By Buzz Byrne

I am 100% confident I am going to make the next elimination predictions completely right. This is my special way of saying I clearly have no idea who is going home, or when. I stole this line and sentiment from contestant Josh who was put on appetizers in this episode and said, “I am 100% confident that I will get us going!” Once he uttered those words, you just knew it was over.

After messing up spaghetti after spaghetti, then undercooking the risotto, Josh was kicked out of the kitchen by Chef Ramsay, who chased him down the hall and took away his jacket. Josh packed his bags and didn’t get to say goodbye. And, this was less than 30 minutes into the episode.
 
OK, so I did get that prediction right — about Josh going home — but frankly, that was like saying, “Next week the show will be on at 9 p.m.” Sure, a natural disaster could preempt it, but I’m probably going to be right. And, Josh was never the most piquant spice on the rack. The guy thought running around in padded faux-army gear was the best reward ever on the show. Last week, Chef told him point blank he couldn’t cook. I think Ramsay has wanted to throw somebody’s tail out in the middle of a service for weeks and kept Josh around for just such an event.
 
The issue was very simple: Josh tried to get cute and get ahead by starting his appetizers before they were ordered. Incompetence will get you tossed from the game. Playing cheap and trying shortcuts will get you humiliated in the middle of service. Josh has been begging for this.
 
Before Josh got le boot, we did have a reward challenge. It was an old standard in cooking competition shows: cooking for kids. The five remaining chefs had to prepare a dish with enough portions to feed 100 high school students. The students voted and Julia’s grilled chicken sandwich with onion rings won. Rock submitted Kobe beef meatloaf, Josh made salmon with pineapple salsa, Bonnie did a breaded and fried goat cheese and Jen whipped up chicken and fettuccini with a lemon chive butter sauce. These were not dishes designed for high school students. Josh should have gotten an atomic wedgie for serving salmon and fruit salsa.
 
Julia got to go to Las Vegas as her reward, and she took Jen with her. They met last year’s HELL’S KITCHEN winner, Heather, and they got rooms with bidets. It was quite the trip.
 
After Josh was excused during the dinner service (“He’s catching a bus on Sunset right now, do you want to join him?!!”), Julia struggled with the garnish station. Ramsay seemed almost brokenhearted when she slumped, defeated by the fennel. Her tears came and Chef barely screamed at her.
 
Rock, however, is 100% phony. His tactic tonight was to bully, and he chiefly went after Jen. I don’t care much for Jen, but to bark and curse and use his over-the-top temper to intimidate her is nonsense. Anybody who has experience with these hair-trigger nut-jobs knows they are emotionally-stunted children. I am looking forward to Chef sending this brat to his room with no supper; I say it happens next week.
 
Tonight’s elimination was actually quite touching and sad. I won’t give it away, but it was probably time for this one to go. It makes this viewer realize is how little there is left to root for. The remaining three are not inspiring. I hope somebody can take this competition by the throat and own it, so the season doesn’t feel like a rip off. I don’t know if that can happen, though.