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 aji amarillo. Yes!
narrator: But in a surprise turn of events--
- You were shopping for one another.
- Oh, no. - I need to see
how do you adapt under pressure.
- Didn't see that coming.
narrator: The chefs had to pump the brakes.
- Don't know what I'm about to do with that yet.
Not a fan of clam juice.
narrator: And reroute.
- These ingredients are not making sense to me.
narrator: Ryan's dish hit the skids.
- That is desperately needing salt.
- Yes, Chef. narrator: Sammi and Carmen
vied for pole position.
- You have a crab cake with amarillo paste.
- The crab cake is delicious, young man.
narrator: But ultimately, it was Johnathan's dish
that took the checkered flag.
- Congratulations, Johnathan. Well done.
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, yeah?
- Refire. narrator: Including whatever
type of sabotage was thrown at him.
- That's not risotto, Chef.
That's orzo, Chef. - Well spotted.
narrator: While Sammi--
- Do you think this is a little under?
- No. What is that? - Oh.
- That is bass. Come on. Take it off.
- Oh, my God. narrator: Carmen...
- One halibut, one salmon, one lamb.
- One, two, three. - We're missing an entree.
- Got to spot that.
narrator: And Johnathan each stumbled on one
of Chef Ramsay's sabotages.
- Are you happy with that? - Yes, Chef.
- Look at the fish. - Wrong fish.
- [bleep].
narrator: When it came time to decide
which chefs would advance to the final three--
- This is tough, but I have made my decision.
narrator: Chef Ramsay first selected--
- Ryan.
narrator: Then--
- Johnathan.
narrator: With one spot left--
- The final person advancing is--
narrator: Chef Ramsay chose--
- Sammi.
narrator: 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.
- Thank you, Chef. - Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you so much, Chef.
- Congratulations.
- Oh, my God.
Yes!
[all yelling, laughing]
I'm overwhelmed with emotions.
- Top three!
- It's absolutely 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.
- [yelling]
[laughter]
- Yes!
- 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.
- I am so [bleep] determined to get my hand on that door.
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--
- [laughing] - --the top of my list.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Oh, nice. - You smell good.
- He smells so good.
I want to ask him what aftershave is.
- Yeah, I love it when he calls us young man.
- Me, too.
[phone ringing]
- Hello, this is Johnathan. - Johnathan, this is Chef.
I need to see all three of you in the dining room, please.
- Okay, Chef. Right away.
- Let's go. - Yes, Chef.
Dining room.
[dramatic music]
I don't know if I can handle anything else right now, dude.
- 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.
- 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.
- It sucks not to be in the final pairing,
but it was a hell of a ride.
- You've managed to nail it.
You have the highest scoring dish.
The winning dish belongs to Jon.
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 then 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.
- Hey, what's up? Pleasure to meet you, sir.
- Pleasure to meet you. Ryan.
I'm so happy that I got Chef Jonathan,
to be honest with you.
- How are 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.
Hey, I'm here to work. It's for the job.
This is a job opportunity. It's a job interview.
I've never lost sight of that.
- Yeah.
- Yes! - Yes.
- Yes! Oh, my God. - Yes for me, too.
Congratulations. - Oh, thank you.
I open the door, and I see Chef Christina.
Oh, my God.
Thank God I'm with her right now.
I'm so happy. - 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.
- 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 signature dish is poke.
- So ahi tuna, right? - Yes.
This reminds me of, like, my mom.
Like, ooh, let's go get poke. - 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 [bleep] my mom would order.
- I would order this in two seconds.
- Yeah.
- 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, black truffle
and mushroom vol-au-vent. - Oh, okay, yeah.
- Could go a lot of ways with this, but I mean, I just--
I want this to be classy. - Right.
- But I also want it to show who I am and what I'm about
and, you know, 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, you know, 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 think about, I'm doing for--
- To be honest, I think that is what it takes here.
- Yeah.
- I wanted to do a hamachi sashimi--
- Okay. - --with...I was thinking
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
as soon as they get in front of Chef, right?
- Right.
