‘Hell’s Kitchen 23’ episode 3 recap: Who was eliminated in ‘Shucking Hell’?

Tonight on “Hell’s Kitchen,” the chefs are in for a rude awakening that could make or break their Hell’s Kitchen journey. During a fishy challenge, the chefs must go head to head in a seafood showdown where only one team can reign supreme. Tempers run high in the all-new “Shucking Hell” episode of “Hell’s Kitchen: Head Chefs Only” airing Thursday, Oct 10 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Here’s how the teams stacked up:

Blue Team: Anthony, Brandon, Corbin, Egypt, Joe, Kyle, Michael, Shant, Uri

Red Team: Amanda, Ann Marie, Brittany, Hannah, Lulu, Magali, Meghan, Whit

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Magali feels a little defeated after being put up for elimination last week, but stresses “every day is a new day” as she looks forward to the next challenge. After looking at a picture of her husband, she’s ready to bounce back and conquer the competition.

The next morning the chefs wake up early and head outside to collect fresh seafood delivered to the restaurant. Next, they get ready for the day ahead and meet Gordon in the kitchen for their next challenge. Unfortunately, both Shant and Uri are in pain from hauling boxes of fish. Gordon is excited to have fresh seafood on the East Coast, and explains that in today’s challenge everyone will be making a stunning seafood tower. He wants it to feature all hot seafood appetizers and they have 30 minutes to complete them. Here’s how their head-to-head battles played out:

Squid: Whit vs. Uri — Whit’s squid was cooked nicely, but perhaps a touch under-seasoned. Uri’s Bok choy was not tender enough and needed to marinate, so the point goes to Whit. 

Crab: Magali vs. Kyle — Kyle’s tempura-style soft shell crab was “delicious.” Magali’s Asian take was completely unappetizing and Kyle takes the point easily.  

Lobster: Brittany vs. Shant — Shant’s lobster was cooked beautifully, but he laid a soggy salad underneath it. Brittany’s lobster was cooked nicely, but it’s super salty. Brittany ends up scoring the point for the Red Team. 

Mussels: Meghan vs. Michael — Both sets of mussels are cooked “exceptionally” and Gordon gives both teams a point. 

Prawns: Amanda vs. Anthony — Anthony’s prawns had great heat and flavor. Amanda’s citrus prawns are “captivatingly sweet” and both score points for their teams. 

Clams: Lulu vs. Joe — Lulu’s dish is a little salty, while Joe’s are “delicious.” Joe takes the point for the Blue Team. 

Scallops: Ann Marie vs. Corbin — Corbin’s scallops are overcooked, so he immediately gets shot down by Gordon. Ann Marie will take this point for the Red Team. 

Oysters: Hannah vs. Brandon & Egypt — After inspecting both dishes on the Blue Team, Brandon’s was dropped so just Egypt’s will count in this competition. Gordon liked the oysters from both Hannah and Egypt and gave both a point. 

The Red Team has won the challenge by a score of 6-5. For their prize, the women will paddle along the scenic Mystic River in a kayak. As the Blue Team’s punishment, the men will be stuck inside preparing seafood. There are 100 pounds of mussels to be cleaned. As Shant has a smoke outside, he tells Anthony his back is in severe pain after unloading seafood this morning. It keeps getting worse. Eventually, Shant is in tears as the pain reaches all the way up to his neck. He’s taken away by the medical team and nobody is sure if he’ll return or not.

Next, Uri starts to complain about his own back pain and insists he needs to take a break from the punishment. He returns in time for dinner service, but he’s still struggling. As the chefs continue to prep, Gordon pulls everyone aside and tells them Shant will not be continuing in the competition. Moments later, Uri declares himself unfit to continue and withdraws as well. Wow! And just like that, the Blue Team is down two chefs.

Hell’s Kitchen opens its doors and it’s time for dinner service. The Red Team is feeling confident, but Brittany quickly serves up a burnt pizza. She quickly recovers and focus shifts to the Blue kitchen. Egypt’s ego is annoying everyone on the Blue Team, but he hasn’t made a major mistake in the kitchen yet. Still, he’s abrasive and Egypt’s teammates don’t like working with him. Things get worse when Corbin serves up overcooked scallops, causing Gordon to blow his top. Egypt keeps barking out orders and Michael says he’s “looking for his power switch” because he’d like to turn Egypt off.

After Egypt gave advice to basically every cook in the kitchen, Brandon reminds Egypt to pull the salmon off the heat, to which Egypt quickly responds, “You’re not the only chef here, bro.” He’s clearly someone who can dish it but can’t take it, and his teammates are losing patience. When Egypt’s salmon is overcooked and Brandon’s steak is raw, tension reaches a high. Things continue to go downhill as Corbin stands there “like the Statue of F***ing Liberty” according to Gordon. When Brandon sends up a raw lamb dish, Gordon is ready to sack the whole team.

Dinner service comes to a close and Gordon gives props to Lulu saying, “She can cook, that girl.” Overall, the night was a success since neither team was kicked out of the kitchen, but the Red Team was clearly more consistent. The Red Team wins tonight’s dinner service and the Blue Team has to nominate two chefs for elimination.

The Blue Team nominates Egypt and Corbin for elimination. They blame Egypt’s ego and Corbin’s failed fish station. Gordon eliminates Corbin, stating, “Corbin may be tall in stature, but tonight he was short on talent.”