‘Hell’s Kitchen 21’ episode 15 recap: Who won ‘A Finale for the Ages’? [LIVE BLOG]

Tonight a champion will be crowned on the two-hour finale of “Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the Ages.” The final three chefs create their own menus for Hell’s Kitchen. Then, previously eliminated contestants return to help the final two battle for the head chef position at Hell’s Kitchen in Atlantic City. Does Gordon Ramsay name Alex Belew, Alejandro Najar or Dafne Mejia the “Finale for the Ages” winner airing Thursday, Feb. 9 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX?

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You are watching: ‘Hell’s Kitchen 21’ episode 15 recap: Who won ‘A Finale for the Ages’? [LIVE BLOG]

“Hell’s Kitchen” is in its 21st season. For the first time ever, the well-seasoned 40-somethings took on the fresh up-and-coming 20-somethings in a battle of the ages. 18 all-new chef-testants entered the kitchen, with Christina Wilson and Jason “Jay” Santos returning as sous-chefs for the Red Team and Blue Team, respectively. At stake for the winner? A $250,000 cash prize and the head chef position at Gordon’s brand new Hell’s Kitchen Caesar’s Atlantic City. Who will take the title?

SEE Everything to know about ‘Hell’s Kitchen 21’: Meet the 18 chef-testants competing

Below, read our minute-by-minute “Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the Ages” recap of Season 21, Episode 15, titled “A Finale for the Ages” to find out what happened Thursday, February 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite aspiring chefs on FOX’s reality TV show and who you think deserved to join the “HK” winners list. See which contestants are still competing below.

Remaining Contestants: Alejandro Najar, Alex Belew, Dafne Mejia

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8:00 p.m. — “Previously on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’!” In Episode 14, the final four chefs were challenged to create a stunning seafood dish that will be featured in Entertainment Weekly. Dafne won the prize with her “beautiful, elegant, delicious” sea urchin polenta. At dinner service, each chef took turns running the pass while Gordon tested their attention to detail with sabotages.. Ultimately, Gordon sent home Sommer Sellers, stating, “There’s no doubt in my mind that Sommer is going to do great things in this industry. She’s definitely VIP in my book.”

8:05 p.m. — The final three head up to the dorms and celebrate with champagne. Soon after, Gordon calls them all back down to the dining room. For their final challenge, all three will need to design a menu. To help start planning those dishes, he has menu books for each of them. Each will be assigned a sous-chef. Dafne gets Chef Christina, Alex is assigned Chef Jay and Alejandro will work with Jonathan Scallion, the third place finisher of Season 11 who now works for Gordon. Each chef gets to work on their respective menus.

8:15 p.m. — Alejandro enjoys working with Middle Eastern and Thai cuisine, Dafne is going Italian-heavy and Alex is sticking with what he knows best — Southern comfort food. Once the menus are complete they head to bead for a good night’s sleep. The next morning the final three chefs are called to the patio to speak with Gordon. For today’s challenge he wants them to relax. That’s right! He’s prepared a day for wellness. They’ll spend time in an exquisite hotel suite before having dinner with Gordon at Castaway. Prior to dinner, they get a session with a sound healer, which makes Alex a little uncomfortable but he’s going with it.

8:30 p.m. — Next the final three meet up with Gordon. They’re dressed to the nines. After a tour of the event space, Gordon has a bite to eat with them and then surprises everyone with their former competitors and audience members waiting for them at Hell’s Kitchen. It’s time for the final challenge! The top two finishers will move forward and lead their kitchen’s in the grand finale. They have 60 minutes to complete their menus. They will produce a cold and hot appetizer as well as one beef, one chicken and one fish entree.

8:40 p.m. — Time expires and all of the chefs appear pleased with their dishes. To judge this final challenge Gordon brings out five heavy hitters. Judging cold appetizers is Mei Lin, chef and owner of Nightshade. She calls Dafne’s beef tartar “visually stunning” and says she did a “fantastic job.” Alex serves her a seafood dish and Mei loves the “hit of acid.” Alejandro’s Vietnamese beef tartar is not really Vietnamese flavor-wise. She gives Dafne a 9, Alex a 10 and Alejandro an 8.