- I wanted to showcase the pot of food for what it is.
Again, I don't come from a lot of money.
It's just a lot of vegetables and meat in a [bleep] pot,
and we all ate from it. - Yeah.
- Mushroom-wise, king trumpets.
Would they be nice, you know?
And have one beautiful one. - Yeah.
- You know, across the top.
- Like right across the top with a nice little hatch.
- Nice crosshatch. But it's a crown.
The king.
- What's 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--
- My man. - It means Little King.
- Good work tonight, man. It's been a pleasure.
- Yeah. No, pleasure's all mine, Chef.
- I can't wait.
I can't wait to get in there and throw it out.
- Oh, me, too. Thank you so much.
- All right, brother.
- I got really emotional, actually talking
about my American dream.
I really haven't talked about it that much.
I just wanted to do it for my dad.
- What is it about your dad that--
- My dad had a stroke two years ago.
It was, like, really major. I'm an only child.
My dad never remarried, and I take care of my dad
every single day for, like--
for the past two years.
I just 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? - 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. - I'm excited, too.
I'm so glad you made it through.
- Thank you.
- So another thing my mom did a lot growing up
is she calls them "burnt" carrots,
but it's like glazed carrots, like brown sugar.
- That sounds exciting. That makes me be like, huh?
- Again, you've seen my food, so I don't
want to 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 [bleep] much
that I have to pull this off.
- You have your biggest challenge ahead,
so just get some sleep.
- 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 [bleep]?
[dramatic music]
- Can you believe that food got us here?
- Not at all.
- Chefs, look over here.
- Oh, my God.
[dramatic music]
- What the [bleep]?
♪ ♪
- Chefs. - [bleep].
- Welcome, final three, to the iconic
LA Memorial Coliseum,
home of the 1932, 1984,
and upcoming 2028 Olympic games.
On this very site, 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.
- Wow. - Hey.
Hey, Chefs! - How you doing?
- 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. - Thank you very much.
- 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.
- But you know, we have more in common
than just me being the anchor leg,
the guy that brings it home,
like one of you are going to 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.
- You never remember the easy times, the easy menus.
You remember the tough times and the challenging times.
So 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 going to be really interesting because
Chef Ramsay has set up a helicopter tour of Los Angeles
for all of you. - [bleep].
- Oh, no way.
- I cannot believe this.
I've never been in a helicopter before.
- I know this is going to sound kind of corny.
We got the end of this, so I gotta run.
[laughing]
- I am so pumped for this.
- Dude.
This is your captain speaking. - Oh, my gosh.
- None of this feels real.
- Whoa.
- 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.
- 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.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- [bleep].
- Oh, my God. It feels amazing.
Never in my wildest dreams would
I ever think that I'd be landing in a helicopter
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.
♪ ♪
- [wolf whistle]
- I do like it, actually.
- If you look good, you cook good.
- Getting treated by Chef Ramsay is...
a dream.
Never thought that this would happen.
- Shocker.
- Oh, my God. I feel like a million bucks.
I feel so sexy right now.
- Tom Cruise, watch your back.
- I know, right?
- I feel good in this outfit, you know what I mean?
I feel bold and boisterous.
You know, 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: Now it's off to the 71st floor for a meal
at the exclusive 71 Above.
- Oh, my goodness. Oh, my gosh.
Chef Ramsay is here, and I am so excited.
- You look amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
Gents, sit there.
- I finally get another meal with Chef Ramsay.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef. - Will you relax now?
- Yes. - Yes?
- Promise? - Yes, promise.
- And it is just crazy to actually
be here in the top three.
- Do you have a partner? - No, Chef.
- You're single? - Yeah. Single dad.
- How is that possible, someone so cool and dapper?
- I don't know. Hopefully, I get one now.
I don't know, Chef.
- 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've got a lot to give. - I know, Chef.
- Sammi. - Yes.
- I'm dying to find out. Where did this start?
Tell me about the school.
What were you like at the school?
- Growing up, definitely not the brightest
in academics-wise, but--
- Same here. - Yeah.
- Yep. - No, seriously.
