Saturday, June 29th, 2013
Once the red team makes it back to the dorms, we all sit around the sofa. I decided that, since Cindy had stuck up for me, I should do the same for her.
"Bella, I saw you sabotage Cindy. I know Cindy didn't get a chance to tell Chef Ramsay, but you definitely caught your pan on hers on purpose."
Bella gives an overtly fake gasp.
"ME? SABOTAGE?" She puts a hand to her chest and flutters her eyelashes, "I could never!"
I roll my eyes and Cindy glares at Bella.
"Bitch I know you did, that pan was pipin' hot and full of sauce, you had to have put force into pushing it over onto me and makin' me look like a fool. I'm voting for you, Bella. You're a huge fuckin' thorn in the side of the red team. Other than that, I have to say either Gail or Gina, whichever one put up that hard filet."
Gail sighs. "That was me, but I could have redone it had Chef not come and kicked me off my station! I have to vote for Bella and Cindy. Both of you are not getting along and it's causing way more drama than we need on our team."
Gina adds, "Yeah, we could have fixed it if Chef just let us. I'm voting for Bella and Cindy too. One of you has to go."
Bella looks angrily at everyone. "I wasn't the one who fucked up tonight! If you're going to up someone at least pick someone who messed up!"
Red, who is sitting in a tall chair next to the couch, kicks her dangling feet before speaking.
"I'm going to have to agree with everyone else, Cindy and Bella both need to go up."
"This is fucking bullshit, want to talk about sabotage, my team is trying to vote me up for doing nothing wrong!" Bella hisses angrily, crossing her arms and leaning back into the sofa.
Eventually, the rest of the red team agree that both Bella and Cindy need to be up. Hopefully if one of them is out, the unrest in the red kitchen will die down.
After coming to a conclusion, we are called back downstairs. There, Ramsay waits with his arms crossed, the blue team sitting in a booth to his right.
"Well, ladies, I trust you've come to a consensus?" he inquires.
"Yes, Chef," we respond.
"Good, then. Gina, please tell me your first pick and why," he asks.
"Chef, we've picked Cindy as our first nomination. She has been kind of slow to improve. Plus, her and our second pick never seem to get along."
"Oh? Who's the second pick then?" Ramsay tilts his head.
"Bella, Chef. Her and Cindy both are causing a lot of problems for us in the red kitchen." Gina looks at each of the two nominees as she finishes.
Ramsay nods, then curls his finger towards the two women, beckoning them forward.
"Right, Cindy, please tell me why you deserve to stay in Hell's Kitchen." Chef Ramsay bounces on his toes.
"Chef, I've been sabotaged by Bella this last dinner service. She purposefully spilled my sauce all over me, and she gave me next to no chance to actually make anything! Pretty much all the food you got today from the garnish station was cooked by Bella, she didn't even give me a chance to prove myself to you, Chef." Cindy fumes as she looks at Bella, who is standing next to her looking coolly indifferent.
"Bella, is this true?" Ramsay turns to look at her.
"Of course not Chef. Cindy has always been a weak member, ever since she brought up that raw chicken on the signature dishes. She's just looking for someone to blame for her weaknesses. I only made nearly every dish because she didn't take the initiative to do it herself." Bella nods her head as if agreeing with herself.
Cindy pipes up, "Chef, Bella was the one ta put those scratches on my face that you noticed earlier, she got into a fight with me over me having burned the scallops during our communication relay. I wasn't gonna say shit about it, but she's actin' like she never done did anything bad in her life."
I suppress a giggle at her freshly acquired accent. Perhaps Cindy is the type of person who's accent only comes out when she's enraged?
Ramsay's eyes shoot over to Bella, who looks indifferent still.
"With this new information, it makes my decision a bit harder..." He pauses. "Nevertheless, I do think I have to go with my gut feeling on this. I'm sorry. Bella," he glares at her when she steps forward, "back in line."
Cindy looks shocked, gasping as Bella haughtily makes her way back to the red team. We don't welcome her back. Most of us are too busy watching Cindy resemble a fish out of the water, gasping while no sound comes out.
"I'm sorry Cindy, but your time in Hell's Kitchen is over. You should have told me that you and Bella had an altercation and I wouldn't have put you both on the same station." He sighs as she steps forward and hands him her jacket.
"Thank you, Chef," Cindy says, shaking his hand.
"Good luck out there, Cindy," Ramsay responds, waving her to the door.
As Cindy makes it to the door, most of the red team calls out to her with words of encouragement–
"Keep your head high!"
"Don't stop cooking, Cindy!"
"We love you!"
Cindy waves to us before she closes the door behind her.
Ramsay clasps his hands together.
"Bella, you better keep your nose clean from now on. You aren't a bad chef, but bad attitudes sink a kitchen just as quickly as a failed dish will. Now, tomorrow is your first day off– which means no cameras, no mics and you finally all get to rest. Remember, you'll also all be meeting me privately in my office to discuss anything you wish. Now, get some sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Chef!" we respond, then all of us head back to the dorms silently.
There is a somber feeling in the air as we arrive in the dorms. I do feel like Cindy had gotten shafted, but the thought of getting to be alone with Ramsay overrides my thoughts. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get some answers as to what really is going on between us. Until then, I prepare dinner with the rest of my team while daydreaming about the Chef.