Characters / Hell's Kitchen - Seasons 6 to 7

Main: Hell's Kitchen

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Season 6

David "Dave" Levey

"Please don't take me out. Unless you don't think I'm a good enough chef, then take me out. But not because of my wrist."

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 32

Hometown: San Diego, CA

• The Ace: Oh so much; he never had even one dinner service that was only "pretty good". He was also never once nominated by his teammates.
• Achilles' Heel: Crepes were one for him — when he presented one in the health food challenge, Ramsay actually laughed out loud as soon as he saw how small it was, and then said that it tasted foul. On that occasion it was implied that Andy was more at fault for how the crepe turned out, but Dave had no excuses when he presented an even worse one three episodes later, which Ramsay likened to diarrhea and refused to even taste.
• Ascended Fanboy: Idolized Chef Ramsay for years. One of his top priorities was to earn his respect. He accomplished that goal as he was one of the most impressive chefs in the show's entire run.
• Badass Boast: Gave some pretty good ones when dealing with his arm, like in Episode 13 when he recalled how he almost passed out from the pain and Chef Ramsay forced him to visit the medic (he later claimed that he had never seen a chef in so much pain).
  Dave: I'm not a quitter and I'm not a wuss. No matter how messed up my wrist is, I can take the pain and I'm here to stay.
  • Another one during the craps challenge:
  Dave: I picked figs with fish and we won.
• Beginner's Luck: The international cuisine challenge had him choose Indian food, and he had never cooked it before. He ended up using pork (which is a no-no in most of India), but they found it to be delicious and he won the challenge. It helped that Ariel didn't have much experience with Chinese food either, and Kevin forgot the sauce that was central to his dish.
• Bookends: At the start of the competition, Dave stated that he idolized Chef Ramsay, and after Ramsay disliked his dish, Dave was incredibly heartbroken, as he wanted to earn Ramsay's respect. Come the finale, Ramsay had gained a lot of respect for Dave's will and determination while in severe pain.
• Boring, but Practical: When designing dishes, he usually went for a simple approach. For his menu in the finale, he chose to go with simple, humble dishes. This worked out in his favor, as his team was able to pick up the menu very well and execute it with relatively few hiccups, compared with Kevin's Cool, but Inefficient menu.
• Breakout Character: Has made a few appearances in future seasons, although not as many when compared to chefs like Rock, Paul, and Scott.
• Chick Magnet: He got along pretty well with the red team, in particular Ariel and Suzanne. The latter is more surprising as she was considered the "bitch" of the season, and yet she listened to him.
• Child Hater: Sort of. The third Black Jacket challenge with the kids has him quote that he doesn't work well with them. It shows as he tries to entertain them like calling himself the "One-armed bandit" while he states that he "sold himself out." After said challenge, he kept picking up the leftovers the kids had left on the floor.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Was an absolute powerhouse on the line, being strong in pretty much every services. Challenge wise, while he had some standout moments (notably the international cuisine challenge), he tended to struggle a bit.
• Deadpan Snarker: Had a naturally deadpan voice, so this was to be expected. Exemplified best by this quote:
  Dave: You're not supposed to drink duck.
• Determinator: Ramsay was afraid that too much strain on his wrist meant Dave couldn't use it again—didn't stop him from winning the season.
  • Notably when the story shifted to Dave, even in the later episodes, it showed he was in a lot of pain. Once in the middle of service he tweaked a nerve so badly he collapsed, had to run to the back room, got checked by the medic at Gordon Ramsay's insistence, and then returned to service.
• Disabled Means Helpless: Absolutely averted. Despite some of the other chefs worrying about his condition, Dave pulled through every single time.
• Disability Superpower: Despite fracturing his wrist early in the competition, he would not slow down in the slightest. If anything, that only made him better.
• The Dreaded: In Season 11, the contestants looked excited and happy about the winners coming back to compete. When Dave entered the room, the smiles dropped from their faces. Cyndi from Season 11 said it best:
  Cyndi: I have to go up against Dave with two working arms, this shit's gonna be hard.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: He fractured his wrist early in the competition, and several times his injury would aggravate him and force him to stop. Despite all of this, he never gave up, and managed to win in one of the show's closest finales to date against Kevin.
• Establishing Character Moment: The meat in his Signature Dish is perfectly cooked, but his brussel sprouts were undercooked. Rather than being angry or defensive about Ramsay's judgment, like most people whose dishes he disliked (especially Joseph of the same season, who also had a problem with his brussel sprouts), Dave was upset with himself for not living up to Ramsay's standards, immediately demonstrating both his humbleness and his respect for Chef Ramsay.
  • There's also halfway through the season, where he did his station as well as Andy's perfectly all while dealing with his injury. It's the moment that cemented him as a Hell's Kitchen legend in the eyes of many.
• Erudite Stoner: His common attire of a beanie and hoodie, as well as his monotone voice often gave this impression.
• Famous for Being First: Was the first chef to win the season despite being injured.
• Flawless Victory: Wasn't nominated once, and Ramsay almost never criticized him for anything, except being told that he was even better as a cook with only one arm.
• Handicapped Badass: Probably the most famous example in the show's history. He fractured his wrist in Episode 3, and it did NOT slow him down. In fact, it may have made him even better. His nickname was even "The One-Armed Bandit". Ramsay even lampshades this!
  Ramsay: Dave, don't take this the wrong way, but you're ten thousand times better with just one hand!
• Hero-Worshipper: While having respect for Gordon is a common reason to enter Hell's Kitchen, Dave borderline idolized Ramsay.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Revealed in an interview that he got into cooking just to impress the ladies.
  • Also revealed on a livestream that Dave used to skateboard, and had previously injured his wrist beforehand during it.
• Honor Before Reason: When it came to nominating either Van or Suzanne in Episode 10, Kevin and Van were down to nominating the latter as they deemed her a bad chef despite having an okay performance that night. Dave instead voted for Van and explained to Ramsay that while Suzanne might be the weakest chef on the blue team, Van had the worst performance on the line that night. Ramsay agreed with that notion.
• Implied Love Interest: During the return service, Christina mentioned that she was hoping that Dave wasn't getting close to her. This is right after Dave admitted that Christina was hot.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: After the final 4 challenge, while the others are cleaning up the dining room, Dave took the opportunity to take some unopened candies to save for himself.
• Manchild: Dave had shades of this such as stealing chocolates from some of the decorations, and having the most noticeable reaction to Ramsay disliking his signature dish. To his credit, these moments were more endearing than bad.
• Nice Guy: Easily one of the more liked contestants on the show by both fans and his fellow contestants. Even Suzanne was nice to him when she transferred over to the Blue Team (she was labelled one of the "bitch" contestants that season).
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: However, he was the chef the most upset with Tennille after she admitted she thought Van should be eliminated after the first Black Jacket service, even after his terrible performance. It was surprising considering how friendly he was during the competition. To his credit however, he and Tennille did make up before she left.
• One-Man Army: He took care of multiple stations with just one arm!
• Only Friend: Of a sort to Suzanne. He was the only chef on the Blue Team who didn't immediately dismiss her, and even when picking her for his team in the finale, he admitted that she was a good chef. Suzanne seemed to appreciate this, as she was easily Dave's strongest chef in the finals.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is David, but he went by Dave during the show.
• Only Sane Man: He fills this role during the winner's return service in Season 11. He prevented an argument breaking out between Christina and Nona, and his performance was easily the best of the returning winners.
• Plaster Cast Doodling: If one were to look closely at Dave's cast, it has a few names written on there, including his mom.
• Power Trio: With Kevin and Van.
• Red Baron: The One-Armed Bandit. Started off as a joke, but became his badass nickname used by both people in the show and fans of the show.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: He's not a bad looking winner by any means, but he looked a lot better when he lost the beanie and got a short haircut.
• Took a Level in Badass: Dave was already a strong cook on the line, but his challenge performances left much to be desired in the early episodes. However, Dave slowly got better in the black jacket challenges, eventually winning the final two challenges with better dishes.

