Hell's Kitchen: Head Chefs Only episode 4 recap: Pickle puzzle and teammate switch

The fourth episode of Hell’s Kitchen: Head Chef’s Only premiered on Thursday, Oct. 17, and here is a simple recap of everything that happened.

The episode begins with Brandon explaining how Egypt’s ego is frustrating the kitchen, stating that he could bring the entire blue team down. After talking about it with Brandon, Kyle, and Joe, Egypt will tone his voice as long as everyone amps up their voice.

Ramsay explains the newest food trends when both teams arrive for the day’s challenge. The trend that ends up being used for the challenge is a pickling challenge, where one contestant from each team will face off against the other, using the same vegetable or fruit for pickling while cooking a protein to go with it. To determine the ingredients for each round, the chefs play a simple game of pickleball. However, one more decision is to be made before the challenge begins.

Because the men lost three chefs in the last episode, one member of the ladies’ team has to join the men. When Ramsay asks who wants to join, Lulu raises her hand the fastest, and she becomes a new member of the blue team.

Each of the chefs choose the contestants of the opposite team, and each hits a ball to determine the protein and the fruit or vegetable they would use. To help judge each dish, Ramsay brings in Michelin-star chef Dan Barber. In the first round between Amanda and Lulu, which features pickled Brussels sprouts and sole, Amanda’s crucial mistake of forgetting to pickle her Brussels sprouts and plating them costs the ladies winning the point Lulu.

Ann Marie and Joe are impressed with Barber in the battle of pickled apples and cod, each earning them a point. Barber also awards points to both Hannah and Kyle for their pickled okra and duck breast dishes. When Meghan and Egypt represent their pickled pineapple and salmon dishes, Egypt earns a point, largely thanks to his pickled pineapple coconut milk on his salmon. With the women needing a point, Michael’s mistake of leaving the shells on his prawns and pickled blueberry dish allows Whit to get a massive point for the women.

During the battle of pickled carrots and mahi-mahi, Britany ties it up for the woman, thanks to Anthony’s crunchy carrots. When the final round comes between Magali and Brandon with their pickled beets and pork chop dishes, Brandon earns the winning point for the blue team despite Barber praising them.

The blue team earns the reward of staying at Grace Island House, a private island house in Brantford, Connecticut, while the women’s punishment is picking up and scooping cow manure at the Long Table Farm in Lyme, Connecticut. Whit, who has her punishment pass, decides to use it to go to the private island and switch out with Egypt. The blue team enjoys the private island and sees a nice moment between Whit and Kyle. When the red team goes on their manure punishment, Amanda starts to have trouble calming down, but thanks to Brittany, Amanda can continue the punishment.

When the doors to Hell’s Kitchen open, we know both teams had a bad night. Ann Marie is on appetizers in the red kitchen, and when frantic to get her risotto out, accidentally adds peas when she was supposed to add parsley, ruining the first table of appetizers. On the entrées, Magali on garnish sends up bland mashed potatoes. Despite things rolling along for the women, Amanda on Fish sends a raw halibut for former WNBA player and legend Sheryl Swoopes, which gets the women out of the kitchen.

It's even worse for the blue kitchen. Things start badly when Egypt is on appetizers and sends up a curdled and undercooked carbonara. On the refire of the first appetizers, Michael on fish sends up raw scallops. On the second entrée table, Joe, who feels the pressure under Ramsay, rushes, and Lulu’s halibut is sent up raw. On the next round of entrées for Super Bowl champion and former San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, Anthony sends up raw lamb not once but twice, which gets the team kicked out of dinner service.

When both teams are asked for nominations, the blue team nominates Michael for sending raw scallops and being quiet throughout service and Egypt for his curdled carbonara. The women nominate Magali for her bland mashed potatoes and Ann Marie for putting peas in her risotto.

All of them give their pleas, but Michael’s plea seems concerning; when Ramsay asks to provide a rating out of 10 of his performance, he gives it a four or five. Ramsay makes his decision to send Ann Marie. Egypt and Magali are back in line, thus eliminating Michael. Ramsay states that he eliminated Michael because he didn’t look him in the eyes when he asked for his plea, which was enough to destroy him.

Keep watching Hell's Kitchen: Head Chefs Only (season 23) every Thursday night on Fox.