‘Hell’s Kitchen 23’ episode 5 recap: Did Egypt quit after getting ‘Homesick in Hell’?
This week, it is the 350th episode of “Hell’s Kitchen!” During this milestone episode, the chefs are challenged with putting together some fabulous burgers using an assortment of wild ingredients thrown their way by Gordon Ramsay. Will they flip out under pressure? When the chefs start feeling homesick in hell, they must decide if they have what it takes to stick around in the all-new “Homesick In Hell” episode of “Hell’s Kitchen: Head Chefs Only” airing Thursday, October 24 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Here’s how the teams stacked up:
More from GoldDerby
Blue Team: Anthony, Brandon, Egypt, Joe, Kyle, Lulu
Red Team: Amanda, Ann Marie, Brittany, Hannah, Magali, Meghan, Whit
After being up for elimination two seeks in a row, Egypt hit his breaking point and had an emotional breakdown on the patio. He has a tough guy persona, but feels misunderstood by his teammates, who find him aggressive and controlling. Egypt reveals he grew up poor, living in shelters, and often times without food to eat. He takes this competition seriously so his kids don’t have to grow up the way he did. Anthony has a soft spot for Egypt, stating that sometimes misunderstanding turns into miscommunication. Whit advises him, “You’ve gotta play the game. You’ve gotta make friends. You got a target on your back.”
After a night’s rest, the chefs return for the next day’s challenge. They’ll go head-to-head cooking seven amazing proteins: Dry aged beef, lamb, pork, chicken, venison, short rib, and bison. Since the Blue Team only has six competitors, someone has to step up and make two burgers. Kyle volunteers. Next, Gordon tosses a bucket full of tickets up in the air, each containing different ingredients. The chefs chase down their preferred ingredients they hope can bring their burger to the next level. Once everyone is set, they have 35 minutes to assemble their burgers using all the ingredients they selected. Joining as a guest judge for this challenge is Hamburger America owner George Motz. Once they finished cooking, here’s how the head-to-head competition went down:
Bison Burger: Brandon defeated Ann Marie
Chicken Burger: Meghan defeated Lulu
Short Rib Burger: Hannah defeated Joe
Venison Burger: Egypt and Magali tied
Pork Burger: Anthony defeated Amanda
Lamb Burger: Whit defeated Kyle
Dry Aged Beef Burger: Kyle tied Brittany (neither got a point for this — ouch!)
The Red Team wins 4-3 after a tough day for Kyle, who cost his Blue Team two points. For their reward, the Red Team goes bowling at Foxwoods High Roller Luxury Lanes. The Blue Team will stay in the kitchen, rolling patties for sliders at tonight’s dinner service. They’ll break down 100 pounds of meat and then grind it manually.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Egypt’s meltdown continues in the backyard as he confides in Joe, “Half the people here think it’s a game.” He begins to sob as he says, “I miss my babygirl so much.” Joe reminds Egypt that half the people in the competition don’t have kids, so they don’t understand what they’re going through. Egypt considers leaving the competition so he can go home and hug his kids.
Before dinner service begins, Egypt tells Gordon he is “bowing out of the competition.” Gordon pulls Egypt into the storage room for a chat. He tells Egypt, “I see something in you that they don’t.” While Egypt weeps, Gordon convinces him to remain in the competition and push through whatever personal issues he’s having. “Focus on you and focus on your family. I still believe in you, so believe in yourself. Don’t you dare throw that towel in.” With that, Egypt returns to the kitchen for dinner service.
During another packed night in “Hell’s Kitchen,” Meghan and Whit have a communication issue and show vulnerabilities we haven’t seen from them before. Gordon pulls them aside to ask, “Do you want to home?” Whit gets angry and emotional, frustrated with herself for disappointing Gordon. Meghan remains stoic. Eventually, the two recover and attention shifts to Egypt killing at the Blue Team’s appetizer station.
As entree orders start pouring in, Ann Marie and Magali thrive on the Red Team’s meat station while Kyle’s horrible day improves when Gordon pulls him aside to compliment is “beautifully” cooked lamb for the Blue Team. This appears to be the smoothest dinner service of the season so far. After Hell’s Kitchen closes, Gordon congratulates the chefs, but warns them they must communicate better. That said, he declares both teams winners and nobody will be eliminated tonight.
Launch Gallery: 'Hell's Kitchen' Season 23 cast: Meet the 18 chefs competing in 'Head Chefs Only'
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
