪ ♪
- At first, it doesn’t \h\hfeel like anything.
Within two minutes, you’re taken over by this feeling.
\hMy arms are literally melting and floating at the same time.
- She’s just literally \h\h\h\h\hlike a fairy,
just like boo, doo, boo.
And I can’t see her.
But I feel like she’s just moving with it.
[bells softly chiming]
- I’m definitely feeling the vibrations in my gut,
in my butt, in my toes.
\h\hShe’s over us doing this rain sound thing.
\h\h\hAnd then every now and then, it stops for a second.
And you just hear, \h\h\h\h[snoring].
This guy fell asleep.
- [snoring]
- Oh, was I snoring?
\h\h- And exhale with a loud sigh or laugh.
Let it go.
- Aah! - Aah!
- Awesome.
- Oh, that was great.
- Literally felt like \hI was on the beach.
- Yeah, that was crazy.
- I don’t know what kind of voodoo magic she put on me.
- Thank you for joining me.
- But whew, that was nuts.
\hThat was awesome. Thank you so much.
narrator: The second stop of Chef Ramsay’s
\h\h\h\h\h\hday of relaxation is high up above Los Angeles.
\h\h\h\h- Welcome. Look at you three.
Wow.
Do you feel restored?
- I was relaxed.
But now you’re here, \h\hso now I’m tense.
I’m nervous, Chef. - Don’t be nervous.
Come on.
\h- I know you’re up to something.
I cannot relax right now.
I literally feel stiff as a rock.
- Inside here is an amazing courtyard.
\h\h\hWhen you see it, you’ll understand why.
- It’s game on.
\hLook, I’ve watched this show for years.
\hThis is how it always plays out.
\h\h\h\hThese chefs are just bumbling through this place.
\hNext thing you know, it’s like--
\h\h- Well, let me show you guys around a bit.
We’ve got amazing \hview from here.
- OK.
- Oh, my God!
[cheers and applause]
- Let’s go.
\hSo when was last time you were at a musical?
- It’s been years, Chef.
[cheers and applause]
- Let’s turn left.
- What’s up with all these lights?
\h- Why are there people out here?
[cheers and applause] \h\h\h\h- Oh, my God.
Oh, my God! \h\h\h- OK.
\h\h\h\h- Shall we? Should we do this?
\h\h- Yes. - Shall we?
\h- I feel like I’m going to get married right now.
- Come on in.
- Wow.
And nobody’s home.
Just a courtyard.
\h\h\h\h- Oh, my God. - Stunning, isn’t it?
- Where is my family?
Where are the people?
Where is the cooking?
- Through here is the Verdugo Room,
named after the amazing \hmountains behind us.
Now, in here are legendary events,
events that the Hollywood \h\h\hA-listers frequent.
It’s just incredible.
The history of this room \h\h\h\his breathtaking.
\hAre you ready to see the world famous Verdugo Room?
- Yes, Chef.
- Alex, hand on the door.
- This is it.
This is the challenge.
I am ready.
- In you go. \h\h\h- Wow.
- Holy--
- Carpet and windows and some rando people
over there rolling silverware.
- This seats comfortably 400.
- I’m about to pass out at this point.
If it’s not from \ha heart attack,
then it’s from an \hanxiety attack.
- Through here can seat \h\hup to 1,000 guests.
\hOh, my God. - Holy crap.
\h\h\h- It’s called the Starlight Room,
reserved for the most \h\hexclusive events.
- You OK? \h- Yes.
- Why do you look so nervous? \h\h\h\h\h\h- You’re amazing.
- The faster we can get this over with,
\h\h\h\h\hthe faster my anxiety goes away.
So let’s just go.
- Right through here is the kind of place
you want to be for \h\hone of the most
important times of your life.
Imagine that, your loved \h\hones to cheer you on.
\h\h\h- "Hell’s Kitchen" doesn’t do things small.
There’s going to be a swarm of people.
There’s a couple of ovens set up.
Our sous chefs are there.
- Would you mind opening \h\h\h\hthis door with me
on the count of three?
- And right now, it’s game on.
- I’m going to pass out. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThis is--
- OK.