- And then 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. - Right.
- And then I found such a passion and love for it
that I wanted to continue that exploration.
- 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?
- Well, I think the best way to describe it is validating.
You know, it's been very validating
because I didn't have a lot of confidence, you know.
- Why, when you've got so much skill?
- Just-- I just never really had self-confidence,
and especially just growing up, always picked last for stuff.
- Right. - In my 10 years,
I've never cooked for my dad. - Seriously?
- I just felt like, you know, that I wasn't
good enough to because 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 going to be--
I'm gonna hold my head high.
Nothing can stop me now.
- How does Vegas sound for all of you?
- Amazing. - Amazing.
- Yeah. - Congratulations, all three.
- Thank you, Chef. - I'm so proud, well done.
- Cheers. - You've made your families
proud. - Yes, Chef.
[upbeat music]
- Just excuse the mess, will you, please?
- Yes, of course.
- There's a lot of construction going on there.
- Okay. - Oh, wow.
- Ahead of the finale, we want to make it exciting.
I want to show you this.
Now...
all three of you.
- Holy [bleep]!
Oh, my God!
[upbeat music]
- Excuse the mess, will you, please?
There's a lot of construction going on there.
Ahead of the finale, we want to make it exciting.
Now, I've put this together for all three of you to--
- Holy [bleep]! Oh, my God.
Oh, my...
- --to remind you of all that you've been through
on this incredible journey.
- This is crazy. Yeah.
- Ah, man. - Oh, my gosh.
- Can't forget that.
- 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? - Yeah.
- Yeah, I remember. I was standing right here.
- Oscar De La Hoya, Martina McBride, and Dia Simms.
[cheers and applause]
- I'll never forget that, Chef.
- That first day was a phenomenal day for all three
of you, right? - Yeah, it was.
- Yes. - Feels like years ago.
- That signature dish, three fives.
Yeah, undoubtedly five.
Congratulations.
- Thank you.
- Congratulations, Sammi.
It's a five.
And it tastes like you've been cooking since the age of five
'cause you're going to get a five.
Well done. - Thank you.
[applause]
- The speed brunch. Remember that?
- Yeah. - I do.
- Oh, yeah.
- Where we served the new Americans.
- Congratulations on becoming citizens
of the United States of America.
[cheering]
- One day, you're going to be a citizen, right?
- Yeah, absolutely. - After how long?
- Five years--I've got, uh, I got two more left.
- Sammi, I see this, and I think
of you falling on that bar. - Ah...
- Oh!
Oh!
- Yeah. I got right back up, though.
- Remember? - Yeah.
- We're blasting off.
Remember this one? - Yeah.
- I certainly do. - The blind taste test.
What was he doing there? That looked like--
- Oh, I didn't even see that. Oh, my God.
- Oh! [laughter]
- Oh!
[squealing, laughter]
- 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.
- Yes, 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 going to wait anymore.
- Great work. - 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?
- Follow me, please. - Okay, Chef.
- Come and sit down, the three of you.
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.
- Thank you so much, Chef. - Thank you so much, Chef.
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.
Do you want to take a little peak?
- Yeah, let's check it out.
- The paint's still wet.
Pull that down for me.
[indistinct chatter]
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- Oh, boy. Let's go.
♪ ♪
- Oh, my God.
I should have known better, that-that-that...
there's always something going on in Hell's Kitchen.
[cheering]
- "Just relax." - I told you to 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.
Amazing.
Chefs, listen carefully, because just in a moment
you're going to 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.
- I'm always ready to cook.
Let's get in the kitchen, and I'm [bleep] dialed in.
- I'm rooting for you, Johnathan.
I am so rooting for you.
That's my guy.
- You ready? - Yup.
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. Talk to me.
- All right, brother. Yeah, let's talk.
- The stakes are at the highest ever.
One of us are going to be going home after this cook.
110%, the biggest challenge so far.
Not in Hell's Kitchen-- in my life.
- This is for your life, man. - Yes, Chef.
- Johnny! Johnathan! Johnathan!
Johnathan!
- Johnny!
