HELL'S KITCHEN: WHO'S HOTTEST IN HELL'S KITCHEN
Julie Mccaffrey
IT'S the cooking competition that is gripping millions of TV viewers.
But as 10 cordon bleu wannabes learn the ropes in the kitchen, the real contest is between the two celebrity chefs who are making female hearts sizzle.
In the red apron, Britain's very own Gary Rhodes is serving up a simple recipe of traditional home-grown fare. He's handsome, he's fun - but some might say a little too bland.
In the blue apron, Frenchman Jean-Christophe is fiery, flamboyant and, in Mirror girl JULIE McCAFFREY's opinion, fantastically fanciable.
But what are these two kings of the kitchen really like in the flesh?
Julie went for a meal in Hell's Kitchen - to taste more than just the food...
AS the more famous of the two chefs, Gary seemed a dead cert to win the Hell's Kitchen competition before it began.
But then the promotional posters with him eyeballing Jean-Christophe hinted that the Frenchman had the edge.
JC has the brooding bad boy looks of a gangster and footballer rolled into one. While Gary looks like a home economics teacher in fancy dress and has the sex appeal of mouldy bread.
The English chef won a place in our hearts because of his perma-grin and hedgehog hair.
But when his spikes went, so did his personality.
In his attempt to emulate Gordon Ramsay, he has tried to act as the hard man of the hot plate. He replaced his smile with a fake frown. But viewers aren't fooled by his false front.
Even Gary's tantrums lack the flair of Jean-Christophe's plate-throwing spectacle. When JC hurled the wild mushrooms at hapless Henry, I muttered: "I think I'm falling in love."
But as Gary lost it over Simon's salad, I screamed at the telly: "What an a**e."
The menus further expose the Englishman's lack of charisma. JC's woos you with flowery prose and teases with descriptions that leave you begging for more.
But Gary doesn't mess around with food foreplay and goes straight to the point, listing "gravy" instead of "jus" and dumping plain bread and butter pud on the dessert selection. He's the loser on looks, too. One diner says: "Gary's got a kipper face." Her friend disagrees: "No, it's more like a trout."
Gary's thin, grey hair reminds me of a grandad and he looks as if he's shrunken in his skin since his recent weight loss.
JC makes each diner feel a million dollars with a nod and a wink, while focusing on his food.
But no one notices Gary's presence until he breaks the rules and dashes into the restaurant carrying a tray.
As for talking a woman into bed, forget it. Gary's Kent accent is no match for JC's drawl.
Even the way the two rivals move around the kitchen is poles apart. Jean-Christophe leaps and prowls like a dancer. Gary plods.
Up against the Frenchman, he's a goner.
WHEN women set eyes on him, they melt quicker than a knob of butter in a pan on gas mark 10.
Now, I know why. Minutes after taking my seat in the Hell's Kitchen restaurant, Jean-Christophe holds my gaze for five seconds, throws me a flirty smile and friendly nod, then winks.
My face blushes purple. My knicker-elastic twangs. And, before even seeing the menu, I decide JC is the dish for me.
Feeling like the only woman in the French chef's world didn't last long. Half-an-hour later, I catch him winking at Big Brother Five's Vanessa Nimmo.
Despite the celebrity-infested tables, JC is the only person who holds anyone's attention. Women stare at his face illuminated by the hot lamps. It's easy to forget Gary Rhodes is there.
Deciding just what it is about Jean-Christophe that makes him so sexy is harder than choosing from his tempting menu.
It could be his accent, so seductive he could read out his shopping list and reduce women to goo. Or his tempestuous temperament, which hints at torrid bedroom antics.
Maybe it's his dark hair which flops into his huge, dark eyes.
The temperature soars in the kitchen as the evening rolls on
JC is animated with a trainee chef. He holds rocket up to his face, does an exaggerated shrug and throws it to the floor.
If he's so passionate about lettuce, imagine what he's like in bed? TV producers are twitchy as Gary has broken the rules by venturing out from his kitchen to serve his hungry customers.
JC prowls around like a caged animal, shaking his head at Gary's attempt to cheat.
Suddenly, he whooshes through the steel door and marches through the restaurant to the table where Gary is. Attention instantly shifts from the grey one to the gorgeous one.
This is my moment. I dive on him. "Allo," he says, kissing both cheeks. "Ow was it? You enjoy?" "Oh Jean-Christophe," I simper, "You were wonderful."
I slid my arms around his flat stomach, cuddling up close for our picture. And I can tell you, girls, he even smells sexy after a 14-hour shift in a steamy kitchen.
Mirror
)