- OK, here we go.
\h- And I just want to say, right now,
I couldn’t be prouder, OK?
- Thank you, Chef.
Welcome to the Starlight Room.
\h\h\h- This is so big. - Dude, what the hell?
We’ve been bamboozled again.
\h\hWhen the hell is the bamboozling get to stop?
Like, seriously.
\h\h- I have a beautiful dinner arranged for all three of you.
Follow me. - Let’s go.
\h\h\h\h\hAt this point, I’ve given up on the idea
that my family is here or that there’s a challenge
that’s going to take place.
\h\h- Best of luck. - Thank you, Chef.
I’m just going to have lunch with Chef Ramsay,
which is not a bad thing.
- Alex, how important \hwas it to announce
yourself in the competition \h\h\h\h\h\hwithout putting
a target on your back?
- Slowly but surely, I wanted \h\hmy work ethic, my ability
\h\h\hto create things, perform and challenges,
\h\hI wanted those things to speak for themselves.
And slowly but surely, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hthey did.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hI have a spice crusted salmon.
It’s in a chorizo broth.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Yeah, it’s cooked beautifully.
- I think I’m going to go with one point for Alex.
- That is utter perfection.
That is definitely in.
- Thank you, Chef.
\hThere’s going to be so many moments
that I will never forget.
\h\h\h- Y’all got your little lines going on.
- This is my opinion.
I’m allowed to have it.
This is why you’re not a good leader.
- Yeah, baby.
- True blue, true blue.
- Oh, [bleep].
[laughter]
- But come on. \h\h\h\hDig in.
Dig in and enjoy yourself. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hRelax.
That’s exactly what \hI do, Alejandro.
- Yes, Chef.
\h- Young man, describe the experience so far.
- Amazing.
I’ve had 20 top-10 moments \h\hof my life of all time
\h\h\hin a matter of weeks, just from this competition.
\h\h\h\h\h\h[overlapping shouts of encouragement]
- You did it!
[laughter]
- The wings are double-fried, \h\h\h\h\htossed in a dry rub
and then garnished \hwith a little bit
of pomegranate seeds.
- Congratulations, well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Only thing missing with this dish is your jacket.
That’s exactly what I was looking for.
- Thank you, Chef.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Dafne, why so much self-doubt
in amongst strong competition?
Why is that?
- My dad and my mom never \h\hwanted me to do this.
\h\h\hSo I almost feel like I always have to prove to them
that, hey, I can do this.
- What was the feeling \hlike when Danny Trejo
said that about your taco?
\h\h- I felt that the Latina in me really brought it out.
\h\h- I did make my own masa tortilla.
- Wow.
\h\hMom! You got my mom back here?
- You’ve definitely \h\h\helevated it.
\h\h\h\h\hGood job. - Thank you, Chef.
And then the "Entertainment Weekly," I’m like, I’m set.
\h\h\h- Why do you have a lack of confidence again?
\h\h\h- I don’t know. - I’m just wondering.
\h- Second black jacket goes to...
♪ ♪
Dafne.
- Oh, my God.
- For me, the best dish winner \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\his...
I’ve got to go with \h\h\h\h\h\hDafne.
\h\h- Dafne. - It’s Dafne.
\h- Congratulations. - Thank you so much.
- One more thing, OK?
\hYou’ve got an exceptional dinner planned for tonight.
Now relax.
- We just had lunch with Gordon Ramsay.
\h- Well, this is our second time.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Yeah. - Well, it’s my first.
\h\h\hSix months ago, I never would have believed this was
even a reality of happening.
- It’s going to be a crazy night tomorrow.
So top three.
- Here we go.
- Lunch is over. It’s almost 5:00.
I’m about to just unwind.
\hI’m Thanksgiving full at this point.
I’m about to unbutton my pants, take a nap,
get ready for tomorrow.
It’s going to be a big day.
- That was ♪ incredible ♪
- I didn’t need five courses \h\h\hafter that charcuterie.
- No.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- Come on!
\h\h\hnarrator: After a relaxing day where
the final three were expecting \hthe final challenge reveal--
- Wow.
- Welcome to the \hStarlight Room.