- I think you've got a [bleep] good chance of winning this.
- I agree with that.
You know, and I appreciate everything we'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.
- 25 minutes, guys.
- Sammi! Sammi!
Sammi! Sammi!
- Sammi, they can see you.
- I don't want to 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--
- Do you think it looks all right now?
- 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 think it just needs more spice.
- Ryan! Ryan! Ryan! Ryan!
Ryan! - Come on, Ryan!
- Asparagus coming out. Okay.
- Taste that real quick, please?
- Yup.
Perfect. Perfect, Chef. - Okay.
- I'm feeling really good about everything
at this moment in time, you know.
I'm in my element right now.
You know, I, feel right at home here.
All right, Chef, I'm gonna start plating, Okay?
I'm very confident that, you know, I make the final.
- Ryan, three minutes, yes? - Yes, Chef.
- Let's go. - Three minutes.
Yes, Johnathan?
- Yes, Chef. - 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.
- 10, 9, 8,
7, 6, 5,
4, 3,
2, 1, serve.
Well done. [audience cheering]
- That was an intense 60 minutes.
Please welcome back our three amazing chefs.
Johnathan, Ryan, and Sammi.
Well done. Well done.
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? - 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.
Good to see you. - Yeah!
- 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, Giada.
Time to judge the cold apps.
Let's start with Johnathan.
- Yes, Chef.
- 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.
- Mm.
- 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, Chef. Thank you so much.
- Pretty good start. 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 jalapeno relish, kind of with a little citric acid
and an avocado mousse, finished with some mint
and fresh micro cilantro on top.
- Wow.
- Oh, wow. Yuzu.
- Yeah. - Great fruit.
Opens up your palate so you can really
start to taste everything.
And I love the blood orange Maldon.
That is a really, really lovely touch.
- Thank you. - I might have to
steal that one for Giada Vegas.
- 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 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 a sauce made from honey,
rosemary, orange juice, some lemon juice,
and then we have candied walnuts
wrapped around the goat's cheese,
finished with some mint.
- The presentation is stunning.
The beets are grilled beautifully.
I love the multicolor.
I feel like I'm eating at a very chi-chi French restaurant.
- Thank you.
- All right.
Three amazing cold apps.
On a scale of 1 to 10, let's start off
with Johnathan's dish first.
What would you give it, please?
- I give you a 10. 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 9. - A 9. Wow.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Well done.
And then finally, Chef, for Ryan's dish.
- I'm going to give you a 9. - A 9. Wow.
- It was so beautiful.
- All of you please give it up for the incredible and amazing
Giada De Laurentiis.
- Good luck, you guys.
- Thank you so much.
It's such an honor.
narrator: Next up, judging the hot appetizer round
is chef and restaurateur Brian Malarkey.
- Chef, thank you so much for joining us this evening.
- Yes. Thank you so much.
This is amazing. Amazing.
Congratulations, you three.
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. - Clean, well-seasoned.
Gentlemen, you got your work cut out for you on this one.
narrator: Next is Ryan's wild mushroom vou-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.
Very, very bright.
The pickled 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.
I wish I could stay for the rest of the meal.
I mean, I'm telling you... - Thank you.
- You are missing out, all right?
This is amazing, Okay?
- Chef, we're going to start with Sammi's dish first.
On a scale of 1 to 10, where are we going, please?
- Never before have I tasted three dishes so spectacular
at the same time, so I don't even want to just go to Sammi.
I would like to just go straight down the line
and give you guys all perfect 10s.
- Craziness.
All across the board, gives us all a 10.
I think I'm going to have a heart attack.
- Let's hear it for the amazing Brian Malarkey.
- Thank you. Good luck.
Good luck, good luck.
[crowd 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 el Joel Robuchon,
and she's also starring as a mentor alongside me
on "Next Level Chef."
Please give it up for the beautiful, wonderful
Nyesha Arrington.
- What's up, Chef?
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.
- 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, today I've prepared for you
a take on lobster pot-au-feu.
It is a lobster ravioli and brodo.
- Visually stunning.