Placement: Winner

Dave's Winner Comment - "I can't believe I won, and it's a dream come true. I'm totally in a state of shock. I've been in so much pain for so many weeks, and I had to fight so hard to stay in the competition, but I wouldn't change any of it. This is the most important thing that's ever happened to me in my life, and I'm just so grateful to have earned Chef Ramsay's respect. That means more to me than anything else."

Ramsay's Winner Comment - "Dave has a very natural ability and a very sophisticated palate. He fought through excruciating pain and excelled, and went on to win Hell's Kitchen. He's going to be an amazing asset to the Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, and I'd like to wish him the best of luck. But honestly? I don't think he'll need it."

Kevin Cottle

Also Season 18 (Rookies Vs. Veterans)

"When people get all fucked up like that, it's cool, 'cause I sit back, 'cause I know I can bail them out, so it makes me look like a hero. This is fun!"

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 35

Hometown: Middletown, CT

• The Ace: Like Dave above, Kevin was also one of the most consistent chefs of the season, completely avoiding nomination and being potentially Dave's biggest test yet.
• Brutal Honesty: Kevin pulls no punches when he and the other guys have a chat with Suzanne after she's transferred to the Blue Team, bluntly telling her that they're unhappy about the arrangement and that they don't like her.
• Cool, but Inefficient: For his menu in the finale, he made beautifully artistic dishes that trumped Dave's dishes in terms of appearance and complexity. But his team had to struggle to familiarize themselves with his recipes, which was likely one of the main reasons for why Amanda screwed up so much that night.
• Epic Fail: In general, he was a strong competitor in services and challenges, but he made one infamous mistake in the Blind Taste Test when he misidentified clams as spinach. This was immediately after the others said that he should get clams right since he was from New England, where seafood is extremely prominent.
• Foil: To Dave in the finale. Kevin himself noted that they were completely opposite chefs since Dave went with simple dishes and Kevin went with complex ones.
• Graceful Loser: Almost averted at first, as his initial gut reaction was that he let his family down. But, he came around and realized that he had nothing to be ashamed of, and he wanted to show his son that even if you don't win, as long as you work hard you're not a loser. He then congratulated Dave for his win.
• Handicapped Badass: Rolled both of his ankles in the same episode as Dave's injury. However, unlike Season 5's Ji, he pretty much recovered apart from a slight limp, so he's not quite on Dave's level, but earned his badass qualities in other ways.
• Hypocrite: He criticized Suzanne and Ariel for undercooking lamb and fish, saying they were easy and they should know by now how to cook them during dinner service. This was coming from the guy who overcooked an entire batch of RICE during dinner preparation.
• Power Trio: With Dave and Van.
• Retired Badass: Revealed in Season 18 (Rookies Vs. Veterans) that he, like Joseph, used to be in the marines.
• Worthy Opponent: To Dave in the finale. Of all the chefs that season, he was one of the most consistent, second only to Dave. They had different cooking styles, but were similar in terms of culinary skill. They were also on somewhat friendly terms with each other.

