Too Fat For Hell's Kitchen

I've seen a lot of humiliation over the 5 seasons of the Fox version of Top Chef, called Hell's Kitchen. But the February 5 episode of season 5, I think, dished up the most humiliation I've seen in one episode.

We had the boys winning a scallop shucking contest over the girls by one scallop, after one girl had fallen into the smelly vat of scallops.

The boys reward was to take a helicopter ride out to Santa Catalina Island where they'd go do some fun stuff, like take the boat ride where your look through glass at the schools of fish.

But. Before the boys left on their copter ride, Chef Gordon Ramsey called the chef named Robert into his office to inform Robert that he would not be going on the copter ride, due to insurance reasons, due to the fact that Robert is a chef weighing over 400 pounds.

I know at least one woman allowed to fly in commercial airlines who easily tops 600 pounds. Poor Robert. Doesn't seem fair. Such humilation would have me dieting.

So, he had to take the slow boat to Catalina Island. By the time Robert got there all the other boys had had their fun and were ready to board the copter for their return. Ramsey told Robert to turn around and get back on the boat. So, sad, forlorn Robert got back onboard and sort of good-naturedly lamented that he did not get much of a reward.

Later at Dinner Service Robert got put on the duty of working the customers, delivering raw seafood appetizers. He protested having this assignment due to his heft making negotiating the tables difficult. But he did it well and the diners liked him.

Prior to dinner service the girls were full of disgust at one of their own, Lacey, berating her and driving her to bed, crying, giving up. The rest of the girls left to work on dinner, while Lacey slacked. After hours of napping, to the chagrin of the girls, Lacey showed up, ready to work.

Soon after Lacey returned we saw good cook Ji slip and hurt herself real bad. Ji persevered through dinner service, like a trooper, to the high praise of Ramsey.

One who did not get high praise from Ramsey was Colleen. Collen claims to run a Culinary School. Ramsey yelled and yelled at her, calling her a fraud, among the lesser epithets. Colleen was doing so bad that Lacey had to come to the rescue.

The boys beat the girls in getting all their tickets out. This was the earliest in a season of Hell's Kitchen that all the tickets were cleared. But the boys cleared their first. So, the girls had to pick two of their own for Ramsey to pick from to kick out of Hell's Kitchen.

After much angst, arguing and smoking, the girls picked Lacey and Colleen for the boot. We'd seen Ji getting her injury worked on. And in a wheelchair.

Just as Ramsey was ready to get rid of one of the girls, Ji raised her hand and told Ramsey she could not go on. Ramsey told Collen and Lacey to get back in line and then heaped praise on the courage of Ji. Then we saw Ji wheeled away.

I'm hooked, I'm in for next week. I missed the opening episode.