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8:45 p.m. — The next judge for hot appetizers is David Myers, chef and owner of Adrift. Dafne’s ricotta-stuffed ravioli is “absolutely beautiful” and “takes guts.” Alex’s prawn fritter hushpuppy is “without a doubt the fanciest hushpuppy” David has seen, but it’s missing some flavor. Alejandro’s uni pasta is “definitely decadent.” David gives Alejandro a 9, Dafne a 10 and Alex an 8. Judging the first entree is Stephanie Izard, chef and owner of “Girl & the Goat.” Alejandro’s roasted chicken, squash and potatoes is “simple” but she says, “I could eat a bowl of those potatoes.” Next, Alex’s fried chicken is uneven visually. Dafne’s Italian chicken is elevated to restaurant quality. She gives Dafne a 9, Alejandro a 9 and Alex an 8.

9:00 p.m. — The next judge is the legendary Nancy Silverton, chef and owner of Osteria Mozza. Alex’s salmon dish is visually “sexy” and “colorful.” It tastes “delicious.” Dafne’s potato-crusted halibut is “cooked beautifully” and “done with elegance.” Alejandro’s fish with Thai green curry is “really delicious.” She scores Alejandro a 10, Dafne a 10 and Alex a 10. The fifth and final round will be judged by Curtis Stone, chef and owner of Gwen & Maude. Dafne’s wagyu New York Steak is let down by her puree, which needs more seasoning. Alex’s New York Strip is cooked “immaculately.” Alejandro’s American wagyu strip is “wonderfully cooked.” He scores Dafne a 8, Alejandro a 9 and Alex a 10. The finalists will be Dafne and Alex! Alejandro must settle for third place.

9:05 p.m. — Alex and Dafne will now choose from the eliminated contestants to form their teams for dinner service. Since Alex scored three 10s to Dafne’s two, he will chose first, then Dafne until the teams are full. Alex’s team is Alejandro, Brett Binninger-Schwartz, Cheyenne Nichols and Tara Ciannella. Dafne’s team is Sommer, Sakari Smithwick, Vlad Briantsev and Abe Sanchez.

9:15 p.m. — Everyone is celebrating in the dorms, but it’s time to get down to business. Alex and Dafne pull their teams aside, discuss the menu and make assignments. The next morning everyone begins to prep for dinner service. Later, during individual meetings with Gordon, he surprises them with their families. After those emotional reunions, Gordon reviews the menus for both kitchens.

9:30 p.m. — With a few hours to go before the final dinner service, tweaks need to be made. Neither had anything disastrous to fix and it’s time to open the doors. It’s Italian cuisine vs. Southern comfort food. Tickets begin pouring in and the stoves have been fired. Dafne’s kitchen has an immediate conflict between Sommer and Abe, who are a little slow at the appetizer station. Over in Alex’s kitchen Tara looks a little frazzled, but the first dishes go out strong — but Brett is called out raw hushpuppies.

9:45 p.m. — With appetizers flying out of the kitchen and earning rave reviews, it’s time to move forward with entrees. Sakari’s undercooked steaks slow down Dafne’s momentum while Brett continues to cause problems for Alex, serving up raw chicken. Gordon calls Alex and Dafne aside and tells them to lead. “This is embarrassing!” he shouts. There are far too many undercooked proteins being plated. Both teams appear to recover and the kitchens are running at peak efficiency. After a long night, dinner service is over! Next, either Alex or Dafne will be named the winner of “Hell’s Kitchen 21.”

10:00 p.m. — Gordon thanks the returning chefs and sends them on their way. He tells Alex and Dafne they have made his decision “really hard.” Neither of them are confident as they think back about every little thing that went wrong. Finally, Gordon calls them back down to reveal his decision. Each finalist takes a place between one of those famous doors. Only one will open, revealing the winner. As tension mounts, we finally see a door open revealing that the Season 21 champion is Alex! The 40-year old from Murfreesboro, Tennessee has won this Battle of the Ages. Congratulations to Alex on his big win and to Dafne for putting up a good fight. Alex will take home $250,000 and become the head chef at Hell’s Kitchen Caesar’s Atlantic City.

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Categories: Kitchens