Hell's Kitchen Season 2

[naiwf 0]

The finale was bullshit. Virginia had a better atmosphere in her restuarant, a better menu, a better palette and lost because Heather had better leadership. After watching tonight I was amazed to see that both ladies were 25 years old but Heather still behaved like a child, while Virginia acted like a woman and they chose to give the multi-million dollar restaurant to someone who demonstrated a level of immaturity in all of her culinary ideas. Keith should have won the show, but fucked up when he chose to nominate Virginia at the F3 stage instead of Heather who didn't even realize it was a bad idea to serve purposely lumpy mashed potatos.

[starvenger 0]

The finale was bullshit. Virginia had a better atmosphere in her restuarant, a better menu, a better palette and lost because Heather had better leadership. After watching tonight I was amazed to see that both ladies were 25 years old but Heather still behaved like a child, while Virginia acted like a woman and they chose to give the multi-million dollar restaurant to someone who demonstrated a level of immaturity in all of her culinary ideas. Keith should have won the show, but fucked up when he chose to nominate Virginia at the F3 stage instead of Heather who didn't even realize it was a bad idea to serve purposely lumpy mashed potatos.

I disagree with you. Heather deserved to win this over Virginia. You are right that Virginia had a better atmosphere, better menu and a better palette, but that means squat if you can't deliver the goods. Still, let's break it down:

 

Atmosphere: Had the waterfall been completed properly (it was barely working) Virginia would've had an excellent feature piece there but I think she was overambitious there. Carpenters on TLC shows have difficulties putting small water pump projects together, so I knew that she'd get screwed there. The fact that the crew got the thing somewhat working is very impressive, to me.

 

Heather's room was a bit too busy for me, but overall it reflected her personality quite well. Except that it was probably a bit more "vibrant" than I'd think she is. And possibly a bit too self-indulgent. Still, despite Ramsey's hesitance over some of her choices, none of the diners went "well, this place kinda sucks", so it probably wasn't a huge demerit.

 

Menu: Virginia was probably the most creative person of the contestants, but the creativity did her in. She didn't trust in her crew to do the final platings, and it slowed them down. Not to mention that her meals were rather complex. Heather, knowing that they'd be trusting an entirely new menu to a crew on short notice, kept things simple so that her crew would be less likely to screw things up (although there is apparently no "right" amount of dressing to put on a napa salad.) It seemed to work, as I'd guess that the Red team finished up well ahead of the Blue (if you assume some editorial trickery regarding the finish times).

 

Palatte: Heather showed just enough to get by. Virginia was presumably much better - they really didn't focus too much on this because it was so lopsided.

 

Teams: Virginia chose Keith first, and Heather chose Rachel second. No surprise there, as Keith was the best chef out of the twelve, and Heather and Rachel were possibly a lot closer than they showed on TV. Virginia then chose... Tom. OK, I get that she and Sara didn't get along, and Giacomo is a fuckup, but even with the chicken issues, she should've chosen Garrett. I guess she wanted a girl on the team. Heather then, of course, chose Ga- oh wait, she chose Sara. Although that actually seemed smart in hindsight, since Sara wasn't trying to manipulate her way to the final two anymore. And Virginia then chose Mophead as her final chef. Again, I'm thinking because of the chicken issues, but hey, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT GARRETT ON CHICKEN.

 

Leadership: Heather was obviously in control of her kitchen, plus she managed to earn their respect from the get go. It was pretty obvious that Keith, Tom and Mophead didn't give a shit about whether Virginia won or lost, and their respect probably went out the window when she gave into the bribe demands. On the line, Heather again kept things simple, calling out "steak" and "fish" where Virginia called out "chicken roulade" and "braised short ribs". Big deal, you say, but it's a subtle, important detail. You keep the words to a minimum, and you reduce the risk of confusion. Also in the subtle department, Heather had that "I demand respect" timbre in her voice, while Virginia, despite coaching from Ramsey, never had that. As you said, this was pretty much where Heather took this competition.

 

Ramsey: Maybe it was the editing, but during the actual dinner service, I saw Ramsey coaching Virginia a lot more than Heather. To me, it seemed like Ramsey was saying "I'm doing everything in my power to help you win", but it wasn't enough. He obviously saw a lot of potential in Virginia (one of three things he saw in her), but the leadership was lacking, and that's something that, if it isn't there, has to be learned over time. And the Red Rock Casino didn't have that luxury.

[Vyce 0]

I wanted Virginia to win.

 

Why? Because she made my dick hard. That's enough.

[Guest Hotbutter Spoontoaster]

Virginia has a flat face. Her forehead, nose, and mouth all come out from her face at the same length.

[naiwf 0]

The finale was bullshit. Virginia had a better atmosphere in her restuarant, a better menu, a better palette and lost because Heather had better leadership. After watching tonight I was amazed to see that both ladies were 25 years old but Heather still behaved like a child, while Virginia acted like a woman and they chose to give the multi-million dollar restaurant to someone who demonstrated a level of immaturity in all of her culinary ideas. Keith should have won the show, but fucked up when he chose to nominate Virginia at the F3 stage instead of Heather who didn't even realize it was a bad idea to serve purposely lumpy mashed potatos.