Placement: 2nd

Kevin's Runner-Up Comment - "There was a moment of defeat, and defeat tastes bad, but I took a deep breath, put my head back up, and the first thing I thought about is, I'm gonna show my kid it's okay. Never stop dreaming. Hold your head up high and know that you did your best."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Ariel Contreras-Fox

Also Season 18 (Rookies Vs. Veterans)

"He just wants to know what the fuck is in the crepe."

Occupation: Sous Chef

Age: 27

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

• Deadpan Snarker: She had her moments.
• The Generic Girl: Despite being around for most of the season, Ariel never stood out that much.
• Graceful Loser: Very much so. She took her elimination very well, stating that she had no regrets, and acknowledging that she grew immensely and learned much as a chef, all of which she owed to Chef Ramsay.
• Nice Girl: For the most part, though she did occasionally shut out contestants like Sabrina and Suzanne.
• Only Sane Woman: Ariel is this in what was one of the worst Red Teams the show has ever had. By comparison, her teammates were either ditzy (Amanda and Melinda), smug (Suzanne and Tek), refused to take responsibility for their mistakes (Lovely and Sabrina) or loud (Tennille).
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Was perhaps the best chef on the aforementioned terrible Red Team, but was constantly outshone by Dave and Kevin.
• Youthful Freckles: Without makeup on, she prominently sports these, giving her a very young appearance (and at 27, she is tied with others for 4th youngest chef in the season).

Placement: 3rd

Ariel's Elimination Comment - "I'm disappointed, I really, really wanted to win this. Learning from Chef Ramsay is such an amazing experience. I mean, he seems like he's just this crazy, mean guy when he's on the line, but all he wants to do is make you better. I feel that I did prove myself. I just want to blossom from here, and I know I will be successful. I know it in my heart. And I... I owe it all to Chef Ramsay."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Tennille Middleton

"YOU CAN DISH IT BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE IT!?!?"

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 28

Hometown: Fairfax, VA

• Achilles' Heel: She was a genuinely good chef and showed good leadership skills, but she just could not get it together when it came to seafood. In fact, her last service was on the fish station and she sunk spectacularly. This made a reappearance when she returned in Season 9 as an All-Star.
• Ambiguously Gay: Indirectly referenced in the sausage challenge, when Ramsay and the other contestants were making various sausage-related puns. Ramsay then asked her "how thick do you like your sausage?" — Tennille just glared at him and said "Chef, I don't like sausage."
• Badass Boast: She backtalked to Chef Ramsay as he was reprimanding her.
• Badass Decay: Twice. In Episode 1, she was one of only two of the women (the other being Tek) whose Signature Dish was liked by Ramsay, and was probably the Red Ream's best performer in the service that followed (though that isn't saying much), but did horribly in the following two episodes before eventually getting back on track later in the season. It happened again in her last episode when she won the vegetarian challenge, then the very next service she sunk on the fish station. Eventually managed to bounce back, but by then it had already become her worst performance. Chef Ramsay decided to spare her the pains of nomination and eliminated her shortly after dinner service ended.
• Bookends: At the very start of the season, she showed promise as a leader, but was very inconsistent in the kitchen, leading to the possibility of her being an early boot. After her confrontation with Ramsay however, Tennille would improve massively, all with the worry that if she had one more bad service, she was history. However, come the final four, she would be the only one to struggle out of them, leading Ramsay to forego nominations and eliminate Tennille after service, but not before Ramsay praised her for her comeback.
• Celebrity Resemblance: To Whoopi Goldberg, which Tennille told a group of guests when cooking seafood tableside that she's a celebrity impersonator who is supposed to be Whoopi Goldberg.
• Character Development: Despite a decent first episode, she was one of the weakest members of the Red Team in the first half of the season, and had an attitude problem with Chef Ramsay. But over the course of the season, she Took a Level in Badass getting all the way to 4th place and came to respect Chef Ramsay a lot more, controlling her emotions in the kitchen much better.
• Graceful Loser: After being eliminated after service, Tennille took her elimination very well, thanking Ramsay for telling her that she was a great chef.
• Mercy Elimination: On her last night, it was clear that she had the worst performance. Chef Ramsay decided to spare her the grief of nominations, and told her during the post-service debrief to leave Hell's Kitchen.
• No Indoor Voice: Oh so much.
  • Flanderization: Really wasn't that bad at first, but got progressively louder as the show went on.
• Tempting Fate: During the introductory tip videos, she saw Bonnie cooking without the gas on. She said "Duh! Who cooks with no heat?!" Second dinner service, her teammate Lovely did the same thing with scallops, not that Lovely is even remotely as talented as Bonnie.
• Took a Level in Badass: After the disastrous eighth dinner service, she was named Best Of The Worst for being the only chef on the Red Team who impressed Ramsay. Three episodes later, she took another level in the first Black Jacket service (which only she, Dave, and Kevin managed to survive) when Ramsay told her "that was the best I've ever seen anybody cook meat". Not bad.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Did not return for the final service, so Amanda took her place.

