‘Hell’s Kitchen’ recap: Too many cooks in the kitchen

OMGet one of these chefs out of here. “Hell’s Kitchen” has had five chefs in the kitchen for what will be three weeks. That’s too many cooks in the kitchen!

A cliffhanger ending was resolved this week with chef Gordon Ramsay concluding that all five chefs deserved to stick around. And stick around they did. First, for a much-needed reunion with family. Then, for the coveted handing out of the black jackets. (Sweet touch, having the family stick around for this graduation ceremony of sorts!)

Talk about a pressure cooker test. The fab five had to literally use a pressure cooker to whip up a protein for special guests including chef Nancy Silverton, and Los Angeles Magazine food editor Lesley Bargar Suter.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

Surprise, surprise, it’s Mary who manages to score a perfect 15 from the star-doling judges. (Did anyone else notice that the guest judges seemed to be tougher critics than chef? Don’t get all cuddly on us, chef!) That win seems to help signal the most likely top three finalists, right? Mary, Ja’Nel and Jon.

Mary’s reward was arguably the best reward of the season. It lacked the glamour of the shopping sprees, spa treatments and helicopter rides that have marked past rewards in “Hell’s Kitchen.”

But spending an afternoon with family at Celebuchef Wolfgang Puck’s WP24 ain’t too shabby. And it’s exactly what Mary needs to get her head back into the game and give her a final push to possible victory.

VIDEO: Summer 2013 TV preview

We end on yet another cliffhanger. (How do you feel about these? I thought they might grow old, but I like kicking off each new episode with a strong start.)

The remaining five chefs are heading into a showdown with fellow celeb chefs next week, the outcome of which will no doubt determine who stays and who goes. Who would you like the mystery chefs to be? Past competitors from this season? Past “Hell’s Kitchen” winners?

ALSO:

James Gandolfini died of a heart attack, autopsy confirms

Laura Dern: Get that ‘Enlightened’ Kickstarter campaign going

McNamara’s Picks: ‘Under the Dome,’ ‘Whodunnit,’ ‘Rizzoli & Isles’

PHOTOS, VIDEOS & MORE:

Real places, fake characters: TV’s bars and eateries

CRITICS’ PICKS: What to watch, where to go, what to eat

PHOTOS: Violence in TV shows