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.

Sabrina is gone from Hell’s Kitchen!

Objectively speaking, it is really amazing how a girl can be so beautiful and yet so unlikable due her 22-year-old-going-on-12 immaturity. This episode in particular, she struck me as very mercurial and manipulative. Definitely what you do not want to see in a head chef. I’m still laughing at Sabrina* trying to save her neck by telling Chef Ramsay that Gail should instead be kicked off. Someone who constantly blames others and throws them under the bus? Not good at all.

Sabrina should’ve been shown the door long ago.

Yes, I’ve had issues with the racist Russell, but he delivered again last night as he scored a perfect 100 on his soup (50 out of 50 for presentation, the same for taste). I see him as a finalist and possibly the winner, simply because when his back is to the wall, he delivers.

Trevor? I would be surprised if he’s not kicked off next week. He just seems to have too much bitterness.

I am still puzzled why that sous chef chose to single out Trevor for yelling when Sabrina was doing the same and when Russell was getting a nasty attitude. Some can be pathetically comical when they step in to correct. He reminded me a little of some dirt bag sergeants I knew in the service who liked to pull rank.

*Not to be confused with my oldest sister, Sabrina, who’s a much nicer person.

Richard Zowie will never be on an episode of Hell’s Kitchen and prefers to cook strictly as a hobby. Post comments here or e-mail Richard at fromatozowie@gmail.com.

Watching ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘Gene Simmons Family Jewels’ on Hulu.com

The past few weeks, I was seething about how both the backstabbing Sabrina (not to be confused with my very wonderful oldest sister) and the racist Russell are both still on Hell’s Kitchen. Sabrina does not impress me with her cut-throat, whiny ways, although she has been improving as a chef every week. Russell is bossy, the kind of person who will seek out a week teammate and do everything he can to throw them under the bus and get them eliminated. I don’t see him as a leader in a kitchen. He is also a racist: when the Russian-born Boris was on the show, Russell made remarks about Boris sweating “like a Russian pig” and how he wanted to kick Boris’ “Russian *ss” out of Hell’s Kitchen.

If I owned a restaurant and heard someone talk like that, that would be grounds for immediate termination. Anyone, please feel free to explain to me how that is not racist.

Russell then tried to sabotage Trevor, who had a great night. When it was clear Russell struggled, he then schmoozed Trevor and was upset when Trevor nominated him for elimination. Russell appeared to be eliminated…only to be sent back into the line as someone else was given the boot.

That being said, in this most recent episode I was very satisfied with the decision to send Vinny home. Russell realized his problems, went to bed early and did a great job in the kitchen. Vinny stayed up late, talked smack, woke up hung over and was terrible.

I love to dislike Russell, but he definitely deserved to not get kicked off last Wednesday when Vinny had a horrible performance.

At this stage, I’m hoping Trevor, Gail or Nona wins…

I found out last night Hulu.com has old episodes of Gene Simmons Family Jewels. I suspect much of what happens on the show is typical reality show material, but it is entertaining to watch. The show so far is about the notorious workaholic Simmons constantly trying to make business deals and eschewing Shannon Tweed’s pleas to take a vacation and, in the first episode, to get married.

Simmons has been known to correct people who refer to this reality show as Family Jewels instead of Gene Simmons Family Jewels. 

Ah, yes. In the letters section of his website, Simmons proudly declares he and Shannon are “happily unmarried.” Nick Simmons replies, “Dad calls it ‘happily unmarried’, Mom calls it ‘waiting.’” From the first episode, we learn that if Gene popped the question, Shannon would probably have the family and her sister and Gene’s mother hop the first flight to Las Vegas to get married.

I’ve read Simmons’ autobiography and based on his account of his early years, I suspect Gene’s father leaving has to do with Gene’s reluctance to walk down the aisle. Of course, divorce laws that give a woman at least half of the assets (in some cases, even more even when she was the reason for the failed marriage), obviously don’t help, either.

Simmons prides himself in answering to himself, and his ego is something his kids and Shannon frequently love to poke fun at.

Still, a fascinating show where we get many glimpses into Simmons the businessman. It is tickling to hear him call his mother and hear her call him by his Hebrew name: Chaim.

Post comments here or e-mail Richard at fromatozowie@gmail.com.