Placement: 4th

Tennille's Elimination Comment - "When I first came to Hell's Kitchen, I knew absolutely nothing about fine dining. It's hard not to let your nerves get to you, when I got into it with Chef Ramsay, but I fought back. When somebody kicks you, stomps you, throws you down, and says you're not good enough, never give up. Never give up. Chef Ramsay comes across people left and right. For him to take the time to say, 'Hey, you, you're a great chef. Keep going,' that's all he needed to say."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Suzanne Schlicht

"I definitely don't see why everybody fucking hates me."

Occupation: Sous Chef

Age: 24

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

• Alliterative Name: Suzanne Schlicht.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Her snobbish attitude rubbed people the wrong way and she was quickly hated by everyone on the Red Team. Even on her short stint on the Blue Team, Kevin bluntly told her that they did not like her.
• Four Is Death: Was eliminated after being nominated for the fourth time. By that point, Ramsay said she ran out of chances.
• It's All About Me: Was definitely this for the first half of the season. She tried growing out of this partway through, with partial success.
• Jerkass Has a Point: She was egotistical and pretty smug about her abilities for the most part, but pretty much everyone agreed with what she was saying when calling out Joseph for his disrespectful attitude the night he quit.
• Long Speech Tea Time: Gave an overly long explanation for how she cooked her crepe.
  Tennille: You sauteed some meat and onions. And put it inside a crepe. Just say that!
• No Social Skills: She rubbed everyone the wrong way and constantly put her foot in her mouth. It was a big part of why she was The Friend Nobody Likes.
• Picked Last: Subverted; for the final service team selection, it came down to her and Sabrina, Suzanne fully expected to be picked last, and resigned to it. But in the end, Dave chose her for his team because they won a challenge together, and he believed her to be a somewhat capable chef despite her reputation. To his credit, it appears it worked out as she was the only chef on his team who didn't mess anything up.
• Professional Butt-Kisser: Sometimes came off as this for Chef Ramsay, doing things like talking up how much she liked crepes when doing the crepe challenge, or asking him how he came up with new, exciting dishes.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Had a very high opinion on her cooking when in reality, she was average at the beginning, and then mediocre near the end.
• What Were You Thinking?: One night, Chef Ramsay told the chefs that the Red Team lost the dinner service. Suzanne asked for a play by play. Chef Ramsay then exploded in her face. She lampshades this trope almost word for word when she wondered to herself later "What was I thinking?"

Placement: 5th

Suzanne's Elimination Comment - "This experience has been very enlightening, and I've learned a lot about, you know, my strengths and my weaknesses. I didn't have many personal relationships with many people, and I realized that my major flaw was creating this distance with my teammates. I'm sure everybody's happy that I'm gone. I bet they're over there, like, giggling and laughing like schoolgirls."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Suzanne had a Red Jacket, she had a Blue Jacket, she had a Black Jacket. Now, she has no jacket."

Vincent "Van" Hurd

Also Season 17 (All Stars)

"BLUE TEEEEEAAAAAMMMMMM!!! FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!"

Occupation: Fish Cook

Age: 26

Hometown: Dallas, TX

• Arch-Enemy: In Episode 2's service, where he cooked in the dining room, he actually became this to Jean-Philippe, nearly coming to blows with the Belgian maître d' before Ramsay confronted them.
• Badass Boast: When he was nominated for accidentally leaving plastic on the fish, Chef Ramsay asked him if he peaked. He replied, "No! You got 20 something years in this business! You can spot talent!" Chef Ramsay promptly told him to get back in line. Not many contestants can get away with that.
• Boisterous Bruiser: He's a big, loud, gregarious Texan.
• Catchphrase: "Gametime, baby, GAME-TIME!!!".
• Crippling Overspecialisation: Inverted. He's a fish cook who performed consistently poorly on the fish station, but was competent everywhere else.
• Extreme Omnivore: One of the only ones able to stomach the smoothie punishment, stating that he was starving and so he chugged it down like it was a protein shake. It was, since it was blended duck.
• Hidden Depths: Lampshaded. He noted that people underestimate him for being a muscled country boy, but that he has a sophisticated palate. He cooked up seared foie gras with mint and caramel as his Signature Dish. Ramsay was quite impressed with his use of the mint to cut the richness of the foie gras and awarded him the winning point. Kevin lampshaded it further by saying looks are deceiving and that there was some talent underneath his muscles.
• I Resemble That Remark!: After Jim suggested that Van be nominated because of his attitude problem with JP, which almost resulted in a fight in front of the dining room, Van's response was to threaten to punch Jim in the face and telling him to suck his dick.
• Large Ham: See above quote.
• Manchild: Did have an attitude problem occasionally, particularly in Episode 2 and the night he got eliminated. But he still had a big heart and a lot of energy.
  Van: Dave and Suzanne sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G.
• No Indoor Voice: All of his confessionals would be in CAPS.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Vincent, but he went by Van during the show.
• Plucky Comic Relief: His enthusiasm has brought people to find him one of the funniest contestants ever on the show.
• Power Trio: With Kevin and Dave.
• Sanity Ball: He held this when Andy gave the blue team the idea to nominate Robert, saying that it wouldn't be right. Even when he was called to reveal who the blue team nominated, Van first asked where Robert was, and when Ramsay said it would not be fair to nominate him based on a service he did not participate in, Van would nominate Andy instead.
• Wrestling Family: He's the son of former WWF Superstar Gertrude "Luna" Vachon.^note More specifically, he's a son of Luna's first husband. Explains how he's so loud and bombastic.