I can see that there's beautiful 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.
- Well done. - Great job.
- Thank you.
A chef of that stature says that my dish
is absolutely stunning-- I'm over the moon.
- Johnathan, please describe your dish to Chef.
- Yes, Chef.
This is a crispy branzino with 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 to not sort of
buckle when you sear it-- very intelligent move there.
Wow. Very bright.
Very acidic, but in a pleasant way.
It's like acidic, but there's a sweet hug
that comes in on the back end.
Great job. - Thank you. Chef.
- Amazing. Really good. - Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
- And Sammi, describe the dish to Chef, please.
- So this is an 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.
[suspenseful music]
This long, dramatic pause has me,
like, uh... what's wrong with it?
- For me--
[dramatic chords]
- 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.
- You know, I'm a stickler for this,
but I always say some fresh herbs, right?
Sometimes 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.
- Thank you.
- Chef, three amazing dishes.
It's time for the hardest part of your job
tonight, the scoring.
Let's start with Ryan, please, those raviolis.
- I'm going to go with a 9.
- A 9. Well done. - Yeah. Great job.
Great job. - Wow.
- Great job. - Johnathan's?
- Johnathan, this dish is resonating on my palate
at an 8. - An 8.
Well done. - Thank you.
Great job.
- Getting an 8 on my branzino, it just sucks
because 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 8 as well.
- An 8. Well done.
Give it up for the amazing Nyesha Arrington.
Continued success. - Thank you, Chef.
Appreciate you. - I wish you well.
narrator: Judging round four, the chicken entree,
is chef and owner of two Michelin star restaurant
Providence, Michael Cimarusti.
- How are you, Chef? - Thank you so much.
Good to see you, as always. Absolute pleasure.
narrator: First up is Johnathan's
pan-seared crispy chicken, dumplings,
carrots, and pearl onions.
- It's not what I expected when I think of chicken
and dumplings, but I think you achieved
your goal of elevating
what traditional chicken and dumplings is.
And so I think you achieved something pretty good here.
- Thank you, appreciate it. - Yeah, well done.
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 sprouts salad.
- I love Asian flavors.
A nice spice to it, too, which I love.
Like, I'm a sucker for spice.
If I were to say anything, a little bit more on the acidity
there in the slaw, a touch more salt, maybe fish sauce,
something like that. - Yes.
- But it was really good. Well done.
- Delicious, great job. - Thank you, Chef.
- Spot on, Sammi.
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
- Thank you. - The sauce has a great
acidity to it, nice consistency and beautiful color.
The dish is beautifully executed.
- Chef, we're going to judge, the hardest part.
Now, on a scale of 1 to 10,
let's start off with Johnathan for his chicken dish,
please, Chef.
- I'll give you a 9. - Thank you.
Thank you so much.
- And Sammi's Asian-inspired thighs.
- I got to give you a 9, too.
- Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
- And then finally, Ryan's dish, Chef.
- I'm going to give you a 10. It was amazing.
- Wow. - Thank you.
- All of you, give it up for one of the most amazing chefs
this country's ever produced, Michael Cimarusti.
Thank you. - Thank you.
Good to see you. - 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.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
Chef, it's our final round.
Sammi, please 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. - 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 - 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.
Ryan, please pass the dishes down.
- Yes, Chef.
- And describe your dish to Chef.
- So I have a wagyu fillet.
I got some king scallops, beautiful.
And then we have the king of the forest.
We've got some beautiful black truffles.
I have a beautiful golden beet citronette,
some garlic sauteed Swiss chard,
and finished with a sauce royale,
finished with some steps.
- You might have overused the word beautiful,
but the plate is very beautiful,
so I accept it, mate.
It looks great. - Thank you, Chef.
♪ ♪
- 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.
- Great job. - Thank you, Chef.
- And Johnathan, please describe your dish to Chef.
- What you have is a New York strip crusted
with a blue cheese butter.
Then you have a little bread crumbs on top,
a potato pancake, 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.
- So Chef, I know this is difficult for you,
but we're grateful for your feedback.
