Hell's Kitchen: Season 3

Anyone who has watched "Gordon Ramsay's The F Word" on BBC knows that at heart Gordon Ramsay is really a nice guy--a loving father, great husband, a keen restaurant owner, and a man who has a number of friends. Unfortunately, American reality shows seem to demand rude behavior, crying, and general frustration. The third season of "Hell's Kitchen" has begun and Gordon is just as dismayed with the latest batch of contestants. Failure to work as a team, crying (lots of crying), and pathetic skills seem to be high on this list with this group of competitors.

Viewers are treated to a glimpse of Heather and Michael, previous season winners, and what they are doing now at their own restaurants. This season's prizewinner will get his or her own restaurant at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa in Las Vegas and a yearly salary of $250,000 plus a portion of the restaurant profits.

Let's start by discussing the contestants. On the women's team (Red Team), Bonnie is a nanny/personal chef from Los Angeles; this I took to mean that she cooks for the children. Jen is a pastry chef from Pennsylvania. Joanna is a chef's assistant from Detroit, and it became quickly apparent that she is not a team player. Julia is a short order cook from Atlanta and the comments from other women that she works for a waffle house and is therefore unqualified made me hope she outlasts them all! Melissa is a line cook from New York. Tiffany is a kitchen manager from Phoenix.

The male team (Blue Team) has the ever so weepy Aaron, the oldest contestant, who is a retirement home chef in Palos Verdes. Brad is a sous chef from Scottsdale. The child lookalike (due to a kidney disease) Eddie is a grill cook in Atlanta. Josh is a junior sous chef in Miami. Rock is an executive chef from Virginia. Finally, Vinnie is a night club chef in New Jersey.

For those who have recorded the show and plan to watch it, stop reading because what follows is a brief synopsis of the entire show. The contestant booted from the show will also be revealed.