Down to the Final Four on Hell’s Kitchen

My guess is that Russell will win.

Russell, a man I’ve grown to both deeply dislike but yet respect.

I’m not sure why, but I don’t despise him as much as I did a few weeks ago when he made racist comments toward the Russian-born Boris. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown to respect Russell: he obviously has a passion for cooking, scored a perfect 100 on the look-and-taste test, does not panic when under pressure and when he’s been on the chopping block, he excels in the kitchen.

Yes, Russell is a jerk, but he’s a jerk who happens to be an excellent, creative, driven chef.

Trev? Far too much of a conniving whiner to be a winner. I suspect Russell will try to maneuver in the next episode to put himself up against Trev in the final: in a head-to-head matchup, Russell will beat Trev. Frankly, I’m surprised Trev is still around.

As much as I detested Sabrina, I’m surprised Trev’s still around.

Nona? I think she and Russell will compete in the final.

I love that Nona, a southern girl, is in the Final Four. I think she’ll make it to the finals.

Twine Girl (her name’s Jillian, which I have tough time remembering; but her eyebrows are either plucked as thin as twine or are tattooed as thin as twine) seems to be too unstable.

Jillian, a.k.a. “Twine Girl”

Yes, Russell lost the cooking challenge where few seemed to like his octopus dish. However, it was a bold move by someone who just had no desire to create food in the normal realm. Interestingly enough, the winner of that challenge, Gail, ended up getting eliminated due to her subpar performance in the kitchen.

Chef Ramsay, every so often, shows off his human side. And when he has to have a one-on-one with a candidate, he speaks to them with genuine compassion. I look at him as a benevolent drill sergeant who is trying to teach professional chefs to become world-class chefs. Unlike Simon Cowell, he does not shoot cripples for sport.

That being said, the show is a reminder to me that as much as I love to cook, I would prefer it strictly as a hobby. No professional aspirations. To be a professional-grade cook (or even a short-order one, you have to be able to cook delicious, creative food under hectic conditions.

Richard Zowie loves to cook as a hobby and thinks sometime it would be fun to go on Hell’s Kitchen just to see how long he would last. Post comments here or e-mail Richard at fromatozowie@gmail.com.