Placement: 6th

Van's Elimination Comment - "When I came into Hell's Kitchen, I came in guns blazing. I kicked ass on the signature dish, but there's a lot more to it in Hell's Kitchen than just cooking. Then the stress got to me, but I had fun while I was here. The main lesson I've learned about myself: when you get down, don't stay down. I want to go out here with my head up. I'm gonna be the man one day, Van is gonna be the man."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Van may be a poissonier, but his performance on fish was anything but vantastic."

Sabrina Gresset

"Sorry Chef, that's my bad. Oopsy doopsy."

Occupation: Restaurant Manager

Age: 34

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

• Achilles' Heel:
  • Sabrina was generally competent in the kitchen and challenges, particularly the health food challenge in Episode 6. Unfortunately she was absolutely terrible whenever she went on the meat station, and a succession of disastrous performances on that station ultimately saw her get the chop just before the Black Jackets were given out.
  • While the meat station was a particular weakness of hers (it doesn't help that she was assigned to it several times), she also made mistakes on other stations. One night, her errors on the appetizer section got her kicked out of the kitchen.
• Four Is Death: Was eliminated after being nominated for the fourth time.
• Hypocritical Humor: When the men from Season 6 came back from flying fighter jets in swagger, Sabrina calls them dorks. She says this in a helium-high voice, as she had been messing around with the balloons.
• Lethal Chef: Throughout her time in Hell's Kitchen, she sent up both raw chicken AND raw pork - the latter of which made it to the dining room and was promptly sent back to an irate Ramsay. Suzanne mocked this in a confessional, noting how dangerous eating raw pork is).
• Ms. Fanservice: Described herself as this. This would tend be used against her quite a lot.
• Picked Last: Kevin got her as the last pick, mostly because she was the only person there (aside from Amanda) who had never been on the same team as either of the two finalists, and Dave picked Suzanne even though she thought she would get picked last herself. Sabrina didn't seem to have any issue with being the last pick.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Clearly had an inflated opinion of herself, believing herself to be one of the strongest members of the Red Team while in reality, she was inconsistent at best. Then again, considering the fact that the rest of the Red Team was weak overall, she might have had a point.

Placement: 7th

Sabrina's Elimination Comment - "I came in, red lipstick, makeup on, hair did, big bitch on the block, but once Chef, like, brings you off your pedestal, it is really hard. I expected it to be easy. I was wrong. It's very difficult, but I am so proud that I got this far. I am really looking forward to getting back to my own kitchen, seeing my own staff, and getting pretty again."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Sabrina wanted to be the head chef in Whistler. Now all she needs to do is take those red lips, and whistle on out of here."

Andrew "Andy" Husbands

"Hell's Kitchen is like, this big cruel joke that your friends are playing on you!"

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 39

Hometown: Boston, MA

• Arch-Enemy: To Robert.
• Batman Gambit: After another poor performance on the sixth episode, Andy managed to convince the blue team to try nominating Robert, despite Robert not being able to attend service due to dealing with a health scare. Everyone, aside from Van, pretty much went along with it. It didn't work out for him, as he was nominated regardless.
• Bystander Syndrome: Andy stayed off to the sidelines in the ninth service as he claimed he could not do much with a sliced thumb on his good hand. Ramsay had to tell him off for that, leading the former to kick him out of the kitchen for barely doing anything to help the blue team.
• Every Year They Fizzle Out: Off-screen he is part of a very successful, internationally renowned BBQ team and is executive chef/owner of two successful restaurants. Yet somehow, he made constant mistakes on the line and was rarely impressive.
• Fingore: Sliced the tips of his fingers badly enough to force Dave to do his station for him. He was gone not long after.
• Four Is Death: Was eliminated after being nominated for the fourth time.
• High Hopes, Zero Talent:
  • Andy seemed to think early on that he was the best man for the job (after it took him three attempts to cook the lamb correctly). In almost every dinner service, he failed. He caught on near the end that his team saw him as The Load and tried to prove himself. Such as asserting that he would pilot the garnish station without a hitch, then proceeded to completely flounder on the station.
  • Seemingly subverted at first in the Blind Taste Test. He boasted that he had crazy taste buds and that he'd be perfect for the challenge. For the first one, he correctly identified lychee (a particularly difficult item). Everyone started to think that this just might be Andy's hidden talent and his path to redemption. Then it was played straight when he then confused ahi tuna for salmon and avocado for boiled coconut.
  • While he didn't show much talent on the show, he has been very successful in the restaurant business off-screen. Why this didn't translate into a better performance in Hell's Kitchen is a bit of a mystery. He did suggest once that he wasn't used to working in a brigade, though was smart enough to realize that outright using that as an excuse would just land him in trouble.
• The Load: Was one of the weakest Blue Team members. He often relied on the other men in his team. In his last episode, he cut off the tips of his fingers. He couldn't make a single acceptable dish without getting someone else (specifically, the far more injured Dave) to cook it for him. Chef Ramsay caught onto this and kicked him out.
• Minor Injury Overreaction: As mentioned above, after he sliced the tips of his fingers, he would pretty much have the far more injured Dave take over his section, and Andy would be sent home that night.
• Never My Fault: When being nominated for the final eight, he blamed his poor performance on his own injury, that being when he sliced the tips of his fingers. Ramsay however would point out that not only had he managed to screw up on salad of all things, but on his team were Kevin and Dave, the latter of which ended up taking over and running both his and Andy's station despite having a fractured wrist. Unsurprisingly, it only resulted in Andy being sent home that night.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Andrew, but he went by Andy during the show.
• The Runner-Up Takes It All: Has had probably the most successful career out of any contestant from this season, owning two successful restaurants, writing two cookbooks and doing a lot of charity work for hunger relief. Of course, he also had a lot of success before going on the show, so his appearance doesn't seem to have affected his career much either way.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Did not return for the final service, with Robert taking his place.

