After watching the premiere episode of season 9 of Hell’s Kitchen, I’m ready to separate most of the contestants into one of two categories: Those who have no chance of winning Hell’s Kitchen and those who have a shot at the prize of a $250,000 salary as head chef of BLT Steak in New York City.
True to form, Chef Gordon Ramsay is using the first few challenges on Hell’s Kitchen to humble the contestants. He seems to set them up to fail, in order to make them doubt themselves. In the premiere episode he began sitting people out early in the show, short-staffing the men’s team. As food failed to pass Ramsay’s inspection and was sent to the trash bin instead of the restaurant tables, diners began walking out of the newly redesigned Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in Los Angeles and Ramsay shut the kitchen down.
That increases the heat in the kitchen so to speak. Extra pressure, people feeling like they need to be defensive and are in danger of losing, or being humiliated tends to make people aggressive. It makes tempers flare up like beef drippings on a charcoal grill. It causes friction between team members as people look for someone else to blame to get themselves off the hot seat. It also leads to more people making mistakes as the pressure gets to them. It can cause bad decisions. In short, Gordon Ramsay turns the first few weeks of Hell’s Kitchen into a pressure cooker.
A pressure cooker, as we know, softens up even the toughest old birds. The first few weeks will put every contestant under maximum pressure to see who falls apart. Those who can’t function in that environment will show it quickly. Regardless of their cooking ability, a leader needs to be able to handle pressure. In fact, they need to handle it well enough, so that the people working for them don’t feel the pressure and are able to function at peak levels. A leader’s confidence reassures his or her team and doesn’t add additional tension and pressure to tough situations.
Those who survive Gordon Ramsay’s pressure cooker have a chance to be that kind of a leader. After that, they each need to prove they have the specific skills and determination to make it to the end of the competition.
We didn’t see much of some contestants, but it looks to me as though Carrie Keep, Elise Wims, Monterray Keys, Jennifer Normant and Brendan Heavey have no chance at all of winning season 9 of Hell’s Kitchen.
Will Lustberg is the odds on favorite in my book. He showed poise, leadership. Basic cooking skills and knowledge of restaurant kitchen processes. We have yet to see him face his worst moments, but so far, he looks like he has what it takes to win and to run a top quality restaurant.
Amanda Colello, Krupa Patel, Paul Neidermann, and Natalie Blake, from what we’ve seen of them, also have a chance, if Will falls apart. Tommy, Jonathon, and Chino have an outside shot if, they can make steady improvements from week to week. Jonathan seems a bit rough around the edges and might lack the experience and kitchen savvy to win, but as long as he works hard and learns as he goes, he could make it to the final four or better. As for the rest, I didn't see enough of them to make a judgment. Maybe after the next show.
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