Hell's Kitchen Australia

Series details

In the first three episodes, which aired from August 6 to 8, 2017, Marco selected a celebrity from the team that lost two dinner services and one lunch service (serving 60 covers) to face an elimination challenge at the week’s end, based on that night’s performance. The winner of the first challenge received immunity, while the winner of the second could skip prep work for both kitchens. Before the first service, every contestant prepared an egg dish; Debra earned immunity, and masterclasses introduced a new menu.

A relay challenge before the second service required one member from each team to finely chop an onion, garlic, and parsley, slice a large mushroom, and truss a chicken (with its head removed and wishbone taken out); the Blue team won 3–2. During the second service, Marco and/or the sous chefs always left the kitchen midway, leaving whoever worked the pass to relay, expedite, coordinate orders, and handle dessert orders and clean-downs alone. Before the third service, a more chaotic lunch, everyone was reassigned to different stations, and the red team’s steamer leaked water, rendering it unusable.

Debra exited during service after badly cutting herself while reaching for a knife to cut fruit for dessert. In episode 3, the elimination challenge, “Taste it & Make it,” required the three celebrities to taste and replicate a dish Marco had made: a chicken skewer with spring onion and madras curry powder cooked in olive oil.

Reception

Hell's Kitchen Australia debuted to 817,000 viewers, placing second in its timeslot behind The Block (1,212,000). Colin Vickery of the Herald Sun described Marco Pierre White as "a cartoon version of himself" and criticised the low-grade celebrities and paltry prize. Denise Eriksen of The New Daily called the show "a shocker", stating Seven's executives should have pulled it because it lacked huge celebrities, was not funny, and Marco Pierre White is not Gordon Ramsay. David Knox of TV Tonight gave the series 2 out of 5 stars, criticising the low-grade celebrities and saying it "lacks the authenticity required of committing to a stripped primetime format in what is already an over-crowded genre".