Since no one was eliminated during last week’s “Hell’s Kitchen” premiere, that meant at the start of Monday’s second episode all 18 contestants were still in the running to win the head chef position at Gordon Ramsay‘s steakhouse at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. And it was time for a double elimination. As usual, the nine girls competed in the red kitchen (with Season 10 winner Christina Wilson as their sous-chef) and the nine boys took shelter in the blue kitchen (with Season 7 fan-fave Jason “Jay” Santos as their mentor). So whose jackets did Chef Ramsay end up snatching in this special 300th episode?
Below, read our minute-by-minute “Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns” recap of Season 20, Episode 2, titled “Temping the Meat,” to find out what happened Monday, June 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite aspiring chefs on Fox’s reality TV show and who you think has what it takes to join the “HK” winners list. Here are the current team breakdowns:
RED TEAM: Ava Harren, Brynn Gibson, Emily Hersh, Josie Clemens, Keanu Hogan, Kiya Willhelm, Megan Gill, Morgana Vesey, Victoria Sonora
BLUE TEAM: Alex Lenik, Antonio Ruiz, Jayaun Smith, Kevin Argueta, Matthew Francis Johnson, Payton Cooper, Samuel Garman, Steven Glenn, Trenton Garvey
Keep refreshing/reloading this “Hell’s Kitchen” live blog for the most recent updates.
8:00 p.m. — “Previously on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’!” In last week’s premiere, Gordon welcomed the 18 all-new chef-testants, all younger than age 24, to their new home in Sin City. Each person cooked their signature dish, with the women claiming victory thanks to Morgana’s five-point duck dish. For their reward, the Red Team dined with Gordon and former “HK” winners at the Paris Hotel, while the Blue Team endured a punishment of preparing stock for both teams. But enough about last week — let’s get to the first eliminations of the season!
8:09 p.m. — This boozy challenge is underway and the young guns were provided nine different proteins on each team. All of the chefs have to use alcohol when cooking their dishes. Brynn has some sea bass but she’s already freaking out about the fact that she doesn’t know how to cook with alcohol. After slipping up in the last challenge, Matthew hopes to redeem himself with a bourbon-braised chicken. Meanwhile, Ava sets her salmon on fire and the Alaska native is hoping not to humiliate herself for the second time in a row. Then Gordon tells the chefs to all taste each other’s dishes and come up with the best three dishes on each team.
8:15 p.m. — The Blue Team puts forward a shrimp ceviche dish from Antonio. Gordon is immediately disturbed by how it looks and says he’s scared for the Blue Team if this is their best. Their next dish is Steve’s pork chop, which Gordon calls “beautifully” cooked. The third and final dish is Matthew’s chicken breast. Gordon likes the rustic appearance, but cuts it open to reveal raw meat. “Get back in line!” The best dish on the Blue Team was Steve’s chop because the other two were a disgrace. He will be in the running for the punishment pass.
8:20 p.m. — The Red Team’s first dish is Victoria’s pineapple rum shrimp. Gordon calls it “beautifully cooked” and “well done.” Next is Megan’s whiskey-glazed filet, which Gordon calls “good.” Despite struggling with the alcohol, Brynn’s is the Red Team’s third choice with a tequila-braised sea bass. Gordon calls it a “smart blend.” The dish that has the edge is Brynn’s. So now, Gordon must decide between Steve and Brynn. The punishment pass goes to Steve. Then Gordon announces for the first time ever, he’s going to give out a second punishment pass to Brynn.
8:25 p.m. — With great power comes great responsibility. Steve and Brynn must each now tell Gordon who is responsible for the worst three dishes on each team. Brynn is mortified by having to make this decision, but puts Ava forward with her bourbon-marinated grilled pineapple and salmon. Gordon calls it undercooked and bad looking. Next on the chopping block for the Red Team is Keona’s grilled pork chop. Gordon calls it “dry.” Last up is Emily’s fried chicken, which Gordon calls “a little dark” with a “bland” slaw.
8:30 p.m. — Steve sends up Matthew’s raw chicken, which was originally chosen as one of the best dishes. Gordon says the only thing missing on Matthew’s dish were the “f***ing feathers.” Next Steve plays it safe once again by putting forward Antonio’s ceviche dish, which Gordon says looks “like a bulldog’s dinner chewed up to s***.” Dish number three is a NY strip made by Alex. Gordon says it’s far from great but not terrible. Gordon thinks it over and announces the two worst dishes belong to Matthew and Ava. Matthew says he has more fight in him and is just getting used to the fast-paced environment. Ava says she has great time management and leadership skills that would benefit Gordon’s kitchen. The individual leaving Hell’s Kitchen is Ava. With that, Gordon tells everyone to piss off and head back to the dorms, where Antonio annoys everyone by profusely apologizing for overselling his garbage ceviche.
8:40 p.m. — With their first dinner service less than five hours away, the chefs hustle into the kitchen for a special surprise. They are all given a knife set as a gift from Gordon. Then both teams begin to prep. Tonight is Hell’s Kitchen’s 300th dinner service and guests are starting to arrive. As a special celebration, Gordon is offering a shrimp flambe to be prepared tableside by Brynn for the Red Team and Alex for the Blue Team. Tickets begin pouring in and Gordon is immediately fed up with Jay on the Blue Team for sending up a salmon entrée before appetizers are even finished. On top of that, it’s raw! In better news, Antonio and Kevin are thriving at the carbonara station. Over in the Red kitchen, Victoria and Morgana are tackling the team’s first appetizers. The scallops look “beautifully cooked” and both teams are off and running.
8:50 p.m. — Entrées are in full swing and the first person to enrage Gordon is Matthew, once again. He puts forward raw lambchops that Gordon fires across the table. Meanwhile, Megan and Emily are working on their first beef Wellingtons. Megan is concerned because Emily is a vegan and doesn’t even eat meat, but Gordon says everything is cooked “lovely.” Back over on the Blue Team, Steve is increasingly frustrated by his teammates at the meat station. He shows leadership by saying, “every 60 seconds I need to hear from y’all.” Payton delivers beautifully. Then the Blue Team hits another snag when they forget a chicken breast for VIP guest Mike Tyson‘s table. They’re forced to walk over and apologize to the legendary boxer and his family. Meanwhile, the Red Team has sent out a flurry of entrées without a hitch.
8:59 p.m. — Gordon has had it with the Blue Team and sends them off to the store room for a meeting. Antonio takes it upon himself to give everyone a pep talk and tells them “pace is not an excuse” and they need to communicate. Payton has no respect for his teammate and won’t even look him in the eyes. When the emerge back into the kitchen, the Blue Team immediately stumbles when trying to figure out how long it will take to cook everything. Gordon kicks them out of the kitchen and iron Mike is living for his front-row seat to this drama. The Red Team finishes strong and the Blue Team decides which two chefs will be up for elimination: Matthew and Payton. Gordon demands that Jay join them. After Payton and Jay fight for their lives, Gordon has no interest in listening to Matthew’s “bulls***” and tells the young gun that his attitude sucks. Gordon sends Matthew packing. He said of the Duluth, Minnesota native, “Matthew may be considered a chef on the internet, but unfortunately I had to taste his food and that’s why I had to block him from the competition.”
