The Paula Watch - Battle of the Final Two Chefs. By Brad Nelson Sunday, 10th May 2009

We have to wait one more week. drawing out the suspense in true TV style, Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen brought us to the brink and then cut to "to be continued next week".

Changing things up a bit, the recap below takes us through a minute by minute synopsis of the show. We will finally get to learn Paula's fate next week...Stay tuned and enjoy the show!

9:00 PM Opening scenes of the 16 chefs and a recap of all of the chefs eliminated. Burnt Wellingtons, cooking teacher problems, and blue cheese kids burgers. Blind taste tests, good and bad teamwork, and chefs thrown out in the middle of service. There have been a lot of interesting antics in the last 13 weeks! At last, down to Danny and Paula.

9:11 Cut to theme song

9:12 Back to the show. Screens drop with a full image of each chef. Paula has her kitchen and restaurant assigned, and says "just to be here is just so amazing".

9:13 Next a challenge to each to design their restaurant. Paula says "this is such a great feeling," but they both leave the designing to the next day and tuck into a bottle of champagne.

9:14 Seems maybe a little too much celebratory champagne is flowing...

9:15 Alarm goes off at 6:29 am and our chefs look a little rough. Paula recovers and gets to work on her restaurant. Danny is in tough shape.

9:18 Paula sizes up her blank restaurant. A designer assists with the restaurant layout. Paula wants candles (real ones), Danny wants a mounted fish. Sunergy is the name of Paula's restaurant. I guess that means sun and energy?

9:20 PM Paula keeps the menu simple to concentration execution. Menus are finished, Ramsay appears and announces they are heading back to Atlantic City for "unfinished business", and while they are gone, they will each have two assistants.

9:22 Assistants are assigned, but we have to wait through a commercial break to find out who they are. My bet is that we see Robert, Lacy, Seth, and Colleen show up.

9:2 Completely wrong! Paula's mom and sister are there to help her, while Danny gets his dad and girlfriend. Paula wants real candles and no pink, but the rest of the design is left to mom and sis.

9:29 On the plane to New Jersey with Ramsay, reminiscing about the show. Gordon seems very relaxed and enjoys the time together with his final pair. Paula's favorite experience was doing the live TV show.

9:30 Back to Hell's Kitchen. Problem with candles, not allowed according the Fire Marshall so sis chooses fake candles.

9:31 Big suite at Borgata. Great looking room and more champagne!

9:31 Cross country webcast, Danny learns he isn't getting what he wants in the bench seat design.

9:32 Paula's sister tells her about the candle snafu, but she is pleased with what mom and sis are doing.

9:33 Back to the real reason they are in Atlantic City. The restaurant is unveiled, but we cut to commercial before we can see the space.

9:37 500 resort staff members welcome them, Ramsay congratulates them. Paula says a few words, Danny says a few words, they both look great but nervous. They meet the COO of Borgata.

9:39 Larry Mullin, Borgata Resort COO, reviews the menus and seems pleased, but Ramsay asks them to cook the all three dishes in 45 minutes!

9:40 Lots of cheering as the chefs cook, seen from a large screen. Paula cooks with intensity.

9:41 The Borgata Restaurant Chef tastes the food, says Paula's dish is too dressed and the greens are wilted, Danny's lobster tastes too much like chicken.

9:42 Paula wins the first round!

9:42 Second round, Borgata Exec Chef says it's cooked well. Both dishes well constructed. It's a tie, Danny wins the second round

9:44 Larry Mullin is back and tastes Paula's roasted black sea bass with parsnip puree. Cut to commercial, of course, before we know who wins. How can this end in 15 minutes?

9:48 Back, and the winner of the last challenge is...Danny. Hard to believe, her fish looked great. She tried hard.

9:49 Back to LA. Paula is happy there are no pastels. Danny likes his fish on the walls.

9:51 A quick nights sleep and the final day begins. Paula is jazzed, ready to go. Ramsay has another challenge, this time key ingredients under domes...but we cut to commercial as Danny screams "Oh my god". I bet it is their former competitors under there. They do need some help running the kitchen, after all.

9:55 Back, and under the domes....I was right! Lacy, Giovanni, Ben, Andrea, LA, Carol are back. This will be interesting.

9:57 Danny gets first pick, chooses Ben. Paula next, chooses Andrea. Danny Giovanni. Paula, LA. Danny, Carol...Paula gets Lacy...

9:58 Back to the dorms, train the brigade. Paula readies for the most important night of her cooking career according to Ramsay.

10:00 Scenes of the finale as they extend our anticipation yet another week to find out how Paula does.

Brad Nelson is the vice president culinary and corporate chef of Marriott International, he has worked to build an international culinary team that continues to raise the bar in dining. He takes his respect for nature's simple, clean flavors and instill it into the philosophy of the numerous kitchens he oversees.

www.chefblog.marriott.com/aboutBrad