Placement: 8th

Andy's Elimination Comment - "It's unfortunate how I went out, because I was getting stronger and stronger every day, and I felt that I was making a comeback."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Andy has had good and bad moments in Hell's Kitchen. Unfortunately, most of them were bad."

Amanda Davenport

"1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, 4. Give me a lot more, keep on going!"

Occupation: Sous Chef

Age: 27

Hometown: New York City, NY

• Crippling Overspecialization: On the line, Amanda's performances ranged from extremely poor to just average at best. When it came to challenges however, Amanda was shown to be a consistently strong competitor.
• The Ditz: Probably the ditsiest contestant ever to have appeared on the show. Most obvious after she cooked eight lamb chops for three servings, which prompted Chef Ramsay to ask her simple math questions, which she got wrong. Twice.
  Ramsay: 3 3's are what? Amanda: 3. Ramsay: 3?! Fuck me. 3 times 3 is what?! Amanda: 6. Ramsay: Oh my God! Amanda: 9!
  Ramsay: Amanda, 12 3's? Amanda: Nine chef. Ramsay: Oh my God. Amanda: 36!
• Epic Fail:
  • Tried to serve FRENCH TOAST to Ramsay as her Signature Dish (along with tequila "butter", which is where the quote above came from.) That did not end well.
  • During the first service, she froze the Red Team's entire salmon supply (because she thought the freezer was a fridge), making it impossible for them to continue with entrees, having three salmons on order. Had she not spoken up and admitted that she was the one responsible for accidentally freezing the salmon, she probably would've been eliminated instead of Melinda.
• Graceful Loser: She took her elimination very well and proceeded to give Ramsay a friendly handshake and wished the Red Team a good night and stated that she's going to keep cooking with the same charm as ever.
• The Millstone: Was completely disastrous when cooking on Kevin's team, screwing up almost every dish she made (though in all fairness, Kevin's overly complicated menu may have contributed to that). Kevin did good recovery work by getting Van to cover for her mistakes, but ultimately it wasn't enough.
• Nice Girl: For all her faults as a chef, she was still a genuinely kind and sweet girl who tried her best to get along with everyone. She also always did without fail what many contestants do not: own up and admit to her (rather frequent) mistakes. This was ultimately deconstructed as Ramsay eliminated her because she was too polite to be a good head chef.
• Rule of Three: She was eliminated on her third nomination.

Placement: 9th

Amanda's Elimination Comment - "I don't agree with Chef Ramsay's decision. I really think Suzanne should've gone home tonight, but I'm definitely gonna keep cooking for the rest of my life and be the best chef ever."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Amanda was a sweet girl, but sweet girls don't make great head chefs."

Robert Hesse

Also Season 5

"I don't give a shit if I'm on the black team, the purple team, the pink team, the team with no shirts on... I don't give a damn, I'm here to win Hell's Kitchen!"

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 30

Hometown: Quogue, NY

• Arch-Enemy: To Andy.
• Break the Cutie: He's still shaken up about nearly dying the season before, showcased when he had a temporary meltdown during one of the punishments. Then he went back to the hospital after his heart problems arose again. When he managed to return, he got a cold welcome from the Blue Team, who had bonded while he was gone, and then he got eliminated that night. Overall, he was close to breaking a few times, but amazingly kept his passion and energy till the end.
• Broken Pedestal: In Season 6, the Red Team looked up to him as their future savior due to his past experience. They quickly found out about his Badass Decay and realized that in his present state, he wasn't much better than they were.
• The Bus Came Back: After dropping out of Season 5 for medical reasons, he returned this season.
• Graceful Loser: Almost averted at first, when he was ranting about being on the chopping block with Andy and arguing with him. Ultimately played straight as he calmly accepted the elimination and decided that he will focus on his health in the hopes of better success in the future.

Placement: 10th

Robert's Elimination Comment - "I left Hell's Kitchen last time because of my health. It was an honor just to be invited to come back. I felt like I was under a lot of pressure. I may have lost it a few times, and I fought back. I damn sure say that Gordon Ramsay and Hell's Kitchen changed my life for the better, but I'm going home and just focusing on my career and my health, and they better watch out because three times is the charm."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Robert's closing plea was quite entertaining, but I'm not looking for a performer, I'm looking for a head chef, and Robert's not that guy."