\h\h\h\h- It’s so big. - Dude, what the hell?
- That was ♪ incredible ♪
\h\hnarrator: --the unexpected happened
back in "Hell’s Kitchen."
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, my God.
- Come on!
- This season was called \h\h\hBattle of the Ages.
\h\h\h\h\hBut this moment feels like three friends
\h\hhanging out that can’t believe we’re the top three
in "Hell’s Kitchen." \h\h\h\h\h\h\hUnreal.
- Ladies and gentlemen, our final three amazing chefs,
\hAlex from Tennessee, Dafne from Los Angeles,
and from Ohio, Alejandro.
This is your final challenge.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- Thank you so much \h\hfor being here.
Former teammates, welcome back. - Love you guys.
- Give our guests a little insight to your experience
across this competition.
\h\h- I keep saying that I’ve had top 10 moments of my life
just in this competition.
To everybody that’s been a part of this, it’s life-changing.
It’s absolutely amazing.
\h\h- Oh God, I still can’t believe this, it’s unreal.
I love to cook.
\h\h\h\h\hAnd it’s been a roller coaster ride.
I’m so grateful that I’ve spent it with really good chefs.
- For me, I owned a restaurant \h20 miles south of Nashville.
It closed due to COVID.
\h\h\hAnd so for me, this whole thing has
\h\hbeen an opportunity just to give my family
a better opportunity.
- Now in just a moment, you’ll \h\hbe cooking your final menu,
five stunning dishes each.
The stakes are huge because the top two finishers in tonight’s
challenge will move \hforward and lead
their kitchens in tomorrow \h\h\hnight’s grand finale.
\h\h- Yeah! - Whoo-hoo!
- Here we go.
- So this is it.
You’ve all got 60 minutes.
\h\h\hOff you go. - This is crazy.
- Where are we going, Chef?
- Let’s go!
- I was not expecting \h\h\hto cook today.
However, I’m a badass. \h\h\hI feel confident.
This menu is great.
All right, Chef. \h\h\hI got this.
No problem.
Let’s go!
- You ready? \h\h\h- Yep.
narrator: It’s the start of \hthe final menu challenge.
And the chefs have \h\h\h60 minutes--
- True blue, baby.
\h\h\hnarrator: --to produce five dishes,
a cold and hot appetizer--
- Let’s get the proteins going. - OK.
\h\h- --as well as one chicken, one fish, and one beef entree.
- Looks great.
Maybe a little less spinach. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- OK.
- It’s a lot of pressure that I have inside of me.
And whatever I do in this next hour
is going to either make \h\hor break my career.
- Let’s go, Dafne. \h\h\hYou got this.
- This is wild.
And nothing’s going to stop me.
Crazy.
- Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex.
- I want to do like \h\ha double dredge
\h\hand get those lacy fingers on the thighs.
\h\h\hAnd that should be good. I’ll get started on the strips.
\hCooking a five-course meal, that’s a whole different kind
of challenge.
\h\h\hLike, we’re talking from Mars to Pluto here.
The pressure is on.
[cheers]
\h\h\h\h- Wow, this is a freaking intense battle.
\h\h\h\h\h\hIn my mind, this is anybody’s game.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Ale! - That’s your homeys
right there. - It’s weird.
I’m nervous as hell, \hespecially cooking
in front of a live audience.
- Ale, Ale, Ale, Ale, Ale, Ale.
- I have to gain my composure.
If I go into this flustered, \h\h\h\h\hthen I’m not going
to make it to the finale.
- I got some sea bream \h\hover there working.
\h\hI’m going to pull it, cut it, taste it and see
where the flavor is on it.
\hI get to work with sea bream for the first time.
I’ve never worked with it. \h\h\h- What do you think?
- I love it. \hIt’s mild.
It’s flaky as [bleep].
But I feel like I need \hto go big or go home.
\h\hI’m in a no risk, no reward kind of situation.
Fish, this way, curry, \h\hand then mushrooms.
- Cool.
- Alex, 20 minutes to go.
- Yes, Chef.
- All right, chicken, steak, \h\h\hfried chicken is done.
I’m trying to make these things sing.
