'Hell's Kitchen' recap: A second chance at a first impression

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ recap: A second chance at a first impression

By Rene Lynch

May 31, 2013 12 AM PT

Was that... was that the first “doughnut” of “Hell’s Kitchen’s” Season 11?

Typically, by the time the “Hell’s Kitchen” herd has been winnowed down to the top six of seven competitors, we’ve seen chef Gordon Ramsay hurl plenty of trademark insults -- “donkey,” “doughnut,” etc. -- at the ineptness of his wards. But not so much this season. Kinda missed that. Thank goodness for Zach’s dunderheadedness. Welcome back, you doughnut!

We also welcomed back one of the most popular -- if not the most popular -- challenge of each season: The blind taste test.

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It was preceded by a nice little twist, a blind touch test, where competitors had to blindly plunge their hands into a hole and identify icky-feeling stuff like egg yolks, and oysters.

Fun enough, but a mere diversion from the real thing: The competitors quickly got down to the business of proving just how bad their palates are.

Mistaking licorice for prunes? Mistaking potatoes for broccoli?

History suggests that chefs who do well in the taste test do well in “Hell’s Kitchen.” By that bench mark, Ja’Nel (a favorite, no?) is at the front of the class with ... doughnut Zach? Smack-talking Anthony, meanwhile, scored zero for zero.

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Fast-forward to another twist: The competitors getting a second chance to make a first impression.

Season 11 started with the competitors preparing a signature dish before a live audience in Las Vegas. This week, the chef gave them the opportunity to do it all over again -- preparing a signature dish presumably enhanced by all the knowledge gleaned so far in “Hell’s Kitchen.”

The winner would go on to be saved from elimination, a delicious incentive that the show could use more of, a la “The Biggest Loser.” (It ratchets up the tension, in a good way!)

Ja’nel was leading the weigh-in -- sorry -- the culinary showdown for much of the way.

But she was dethroned by Jon, who seems to be maturing and coming into his own. This is “Hell’s Kitchen,” so of course the competition came down to the final seconds: Would Jon be dethroned by Cyndi’s perfectly cooked fish?

To be continued, of course.

What did you think of Susan’s decision to try her hand at lamb once more. It seems kind of ill-advised. Let’s face it, lamb has been her weakness throughout the competition, she just cannot manage to cook it through. (And who wants to eat raw lamb?)

But you gotta give it to her for refusing to bow to that weakness, and trying once more.

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