James "Jim" McGloin

"It was a kitchen apocalypse. Like a hand grenade went off in a cow's ass."

Occupation: Sous Chef

Age: 34

Hometown: Nashua, NH

• Brilliant, but Lazy: While not exactly brilliant, he wasn't actually a bad chef, demonstrating some skill every now and then. But his laziness diluted anything good he did.
• Deadpan Snarker: Had many hilarious quotes throughout the season, although these were mostly saved for confessionals.
  Jim: Joseph, we're not in a war, we're just in a kitchen. So calm down, and let's cook some carrots.
• Fatal Flaw: His slowness. While Jim wasn't a bad chef at all, he often came off as slow moving and lacking urgency, something that Robert pointed out and felt was the reason they lost the sausage link challenge. Eventually, Ramsay took notice of it, and sent him home even though he wasn't nominated.
• The Generic Guy: Didn't really stand out compared to the rest of the Blue Team.
• Greek Chorus: See Deadpan Snarker.
• The Load: Aside from his solid signature dish, Jim wasn't really that helpful throughout the competition. During the blue team's best outings, he tended to fade into the background, and the few times he got focus, it was when he screwed up. Service wise, he wasn't terrible so to speak, but he lacked much energy and leadership, meaning he was never going to match up to chefs such as Dave, Kevin, and Van.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is James, but he went by Jim during the show.
• Weak, but Skilled: As seen by his signature dish, Jim wasn't a bad chef by any stretch of the means. Unfortunately, his skill didn't transfer over well into the kitchen.

Placement: 11th

Jim's Elimination Comment - "Just not fair, you know? I gave it my all every day, but I guess it's not what he was looking for. Chef Ramsay wanted to see me give him back some fire, and that's just not me. So at the end of the day, when my head hits the pillow, I know that I never wavered on who I am."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "At times, I thought Jim was sleepwalking. But then I realised: he just had no passion, and that's why it was time for him to leave Hell's Kitchen."

Amanda "Tek" Moore

"I know how to cook, I'm not a fucking dumbass."

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 27

Hometown: Greenwich, CT

• Crippling Overspecialization: Tek was actually pretty decent when it came to challenges, having one of the few signature dishes Gordon liked and being decent overall when it came to them. Service-wise however, Tek's performances would range from passable at best to downright awful.
• Epic Fail:
  • On opening night, thanks to Lovely, Melinda and herself, she had to redo the first order of appetizers over 10 times.
  • Then came the Marine homecoming night where she completely sunk on the meat station. By the time she finally cooked the first table of entrees properly, the Blue Team had already completed every entrée order. For further insult to injury, she was so swamped that she had to rely on Amanda to grill the lobster (which she failed to do properly). As a result, the Blue Team had to come in and cook all their entrees for them.
• Hidden Depths: Mentioned during the Signature Dish Challenge that she was unemployed.
• The Load: Outside of her signature dish, Tek was easily one of the weakest chefs on the red team. She only barely managed to avoid being worse than Melinda and Lovely, but the moment Lovely was eliminated, Tek immediately became the weakest chef on the Red Team.
• One-Steve Limit: While her first name is actually Amanda, she generally goes by "Tek" even outside the show, which helps avoid any confusion with the other Amanda in this series.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Kept claiming that she was "clearly a good chef" despite being consistently lackluster during service.
  Suzanne: Tek talks a good game, but if she can't back it up, she's going home.
• Token Minority: The only Asian in the season.
• Too Dumb to Live: During the fifth episode, Tek was on the grill station. She would know that the grill only adds sear marks, and she would still have to put the meat in the oven to cook. Instead, she treats it like a grill back home, believing it would cook the meat, causing her meat to be both blue raw and burnt to a crisp at the same time. Not only that, but she completely ignored Ariel and Tennille when they tried to tell her how the grill worked. Her awful performance would only cement her elimination that night.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Like Tony, she seemed to have some skill, as evidenced by her cooking a Signature Dish that Ramsay actually liked; but for whatever reason that skill didn't translate to working with a team.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Was one of only five contestants whose Signature Dish Ramsay actually liked. Other than that, she's most remembered for her Epic Fail on the meat station.

Placement: 12th

Tek's Elimination Comment - "Life is not over for me after Hell's Kitchen because I am a crazy, badass girl, and I'm a hell of a lot better cook than Chef Ramsay saw."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "I kept on waiting for Tek to emerge. She couldn't even handle her station; Tek had a total meltdown."

Connie "Lovely" Jackson

"Told you all, Chef Ramsay loves my ass."