And I’m trying to put \hmyself on a plate.
\h\h\h\hAnd I’m just thinking God, I hope
this is good enough to win.
- He looks like a killer. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLet’s go.
He’s a killer!
- Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex.
- Yeah, woo!
- Dafne, Dafne, Dafne, Dafne.
- I’m super-happy to see Dafne.
We all came so far,
\h\hand you better kill it right now.
This is your time to shine.
- 15 minutes.
- 15 minutes heard.
I’m like shaking right now.
The bubble gut, the anxiety,
I’m feeling all of that \h\h\h\h\h\hright now.
\h\hIt’s like a crock pot just cooking up.
Oh, God.
But I’m not going to let my nerves
and my anxiety get in my way.
\hI’m going to put the uni on top of the beef tartare
and then the chervil \h\h\hon top of that.
\h\hI had to learn from so many mistakes to get here.
However, I feel like \h\hI found my voice.
\hI found my identity in this competition.
Basically, just created \h\ha border so my egg
yolk does not fall through.
\h\h\hMaking raviolo with a whole egg yolk in it, like,
it’s very precise.
\h\hThis is a rustic yet elegant puttanesca dish.
I feel like I can really win this.
\h\hBut everything has to be perfect.
- Dafne, taste everything, yes? - Yes, Chef.
\h- 6 and 1/2, yes? - All right, Chef.
\h\h- They still feel a little dense to me.
- You’re running out of time.
\hYou got to just get these cooked.
- I want to add a little \h\h\hbit of buttermilk.
It’s getting down to the wire.
I fried off the hush puppies.
I didn’t like the batter.
Let’s try this.
I’m adding more batter, trying \h\hto find the right texture.
There’s zero room for error.
It’s way lighter for sure.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- OK, done. - Yeah, I’m cool with that.
- 90 seconds to go, guys.
Come on.
[cheers and applause]
- Alejandro, Alejandro.
\h\h- We’re in the home stretch, now.
We’re in that last bit.
\hTwo of us is going forward to the finale
and one of us is going home.
And no, it’s not \hgoing to be me.
- Don’t settle for \hsecond best, man.
This is your life right now.
- Don’t over press \hthat tartare, OK?
\h\h\h- Yes, Chef. - 30 seconds, guys.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Yes, Chef. - Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast.
- Everything with confidence.
\hThink about how hard you worked to get here.
- Yes, Chef. \hThis is it.
I put everything I can \h\h\hon these plates.
- Elegant with that \h\hnegative space.
\h\hYep, only two of us are going to be in the finals.
\h\h\h\hAnd ultimately, I’m proud of this menu.
And I’m praying it works.
- Let’s go, guys.
- Five, four,
three, two, one.
- Well done.
[cheers and applause]
\h\h\h\h- Each of you have got five dishes.
\hAnd we have five incredible judges,
some of the most amazing chefs \h\hfrom all over the country,
\h\h\hworld-renowned. Chefs, are you ready?
- Yes, Chef.
- Judging round number one,
this is a chef whose restaurant Nightshade
was named one of the best \h\h\h\h\hnew restaurants
\h\hby "Food & Wine," the amazing Mei Lin.
[cheers and applause]
- Her restaurant is just extraordinary.
She is what I want to be.
\hI want to be a creative unicorn.
And that’s what Mei Lin is.
- So good to see. \h\h\h\hWelcome.
Congratulations on all success.
- Thank you.
\h- Let’s start off with Dafne, please.
- This is a Wagyu beef tartare \h\h\h\h\h\h\hwith a little bit
\h\hof uni emulsion and taro root chip.
- Visually stunning.
I love that you have \h\ha crispy element
as well as a creamy element.
\h\h- I wanted to put my little Dafne kick on it.
\h\h- I really love a hand-cut tartare.
That’s such like a pro move.
Fantastic job.
- Thank you, Chef.
[cheers and applause]
- Alex, please describe \h\hyour dish to Chef.
- This is snapper crudo.
It’s some pickled Fresno \hchilis, puffed quinoa,
\hand a chive oil around the tangerine vinaigrette
on the plate.
