The 12 contestants gather in the Hell's Kitchen restaurant for the first time. Jean Philippe, Gordon's maitre d', gathers them around and introduces Mary Ann and Scott, the two sous chefs that will oversee each team. They tell the contestants they have 45 minutes to make their signature dish for Chef Ramsay. The contestants rush to the kitchen and begin cooking.

Gordon arrives and stands behind a table with each dish. First up, he tries Andrew's penne pasta and spits it out. Next he tries Mary Ellen's endive salad, coming away bored with an uncooked dish. Wendy's rice and sausage doesn't impress, either. Chef Ramsay then uncovers Jimmy's dish, a stuffed chicken breast. He criticizes the carrot greens garnish, then criticizes the chicken as dry and raw all at once.

Ralph's seared tuna is next. Gordon can't believe Ralph runs a kitchen. Elsie is on deck and she thinks she's about to faint. She's prepared turkey tacos, which she usually makes for her children. Gordon thinks the dish looks terrible, but the taste is not bad. Dewberry presents his baked spaghetti, which Chef Ramsay likens to children's food. Chris, declaring himself to be an executive chef, steps up next with a dish of salmon roasted on a cedar plank. Chef Ramsay declares the salmon to be raw on the bottom and tells Chris he has a lot to learn.

Jeff has a steak with mushroom sauce, which Chef Ramsay gives a 1 out of 10. Jessica has prepared a soft shell crab with spicy aioli, which Chef Ramsay thinks is way too hot. Michael has made scallops with roe. Chef Ramsay compares Michael's palate to a cow's backside. Lastly is Carolann, with a simple chicken parmesan. Chef Ramsay is impressed that somebody with no experience has made such a nice, simple dish.

The contestants are then divided into two teams, Red and Blue. The Blue team is made up of Andrew, Mary Ellen, Jessica, Wendy, Ralph and Michael. The Red is Jimmy, Elsie, Dewberry, Chris, Carolann and Jeff. The chefs are then dismissed their dorms, just off the kitchens, with instructions to return to the kitchen in 30 minutes.

After a brief break, the team return to the restaurant, where Chef Ramsay announces that Hell's Kitchen is open. And that somebody from tonight's losing team is going home. The teams retreat to their identical kitchens and quickly begin to learn the menu of five starters, five entrees and five desserts. Moments before the restaurant opens, Chef Ramsay sends Ralph and Jeff into the dining room as waiters for their teams. And then...the restaurant officially opens.

The orders quickly begin pouring in. Chef Ramsay works the hot plate, organizing all of the dishes for each table as they're prepared. But he won't send out inferior dishes and he won't allow food to sit. If one item is screwed up, the entire ticket has to be re-prepared. On the Red team, Elsie first risotto is overcooked and sticks to the plate without moving. It's all sent back.

Over in the Blue kitchen, Michael hasn't prepared enough lobster for his lobster spaghetti starter. He asks Chef Ramsay to take it off the menu, but Chef Ramsay angrily orders him to fetch more lobster from the back and start cooking. Out in the dining room, hungry tables are starting to get restless. They want their food. Chris presents Chef Ramsay with an overcooked piece of salmon. Chef Ramsay smashes the salmon on Chris' whites, then send the entire ticket back to the starting board.

After waiting for hours, a table of bleached blondes approaches the hot plate asking for some food. Chef Ramsay instructs his teams to ignore the bimbos and sends them back to their table. Two hours into service, no table has received an entrée. Jimmy presents a chopped up Beef Wellington, which Chef Ramsay immediately sends into the bin.

The teams continue to struggle. Jimmy burns his hand on an oven, and Elsie notices Carolann standing off to the side. She's yet to serve a single dessert and hasn't done anything yet. Chef Ramsay orders her to help out on the oven. A couple of entrees finally make it out into the dining room, but frustrated customers begin leaving. Frustrated, Chef Ramsay orders the restaurant closed for the evening.