It's now time to determine who's going to enter
the "Hell's Kitchen" finale.
We're going to begin with Ryan, Chef, on a mark from 1 to 10.
- Ryan, to me this was a stunning plate of food.
You've taken this all the way, mate.
I'm giving you a 10.
- Wow.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Very well done.
Young man, congratulations.
You are in the "Hell's Kitchen" finale.
Amazing.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
- Chef, 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 9.
- Thank you, Chef.
I definitely wanted a 10, but I will take the 9.
It is anyone's game right now between Johnathan and I.
- Chef, Johnathan's dish.
He needs an 8 to tie or 9 to be in the finale.
Please take your time.
[dramatic music]
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.
- Chef, Johnathan's dish.
He needs an 8 to tie or a 9 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 9.
- Wow.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
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.
Take care. Thank you.
Oh, man.
Sammi.
- Chef. - You have been so strong
from start to finish.
I know you're going to get there.
Keep learning. Keep growing.
Congratulations, young lady. - Thank you, Chef.
- We love you, Sammi!
- Good luck.
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,
Tanya,
Jason,
Leigh,
Dahmere,
Carmen,
and, of course, Sammi.
Thank you.
Ryan, since you received the highest
score in tonight's challenge,
you will have the first choice.
- Chef, I'm going to choose this
wonderful, wonderful chef.
You know, we've shared a lot of time
here in the kitchen together.
And you know, she shared the stage with me here tonight.
And I think it's only right that she
joins my brigade tomorrow, and that's going to be Sammi.
- Sammi. Wow.
[cheers and applause]
- Chef Ramsay can't get rid of me.
I am back again on the stage, and I am not leaving.
- Okay, 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 who
I've shared a lot of moments with
and I consider my brother, so I'm going to go with Dahmere.
- Dahmere. - Yeah.
[cheering]
- Johnathan and I, we have such a great chemistry and dynamic.
And I'm going to do everything in my power
to bring that American dream to life, man.
- Ryan, second pick.
- My second pick, he's got a lot of experience.
We can work on his attitude, but that's going to be Jason.
- Jason.
[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.
- Johnathan, second pick.
- My next pick, she's a Swiss army knife.
She holds it down, and I don't think
anything can get in her way.
So I'm going to pick Tanya. - Tanya.
[cheering]
- We got this. We got this.
- Ryan. - My third pick tonight, Chef,
she's got fire inside of her.
She's really energetic, and that's
going to be Carmen, Chef. - Carmen.
[cheering]
- Congrats.
- Okay, Johnathan. Third pick.
- This next chef is just such a strong person.
I'm going to have to go with Leigh.
- Leigh. - Yeah.
- Well done.
[cheering]
- Ryan, final pick. - My final pick tonight, Chef,
she's been in industry a long time,
and that's going to be Sandra.
- Sandra. Well done.
- Come here, 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.
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 and Ryan.
Well done.
narrator: Next time, on the season finale
of "Hell's Kitchen"...
- I 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.
- But in the final service--
- Jason, come on. Let's go.
I need this. - It's not ready.
- [bleep].
narrator: Will their brigade get in the way?
- It's coming as fast as I can.
- [bleep]. - They're raw.
- Do not [bleep] it up right now.
- Touch that sauce. Ice cold.
- [bleep].
- Deal with it, yes?
narrator: Who will stand strong...
- Sandra, make sure it's [bleep] seasoned.
It needs to be right.
narrator: And push their team to victory?
- Final Table. - Heard.
- Watch your temps, Okay? - Yeah, I got you.
narrator: Will it be Johnathan,
the single father and executive chef
from Huntington Beach, California?
- Beautiful. Beautiful.
There you go. - Let's go.
- Jason, [bleep] sake, back in the [bleep], yes?
Come on.
narrator: Or will it be Ryan, the Irish immigrant
and chef de cuisine from Cork, Ireland?
- Gentlemen, this is it.
narrator: Find out next time--
- 1...
narrator: On the epic conclusion--
- 2...
narrator: Of "Hell's Kitchen."
- 3.
[cheers and applause]