- I love that hit of acid when it hits your mouth.
- Thanks, Chef.
- It’s just really, \hreally beautiful.
\h\h\hGreat job. - Appreciate it.
- Amazing, well done. \h\h\h\h\h\hGood job.
Really good.
Up next, Alejandro, please.
Describe to Chef Mei.
- This is a Vietnamese-style \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hbeef tartare
with smoke oyster aioli with the rice cracker.
I recommend just smashing it \hall up and yeah, have fun.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- I like it. It comes with instructions.
- All right.
- Chef, how’s that?
\h- I guess when you describe Vietnamese,
I’m not really getting that from the flavors.
\h\hBut yeah, I love the playfulness of having us
smash into the chip.
\h\h\h\h\h- Thank you. - Thank you, Alejandro.
Now for the difficult part.
Three very strong cold apps.
We start off with Dafne first, \h\h\hplease, score out of 10.
- A nine.
- A nine, wow.
- Thank you, Chef.
I’m off to a great start.
I wish I had maracas.
♪ ♪
- And Alex’s dish, Chef?
- I’m going to go with a 10.
[cheers and applause]
- And Alejandro’s dish, Chef?
\h- I’m going to go with an eight.
- An eight.
- This sucks.
I thought it was a solid dish. \hI would order that anywhere.
- Thank you so much, Chef.
Please give it up for Chef Mei Lin.
Good to see you, Mei.
I’ll see you soon.
\hNext up, judging the hot appetizer,
the three Michelin star \h\h\h\h\h\hphenomenon
from the restaurant, ADRIFT, \hplease welcome David Myers.
- So great to be back.
- Welcome back. - Hello, guys.
- How you doing, Chef?
\h- David Myers is the real deal, man.
\hI remember him from a earlier challenge.
He’s going to be \ha tough cookie.
- Dafne, please.
- For your second course, you have
\h\h\ha huevo raviolo stuffed with ricotta,
a little bit of cacio e pepe.
And then the finishing \hsauce is brown butter
and crispy prosciutto.
- This is absolutely beautiful.
I love the presentation.
I mean, this takes guts.
- Chef, dig in, please.
- Oh, that’s what I wanted to see.
\h\h\hI wanted to see that yolk just break
so beautifully like that.
That is how it should \h\h\hbe right there.
- That’s the money shot. \h\h\h\h\hHey, good job.
- This is wild right now.
- So good.
- Great start.
- Alex, describe your dish for Chef David.
- This is a prawn fritter with jalapenos and garlic
and some caviar and chives.
\h\h\h\hI tried to make a really fancy hush puppy.
\h- Well, let me tell you something, Alex.
This is without a doubt, \hthe fanciest hush puppy
I have ever seen. \h\h- Thank you.
- But I’m missing a little bit \h\hof that strong prawn flavor
that I really want to have with this.
It’s still excellent.
- I knew it. \hHe’s tough.
\hMy nerves are on fire at this point.
\h\h\h\h- Alejandro, please describe your dish to Chef.
I made a uni pasta.
It’s uni butter, uni cream, glazed the uni, bruleed it.
Then I made a furikake \h\h\h\hover top of it
for that crunch in textures.
- Well, definitely decadent.
\h\h\hBut for me, the crowning part of this
\his where it’s just a little bit of that torch on the uni.
And then uni on uni on uni.
It really works Alejandro.
- Thank you.
- Chef, now the tricky part.
For Alejandro, out of 10.
- I’m giving you a nine, man.
That was just beautiful.
- Yay, let’s go, Alejandro.
- Dafne.
- Daphne, you just crushed \h\h\hme right off the bat.
You have a 10.
A 10.
- And Alex?
- Alex, I’m giving \h\h\hyou an eight.
- Thank you, Chef. \h\hAppreciate it.
Damn it.
- It’s going to be tight.
- The amazing David Myers. \h\h\h\h\hGood to see you.
I’ll see you soon. \h\h\h- God bless.
- Thank you, Chef. \h\h\h- Take care.
\h\hBe safe. - Thank you.
- Now tonight, judging \h\hround number three,
she is the genius behind \h\h\h\hGirl & the Goat,
Stephanie Izard.
