‘Hell’s Kitchen’: Bringing in the A team?

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Let me get this straight -- this is Gordon Ramsay’s top-notch crew?

The contestants on Season 5 of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ includes Robert, whom everyone takes for a clumsy oaf; Wil, who is all about his pride pin; Lacey, who must toil under the burden that comes with just being beautiful (and, perhaps, mirror-less?); Seth, who has gladly adopted Ramsay’s nickname for him, Forrest Gump; Colleen, who cannot tell the difference between sugar and sale; and Danny, a redneck who boasts that he makes up recipes by pulling them out of his ... well, you know.

And by the way, this is what they said about themselves.

To be sure, these are the folks that make for good television. (I, personally, hope Colleen stays around to the very end. Too much fun.) There are several gems in the bunch as well: Ji, Carol, Andrea, Coi and Paula already impressed chef Ramsay with their signature dishes.

But no one impressed him at the first service, which was marred by a blackout. In the end, both the men’s team and the women’s team were dismal, and, in a ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ first, the ‘winner’ was determined by the front-of-the-house service, which the woman won hands down. The men put Wil and Forrest Gump on the chopping blog, and Wil was sent home.

It’s early, but anyone want to wager on who could win this thing and the $250,000 prize as well as chef-ship at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City?

-- Rene Lynch