Hell's Kitchen Season 24 Episode 9 Recap: Red Team fractures under dorm drama while Blue Team dominates the challenge

The latest episode of Hell’s Kitchen (Battle of the States) opened with a clear divergence: while the Blue Team surged in the cooking challenge, the Red Team imploded under dorm-room pressure.

In Episode 9, the Red Team’s internal tension and stove-side turf wars contrasted with the Blue Team’s technical dominance — the result: a lopsided challenge outcome and an elimination born of dorm drama more than culinary failure.

Hell’s Kitchen: A campus celebration turns sour

The episode began with a team challenge: the chefs from both teams were tasked with preparing tasting plates for the 50th anniversary celebration of Johnson & Wales University.

The judging panel included JWU student Hollis Tuffile and Assistant Dean T.J. Delle Donne, who stipulated that appetisers should be either squid or scallops, and entrées should focus on monkfish, duck, or filet mignon executed with a classic French technique.

Each chef selected a course and was given 45 minutes to prepare their dish, after which the two teams faced off head-to-head for menu placement.

The results of the head-to-head battles were:

• Scallops: Jayden defeated Lisa


• Squid: Anaiya defeated Chris


• Monkfish: Jada defeated Alexandra


• Duck: Anthony defeated Ellie


• Filet Mignon: Henry defeated Cydni

Thus, the Blue Team secured four out of five available spots on the anniversary menu.

The reward for the Blue Team: a getaway to Cape Cod with parasailing.

The Red Team’s punishment: bake a four-tier cake and clean their dorm room.

That punishment segment set the stage for the deeper drama.

In the dorm kitchen, Red Team member Ellie overheard Jada and Anaiya mocking her.

Ellie’s confessional was blunt: 

“They think they’re hot s**t,” she said. “Who are you to undermine what I just accomplished? That’s what bullies do.”

Later, she added,

“If I could poke that bear without the repercussions of a hot-head coming at me for the rest of this competition, I would look them dead in the eye and say, ‘Go f**k yourself!’”

Dinner Service: The tension escalates back in the kitchen

As dinner service began, Alexandra on the Red Team slipped twice on the scallops.

Anaiya, stationed beside her, stepped in and shadowed Alexandra for the remainder: “Anaiya’s hand is always on the pan” that Alexandra is supposed to be cooking with, Cydni observed.

Over on the Blue Team, Chris had no scallops left, and Ramsay kept sending them back.

So he dashed to the pantry fridge, grabbed fresh ones instead. Then quickly plated up something Ramsay actually approved.

At the end of service, both teams completed the meal for the JWU guests.

However, Ramsay did not declare a winner and instead demanded that each team nominate two people for elimination.

On the Red Team, when Anaiya’s name came up, she protested: 

“Everything that came back, I fixed,” she said. “I took leadership."

 Alexandra responded that Anaiya’s behaviour made the fish station “impossible to work,” and insisted that both of them should represent the team at elimination.

The Elimination

At elimination, the Blue Team nominated Chris and Jayden; the Red Team nominated Alexandra and Anaiya.

During her plea, Alexandra spoke candidly, saying the Red Kitchen had become toxic and telling Ramsay:

“Character is something he’ll never be able to teach.”

Ellie backed her up: 

“I think there is a lot of hostility and wacky comments from Anaiya.”

Cydni and Lisa affirmed the contention traced back to Anaiya’s conduct.

In the end, Gordon sent Alexandra home: 

“I never want to see the competition spirit turning into something negative, so I admire Alexandra for having a voice against bullying,” he said. “I just wish her ability in the kitchen had been equally strong.”

This episode of Hell’s Kitchen highlights how team cohesion (or the lack thereof) can be as critical as individual culinary skill.

The Red Team’s dorm-based disputes and power struggles translated into operational breakdowns at the service level.

Meanwhile, the Blue Team capitalised on focus and technique to pull ahead.

As the season progresses, these fractures on the Red Team may prove more damaging than any single mis-plate.

For Hell’s Kitchen Season 24, Episode 9 serves as a clear inflexion point: the challenge win was clinched by the Blue Team, while the Red Team’s collapse began in the dorms and spread to the stove.

Stay tuned for more updates.