[cheers and applause]
- Good to see you.
- Awesome to see her again.
She’s a hard judge to please.
- Welcome back to "Hell’s Kitchen."
- Thank you. I remember some \h\h\h\h\h\hof those dishes.
\h- I didn’t even get a point for my dish.
- I’m going to do a point for Mindy and zero for Alejandro.
\h\h\h\h- But this time, the flavors are on-point.
I know I’m going to kill it.
- Alejandro, please describe the dish.
- This is pretty much \hhome-style cooking.
And the chicken’s just been \h\h\h\h\h\hsimply roasted
on the skin side down.
I did seared baby \hsquash and then
glazed, served with black \h\htruffle potato puree.
\h\h- So I admire that you just sort of went down home
and just kind of kept \h\hit really simple.
\hBut when you do that though, it’s
very important that every single thing
is seasoned properly. \h- Yeah, absolutely.
I’m feeling very confident.
But at the same time, I’m a little nervous.
Anything can happen.
And any good chef \hcould go home.
[suspenseful music]
\hnarrator: It’s the third round of a very
tight final challenge.
And Alejandro has presented \h\h\h\hhis chicken entree.
\h- The chicken is cooked beautifully.
It’s super moist.
The skin is crispy.
It has great seasoning on it.
And I can eat a bowl \hof those potatoes.
- Awesome, thank you.
\h- Nice job. - Thank you.
- Alex, describe for Chef. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThank you.
\h\h- So you have a breast on the left.
\h\h\hIt’s got mayonnaise, a little like a honey mustard.
\h\hAnd on the right, you have a buttermilk
\h\hbrined fried chicken with a hot pepper jelly.
\h\h- The seasoning on this side is so great.
And then when you get to \hthis side of the plate,
you lose it a little bit.
So if you had gone \h\hwith just one,
\hI think you could have been a little bit more successful.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Well done.
\h\h\h\hOK, Daphne, please describe your dish to Chef.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThank you. - This is my take on a classic
Italian chicken puttanesca \h\hwith a tableside pour,
a San Marzano saffron and Calabrian chili.
- I love that you took such a simple dish that
can be so casual and you really brought it
up for a restaurant setting.
\h\h\h\hGreat dish. - Thank you, Chef.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Chef, let’s start the scoring.
Out of 10 for Dafne \h\hfirst, please.
♪ ♪
- I’m going to go with nine.
\h\h- A nine, wow. - Thank you, Chef.
- And Alejandro.
\h- Yeah, I mean your seasoning’s spot-on.
We’re going to go with a nine.
- Nine, wow.
- Thank you.
- Alex next, please, Chef?
- Just because of the \hduo, I think we’re
going to go with an eight. \h\h\h\h- Thank you, Chef.
Two more dishes to go, \hDafne’s in the lead.
- Great job. Thank you. \h\h\h\h\h- Thank you.
- Alejandro and I are tied.
- They’re tied.
- Not feeling too comfortable.
- Judging round number four, she is a Michelin star chef.
Please welcome Nancy Silverton.
[cheers and applause]
- Nancy Silverton is a legend.
This is an honor.
- Always a joy to see you.
- I’m starving.
- You’re star-- \h\h[laughter]
\h\hAlex, please describe to Chef.
\h\h\h\h- So I’ve made a Carolina Gold rice congee
\h\h\hand then a miso-cured salmon
with kimchi mayonnaise on top.
- Visually, what do you think?
- It is sexy.
It’s colorful.
\hIt seems like it all belongs there.
And it’s delicious. - Thank you, Chef.
\h\h- Well done. - Appreciate it.
- Thank you.
- Way to go, Alex.
- Dafne, please describe \h\h\hyour dish to Chef.
Thank you.
\h\h\h\h\h\h- This is a potato-crusted halibut
with a champagne beurre blanc.
- Oh, yeah.
- And caviar to finish it off.
- Fish is cooked beautifully.
I mean, I think everything is just done with elegance.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Please, Alejandro. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Oh.
- So we have a sea bream that’s been cooked on the skin side
down the entire time.
