Hell’s Kitchen has been the benchmark for reality cooking competitions since its premiere back in May 2005. Hosted by the brutal Gordon Ramsay, the show follows two teams of chefs competing against each other for a job as head chef at one of Ramsay’s famous restaurants. Each episode features a challenge and a dinner service, which ends with one chef being eliminated. It’s safe to say that the stakes in Hell’s Kitchen are high, especially because Ramsay demands nothing but perfection from everyone.
When it was announced that Hell’s Kitchen Season 23 would premiere on September 26, 2024, and feature only experienced head chefs in its lineup, I knew it would be electrifying. The idea for the latest installment in the iconic American cooking competition show was to up the ante and only bring in the best of the best.Hell’s Kitchen Season 23 promised to be different from other seasons of the show which included chefs of varying levels of experience. Since there were only head chefs vying for the coveted final prize, I was expecting to witness refined culinary skills and confident, contained leadership. However, the plan backfired because these head chefs don’t know what they are doing! Am I the only who thinks so? Allow me to break it down for all of us.
The Participating Head Chefs Just Don’t Seem Motivated
So for starters, the entire selling point of Hell’s Kitchen is that there’s a group of chefs aspiring for the role of chef at one of Ramsay’s world-famous restaurants. So the contestants usually have their eye on the prize right off the bat and that’s what pushes them to think out of the box and impress Ramsay with their innovative ideas. Since the competing chefs in Hell’s Kitchen come from all walks of life and have had different experiences, it’s interesting to see how they all collaborate in a team. For example, during dinner services, the chefs are expected to work their stations on the kitchen line to prepare food in coordination with each other. In the past seasons, some chefs on the teams have done this before, while others haven’t. That adds an element of tension and drama to the challenge.
However, in Hell’s Kitchen Season 23, the same sense of aspiration just isn’t there! The contestants are all head chefs with years of experience under their belts. They have been through rigorous training and have made their way up the ladder. For example, we have Corbin Emilio who is not only an executive chef, but also a restaurant owner. Season 23 also features Egypt S. David, who has had years of experience working as a banquet chef. However, instead of them coordinating like pros, it looks like the chefs just don’t have the same drive as the other contestants the show has featured over the years. Do they not have the hunger to win? Do they not want the win? It’s not clear.
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
Now, when there are too many voices of authority in the same room, there is always trouble brewing. In Hell’s Kitchen Season 23, the dinner services result in a massive clash of egos as each head chef wants to do things their own way. For example, in Season 23, Episode 2, Gordon Ramsay kicked both teams out of the kitchen in the middle of dinner service. The episode started with an internal strife within the Blue Team because of Egypt David’s behavior. David got into an argument with the rest of his team because he believed his plate was the best, when that really wasn’t the case. This is when the head chef’s ego really came into play, because the team wasn’t able to make an objective decision about whose dish actually deserved consideration. Once dinner service started, Ramsay noticed David making a lot of mistakes as he worked the appetizer station.
This was followed by a series of unfortunate events including Team Red’s Ann Marie adding peas instead of parsley to Ramsay’s risotto dish, along with the Blue Team’s Joe Tartamella serving two raw racks of lamb. Soon enough, Gordon Ramsay had kicked both teams out of the kitchen and the members had to nominate two players from their teams for elimination. You’d think that a group of head chefs would be able to perform well under pressure, since that’s what they do for a living. But I was disappointed to see that the chefs were making silly mistakes such as stabbing the chicken to check whether it was done instead of using her finger to test it. It felt like a perfect example of someone accustomed to authority but unaccustomed to critically evaluating their own work or receiving feedback from others, leading them to overlook mistakes they might otherwise address.
The Chefs on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Keep Making Rookie Mistakes
What has disappointed me the most about Hell’s Kitchen Season 23 so far is the fact that all these head chefs competing against each other are struggling with things that they should have perfected over the years. While you would expect them to bring creativity to the table, it feels like these head chefs think they have nothing to prove to anyone. For example, During Hell’s Kitchen Season 23, Episode 5, Kyle Timpson stepped up to make two burgers in an attempt to impress Ramsay during a challenge. But neither of his burgers were any good, which makes you wonder what these chefs are doing on the show if they can’t even keep up with the basics. On the flip side, this season offers actual valuable insights for chefs in authoritative positions. It encourages them to introspect and re-evaluate their practices, especially if they ever have to work in coordination or under the supervision of more experienced chefs.