I disagree with you. Heather deserved to win this over Virginia. You are right that Virginia had a better atmosphere, better menu and a better palette, but that means squat if you can't deliver the goods. Still, let's break it down:

 

Atmosphere: Had the waterfall been completed properly (it was barely working) Virginia would've had an excellent feature piece there but I think she was overambitious there. Carpenters on TLC shows have difficulties putting small water pump projects together, so I knew that she'd get screwed there. The fact that the crew got the thing somewhat working is very impressive, to me.

 

Heather's room was a bit too busy for me, but overall it reflected her personality quite well. Except that it was probably a bit more "vibrant" than I'd think she is. And possibly a bit too self-indulgent. Still, despite Ramsey's hesitance over some of her choices, none of the diners went "well, this place kinda sucks", so it probably wasn't a huge demerit.

 

Menu: Virginia was probably the most creative person of the contestants, but the creativity did her in. She didn't trust in her crew to do the final platings, and it slowed them down. Not to mention that her meals were rather complex. Heather, knowing that they'd be trusting an entirely new menu to a crew on short notice, kept things simple so that her crew would be less likely to screw things up (although there is apparently no "right" amount of dressing to put on a napa salad.) It seemed to work, as I'd guess that the Red team finished up well ahead of the Blue (if you assume some editorial trickery regarding the finish times).

 

Palatte: Heather showed just enough to get by. Virginia was presumably much better - they really didn't focus too much on this because it was so lopsided.

 

Teams: Virginia chose Keith first, and Heather chose Rachel second. No surprise there, as Keith was the best chef out of the twelve, and Heather and Rachel were possibly a lot closer than they showed on TV. Virginia then chose... Tom. OK, I get that she and Sara didn't get along, and Giacomo is a fuckup, but even with the chicken issues, she should've chosen Garrett. I guess she wanted a girl on the team. Heather then, of course, chose Ga- oh wait, she chose Sara. Although that actually seemed smart in hindsight, since Sara wasn't trying to manipulate her way to the final two anymore. And Virginia then chose Mophead as her final chef. Again, I'm thinking because of the chicken issues, but hey, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT GARRETT ON CHICKEN.

 

Leadership: Heather was obviously in control of her kitchen, plus she managed to earn their respect from the get go. It was pretty obvious that Keith, Tom and Mophead didn't give a shit about whether Virginia won or lost, and their respect probably went out the window when she gave into the bribe demands. On the line, Heather again kept things simple, calling out "steak" and "fish" where Virginia called out "chicken roulade" and "braised short ribs". Big deal, you say, but it's a subtle, important detail. You keep the words to a minimum, and you reduce the risk of confusion. Also in the subtle department, Heather had that "I demand respect" timbre in her voice, while Virginia, despite coaching from Ramsey, never had that. As you said, this was pretty much where Heather took this competition.

 

Ramsey: Maybe it was the editing, but during the actual dinner service, I saw Ramsey coaching Virginia a lot more than Heather. To me, it seemed like Ramsey was saying "I'm doing everything in my power to help you win", but it wasn't enough. He obviously saw a lot of potential in Virginia (one of three things he saw in her), but the leadership was lacking, and that's something that, if it isn't there, has to be learned over time. And the Red Rock Casino didn't have that luxury.

 

I don't disagree with what you've said, but I wouldn't hire someone to run a multi-million dollar restuarant with such an amateurish sense of what a restaurant should be. If anything I would have had someone like Virginia win and let her handle the "big picture" while someone like Heather would make a great sous chef who makes sure things are running smoothly in the kitchen. I just think when someone wins basically every single challenge on a show and then loses by a nose in the end that the whole thing was bullshit. It's not my money or anything, but I just think it was a really bad decision. There's nothing about what Heather presented that would make me want to go eat at her restaurant, while if Keith or Virginia had won, that would be a place I'd check out if I was ever in Vegas. Heather just strikes me as a poor woman's Rachael Ray and I can make what Rachael cooks in 30 minutes or less

[starvenger 0]

I don't disagree with what you've said, but I wouldn't hire someone to run a multi-million dollar restuarant with such an amateurish sense of what a restaurant should be. If anything I would have had someone like Virginia win and let her handle the "big picture" while someone like Heather would make a great sous chef who makes sure things are running smoothly in the kitchen. I just think when someone wins basically every single challenge on a show and then loses by a nose in the end that the whole thing was bullshit. It's not my money or anything, but I just think it was a really bad decision. There's nothing about what Heather presented that would make me want to go eat at her restaurant, while if Keith or Virginia had won, that would be a place I'd check out if I was ever in Vegas. Heather just strikes me as a poor woman's Rachael Ray and I can make what Rachael cooks in 30 minutes or less

The funny thing is that during the "press conference" they made up Virginia to look a bit like Rachael Ray. This, of course, is not a bad thing.

 

In hindsight, the whole finale was bullshit, and you're right that Keith should've won the whole thing. For him there were a couple of obstacles - Ramsey was blatantly trying to shepherd teacher's pet Virginia as far as possible and I think the producers wanted a woman to win. Keith's attitude gave Ramsey the excuse he needed to boot him off.

[Vyce 0]

Keith was a really good chef.

 

But, he looked and acted like a douche. So he had to go.

[dubq 0]

FYI - Food Network Canada (not sure about the US equivalent) is going to be airing Hell's Kitchen Season 2 Uncensored starting on January 2. The commercials are fucking hilarious, too!