‘Hell’s Kitchen 23’ episode 4 recap: Who did Gordon eliminate following disastrous ‘In a Pickle’ dinner service?

Tonight on “Hell’s Kitchen: Head Chefs Only,” the chefs are in a pickle! It is time for a shakeup in the Red and Blue Kitchens. When Michelin-Starred Chef, Dan Barber, joins Gordon Ramsay to judge the chef’s pickling challenge, some dishes will shine while others go sour. Then, the pressure is on when dinner service guests nearly go hungry in the all-new “In A Pickle” episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” airing Thursday, Oct. 17 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Here’s how the teams stacked up:

Blue Team: Anthony, Brandon, Egypt, Joe, Kyle, Michael

Red Team: Amanda, Ann Marie, Brittany, Hannah, Lulu, Magali, Meghan, Whit

As the teams head back up to the dorms following last week’s elimination, the Blue Team is concerned about Egypt’s ego in the kitchen. Egypt promises he can “tone it down” but demands that his teammates “amp up” in response. The next morning, the chefs head down to the kitchen for their next challenge — pickling. To find out what ingredients they’ll be using, the chefs will face off in a fun game of pickleball. But first, Gordon asks for a volunteer from the Red Team to join the Blue Team so things are even. Surprisingly, a bunch of hands went up, but Lulu was the fastest so she’ll head over to the men’s team moving forward.

The chefs then hit pickleballs into barrels, hoping to score the most appetizing ingredient for this challenge. Then they’ll face off head-to-head with 45 minutes to cook. Here’s what each chef got:

Anne Marie/Joe – Apple and Cod
Lulu/Amanda – Brussel Sprouts and Sole
Magali/Brandon – Red Beets and Pork Chop
Egypt/Meghan – Pineapple and Salmon
Anthony/Brittany – Carrots and Mahi Mahi
Whit/Michael – Blueberries and Prawns
Hannah/Kyle – Okra and Duck Breast

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This is a difficult challenge for some of the chefs, but Meghan in particular looks the most comfortable, giving her teammates tips on which spices and vinegars to use. Over in the Blue kitchen, Lulu quickly realizes that nobody talks to each other. She gives them some advice saying that the Red Team won because they talked to each other “all the time.” Will the Blue Team follow Lulu’s lead?

Time expires and all the chefs have plated their dishes. Amanda’s heart drops when she realizes she forgot to put the pickle on the plate. That’s going to cost the Red Team big time. Next, Gordon introduces Chef Dan Barber to help judge this challenge. Here’s who won each matchup:

Lulu defeats Amanda
Ann Marie ties Joe
Hannah ties Kyle
Egypt defeats Meghan
Whit defeats Michael
Brittany defeats Anthony
Brandon defeats Magali

With that, the Blue Team finally wins a challenge by a score of 5-4. For their prize, they’ll take a trip to Grace Island, a private island where they’ll spend the night in an 11-bedroom luxury mansion. The Red Team will head to a farm, where they’ll process 15 tons of cow manure. Whit wastes no time using her Punishment Pass, choosing to switch places with Egypt. The Blue Team is thrilled.

The next day, Hell’s Kitchen opens for orders start pouring in. Egypt is on the appetizer station, determined to gain trust in his team. As Lulu observes him, she notices that he’s doing everything wrong. She wants to tell him what to do, but doesn’t want to step on his toes. Gordon quickly realizes Egypt’s mistakes and this is a terrible way for the Blue Team to begin tonight’s service. Gordon tells Egypt to calm down and show a little finesse.

Over on the Red Team, Ann Marie is looking frazzled and accidentally adds peas to Gordon’s iconic risotto instead of parsley. “We’re f***’ed,” says Brittany. The Blue Team continues to struggle on their side and Kyle complains that Michael “lacks assertiveness.” To make things worse, he served up raw scallops. Nearly a half hour into dinner service, customers have had nothing to eat but bread. The Red Team finally gets their appetizers out and the Blue Team follows suit.

Moving onto entrees, Joe says he’s rushing his meat station because Gordon makes him nervous. Lulu tries to tell the men not to rush things, but they’re not listening. Things aren’t going any better on the Red Team with Magali screwing up the garnish station, serving up bland potatoes. Joe serves up raw lamb and Gordon’s patience is wearing thin. Following a second raw rack, Gordon calls the Blue Team into the pantry and kicks them out of the kitchen. He demands they go upstairs and pick two chefs to nominate for elimination, “But the good news is, you’re spoiled for choice.”

Next, the Red Team sends raw halibut up to Gordon near the end of dinner service and he’s over it. “Get out of here!” he shouts, demanding two more nominees from the Red Team. Following deliberation, the Red Team nominates Magali and Ann Marie. The Blue Team nominates Michael and Egypt. Gordon decides to eliminate Michael, stating, “When a chef can’t look you in the eye, you know they’re hiding something. One thing Michael couldn’t hide was the fact that he didn’t belong here.”