And then I have a Thai green curry
with king trumpet mushrooms cooked
in lots of brown butter. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Ooh!
- - It’s a hard job.
But somebody’s got \hto do it, right?
Do any of you need \hjobs, by the way?
- Yes, Chef.
- Depends on how this goes.
- Really, really delicious.
\h\h\h\h\h\h- So, Chef. Now for the hard part.
Alejandro’s dish first.
- I think that one gets a 10.
- A 10, wow.
- Dafne’s halibut, Chef.
- I think it’s another 10. \h\h\h\hI mean, it’s a 10.
- Another 10, wow.
- Ah, thank you, Chef.
- And Alex, Chef?
\h\h- Can I give another-- I mean, is that all right?
- Absolutely. - It’s a 10.
- You get a 10. \hYou get a 10.
You get a 10.
Everybody gets a 10.
- Thank you so much.
Still tied.
Me and you, Alejandro.
\hIt’s going to come down to the wire on this one.
\h\h\h- Now judging the fifth and final round,
this chef is a powerhouse and a Michelin star chef.
Please welcome Curtis Stone.
- Curtis Stone is \hiconic, iconic.
\h\h\hHe’s about to judge my last dish?
Oh, my God.
- Let’s start off with Dafne.
Describe your dish.
\h\h- So this is a Wagyu New York steak with a little bit
of salsify puree.
And then to finish it off, I did an Amarone wine jus.
- I mean, your Wagyu is cooked perfectly.
\h\h\hIt really is beautifully cooked.
The only thing that lets \hyou down is your puree.
\h\h\h\hIt just needs a little more seasoning.
- Yes, Chef.
- Alex, please describe \h\hyour dish to Chef.
- Chef, we have \ha pan-seared
\h\hNew York strip in a nice farrotto.
And then I folded in some charred cabbage
and Parmesan cheese as well.
\h\h\h- This steak’s cooked immaculately.
I love the farro.
The mushrooms bring \hearthiness to it.
- Thank you, Chef. \h\h\h- Very good.
Good job.
Final dish, young man.
Sell it.
- So this is a dukkah-crusted \h\h\h\hAmerican Wagyu strip.
\h\h\h\hOn the bottom is a Calabrian Chile yogurt,
\h\h\h\h\h\hfried shallots, and then just a simple herb salad.
- Chef, how was that?
- This is a wonderfully \h\h\h\h\hcooked steak.
- Thank you, Chef.
\h- It should be hero of the dish and you’ve made it that.
\h\h\h\hWell done. - Thank you, Chef.
- Chef, no pressure.
But you are now going to decide who our two finalists are.
We’ll begin with Dafne.
- Just that puree let you down,
But apart from that, \h\hit was wonderful.
I’ll give you an eight. \h\h- Thank you, Chef.
- An eight, wow.
- Alejandro’s dish, Chef.
- It’s so neck-and-neck \h\h\h\h\h\hright now.
Me and Alex are tied.
I’m hoping I get that 10.
\hAnd I’m hoping Alex gets a nine.
\h\h\h\h\h- Alejandro, I’m giving you a nine.
\h\h- A nine. - Thank you.
\h\h\h\h\h- So first up, I’d like to congratulate
\h\h\h\h\hDafne as our first finalist in "Hell’s Kitchen."
- Dafne!
- Ahh!
- Dafne, Dafne.
- This is my dream.
And it’s coming true.
- So Chef.
It’s all down to this.
Alex needs a 10 to win, \h\h\h\ha nine to tie.
If he gets an eight, \hAlejandro gets in.
\h\h- If Dafne didn’t get a perfect score,
and Alejandro didn’t get a perfect score,
I don’t know if I’m going \hto get a perfect score.
- Difficult decision.
Please, Curtis.
- Um...
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
\hnarrator: With the first slot in the "Hell’s Kitchen" finale
already clinched by Dafne--
[cheers and applause]
\h\h\h--Alex needs a perfect score from Chef Curtis Stone
to surpass Alejandro’s \h\h\h\h\hscore of 45.
- Alex, you took a real risk \h\hbecause you cooked farro.
\h\h\h\hYou served it separate to the beef.
\h\h\hThere’s a chance the beef could eat dry.
\h\h\hTo be honest, to get that right,
you just had to do \hit all perfectly.
♪ ♪
And you did.
You get a 10.
[cheers and applause]
- Woo!
- Aah!
I’m in the top two.
- Congrats, Alex.
- Oh, my God.
It’s this real life?
- Congrats.
- This is the ultimate \h\hform of validation.
\h\h\h\h\hThe amazing Curtis Stone, please.
- Thank you. \h- Good job.
- Alejandro, young man, \h\h\h\hlet me tell you
something really important.
You’ve made your parents proud.
And tonight, I couldn’t \h\h\hfeel any prouder.
\hCongratulations. - Thank you, Chef.
\hI would not trade this experience for anything.
I’m extremely proud of myself.
This has been such an \hamazing experience.
My head is held up very high.
\h\h\h\hAnd I’m excited what the future brings.
\h\h\h\h\h- Let me draw your attention to our incredible,
feisty returning chefs, \h\h\h\h\h\hVlad, Abe,
Brett, Tara, Sakari,
Cheyenne, Sommer,
and of course, Alejandro,
ladies and gentlemen.
Tonight, you tied 46, 46.
\hAnd because tonight, you scored three 10s and Dafne,
\h\h\hyou scored two 10s, Alex, you get first pick.
- He is a plethora of culinary information.
\h\h\h\hHis flavors are incredible and unique.
\h\h\hAnd he was standing right up here next to me
the whole night.
- Alejandro, come up here.
- Let’s get it. \hLet’s get it.
\h\h\h\h- Alejandro is literally a workhorse.
\h\hThere would have been no other pick for first.
- You’re back so soon. \h\h\h\h\h\h[laughter]
Dafne, your first pick.
- This person, they really put their heart and soul in
any position that they’re in.
That’s why I’m choosing Sommer.
- Yeah, Sommer.
- Sommer and I, you know, we’ve had ups and downs.
But I know the kind of chef Sommer is.
I know that she’ll \h\h\hfight for me.
- OK, Alex.
- I’m going to pick this next \hperson because of his drive
for excellence.
\h\h\hAnd I know that he will work incredibly hard for me.
So my next choice is Brett.
- Woo!
[cheers and applause]
- Come here, buddy.
- Dafne.
\h\h- This person, I can tell that they love what they do.
Sakari.
- Sakari.
- Alex, your pick.
\h\h- She has only been cooking for four years.
And she’s a killer.
So I’m picking Cheyenne.
\h- I’m really happy to be on Alex’s team
compared to Dafne’s.
On my elimination night, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hshe kind of
did me a little bit dirty.
- You couldn’t even see her.
She was gone.
- Because I wasn’t \h\hanswering you.
I wasn’t--
- You just look overwhelmed \h\h\h\hand you were lost.
- So I’m not that cool \h\hwith her right now.
- Dafne, third choice.
- Vlad. - Vlad.
[cheers and applause]
\h\h- OK, Alex, what a night this has been because you’re
picking from both teams.
- This is hard.
They’re both talented cooks.
\h\h\hBut they both bring another level of tension
to an already tense moment.
- Are you OK?
- Go [bleep] yourself.
- I’m not as [bleep] \h\heducated as you.
- Stop, stop.
- What are you talking about?
- Stop.
- Please, give us a name.
\h- This person brings dedication, hard work,
work ethic.
My next pick is Tara.
- Tara, let’s go.
\h\h- Of course, I should have been picked sooner.
But I’m a hard worker, \h\hand Alex knew that.
And we’re going to \hkill it tomorrow.
Sorry, but go blue.
- Let’s get this. \hLet’s get this.
- I used to be true blue.
\hBut now it’s a team Dafne, baby.
\h\h- Now the final dinner service for the 21st season
of "Hell’s Kitchen" takes \h\hplace tomorrow night.
And for one of you, \h\h\hyou’ll become
\h\hmy new head chef at Hell’s Kitchen Atlantic City Caesars.
[cheers and applause]
\h- And one final applaud for these two incredible
finalists, Alex and Dafne.
[applause]