Occupation: Camp Chef

Age: 23

Hometown: Chicago, IL

• The Ditz: Lovely was not particularly bright:
  • First demonstrated when she cooked fondants before they even opened. And they weren't even properly made.
  • Then she topped that when she was confused over why the stove wasn't hot, until Chef Ramsay pointed out that the stove wasn't on. As a bonus, the first instructional video they saw coming in was about a past participant (Bonnie) making the same mistake.
  • Another example was when she was defending herself when Ramsay pointed out how laid-back she was during service.
  Lovely: I try to keep my composure, but I'm moving as quickly as I can, chef. You may not have seen it when you came over.
  Chef Ramsay: So you were moving so fast, that I couldn't see you?
  Lovely: Yes!
  Chef Ramsay: Holy crap!
• Fat Idiot: See The Ditz for more details. She was one of the worst cooks to have appeared on the program.
• Ironic Name: Neither in culinary skills nor personality. Used against her repeatedly by Ramsay:
  Gordon Ramsay: (overcooked fondants before the opening service) Lovely. Which they're not; come here.
  Gordon Ramsay: (raw fish in the second service) Lovely? It's not. It's SHIT!
  Gordon Ramsay: (elimination statement) If people were named for their cooking, her name wouldn't be Lovely, it would be Useless.
• The Load: After Melinda, she was easily the worst cook on the Red Team and possibly the worst in the season.
• Minor Injury Overreaction: Left the kitchen in the middle of the first service for over 45 minutes because she felt dehydrated. Without telling anyone on her team.
• Never My Fault: During the second episode, she realized her stove was off whilst cooking her first scallops. Her immediate response when being told this was to throw Tek under the bus, saying she told her it was on. This is despite the fact she should've realized this.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Her first name is actually Connie, but she goes by Lovely on the show. Why this is is unknown.
• Rule of Three: She was eliminated on her third nomination.

Placement: 13th

Lovely's Elimination Comment - The diva has to leave, but I'm gonna take all of these experience, all this tough times, and I'm gonna keep moving forward. It's not too 'Lovely' leaving Hell's Kitchen."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "If people were named for their cooking, her name wouldn't be Lovely, it would be Useless."

Antonio "Tony" D'Alessandro

"Bada-bing! I got the potential, and here it comes."

Occupation: Culinary Store Manager

Age: 30

Hometown: Chicago, IL

• Crippling Overspecialization: Was a pretty great performer in challenges, putting forth one of the few Signature Dishes Gordon liked and having one of the best performances during the shrimp cleaning challenge. Service wise however, Tony was a pretty weak performer.
• Epic Fail: His final service, where he not only couldn't communicate, but he messed up so badly on the fish station that Kevin had to help him out.
• Keet: Is very enthusiastic to the point he'll end up jumping the gun and getting messed up.
• Large Ham: Of particular note was his Confession Cam impression of an angry Chef Ramsay machine-gunning down the contestants. Debatably harsher or hilarious in hindsight, as Tony himself was gunned down at the start of the next episode, as it were.
• Logic Bomb: "I always season it. I didn't season it, though."
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Antonio, but he went by Tony during the show.
• Out of Focus: After he was eliminated, he was completely forgotten as all everyone could talk about was Joseph's tirade shortly before.
• Poor Communication Kills: During his night on the fish station, he would jump the gun and end up sending up scallops despite Jim not telling him to. It would only be the first of many, many mistakes he would make that night.
• Tempting Fate: After Melinda's elimination, he stated in a Confession Cam: "Hope I'm not next!" As it turned out, he WAS next. (But not before Joseph's meltdown.)
• Unskilled, but Strong: If his Signature Dish is anything to go by, it seemed as if his home cooking skills did have potential, which was further demonstrated when he had the joint-highest number of successfully cleaned shrimp in the second team challenge. But his inexperience in restaurants clearly showed in every dinner service and got him kicked out of the show fast.

Placement: 14th

Tony's Elimination Comment - "I proved myself by being here, you know. I mean, I didn't get a chance to shine, so out I go, but I still think I have the palate of a god."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Joseph Tinnelly

"I'm not no bitch!"

Occupation: Former US Marine & Sous Chef

Age: 27

Hometown: Massapequa Park, NY

• Ascended Meme: As it was revealed in the post-finale credits, Gordon Ramsay frequently used Joseph's parting phrase "I ain't nobody's bitch", to get a good laugh out of the contestants.
• Can't Take Criticism: He responded poorly when Gordon criticized his Signature Dish, which included undercooked vegetables despite the veal shank being cooked perfectly. He refused to sample his own vegetables at Gordon's request without a fork, and later said he would duke it out with Ramsay for criticizing his dish. Gordon asked him not to be so defensive.
• Cluster F-Bomb: All the time!
• Confusing Multiple Negatives: "I'm not no bitch!" means that he isn't NOT a bitch - ergo, he's a bitch.
• Deadpan Snarker: For all his bad behavior, he did have one legitimately funny moment in a Confession Cam insert after Andy had just been yelled at for undercooked chicken. Joseph pointed out that since Andy had a meat thermometer on his arm, maybe he should actually think about using it rather than it just being a fashion accessory.
  • Then there was his reaction to the instructional videos, giving them tips like cooking with heat on, tasting the food, and not crying.
  Joseph: I could really use those tips. I'm hoping later they could teach me how to tie my shoelaces.
• Genre Blindness: Given how often he complained about the different aspects of the show (the challenges, rewards, respecting Chef Ramsay), it was quite clear that he had never watched a single episode of Hell's Kitchen.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: One of the most notorious cases of this, often lashing out verbal abuse without provocation and then blowing up completely at Gordon for no good reason whatsoever.
• His Own Worst Enemy: Joseph's main obstacles to success in Hell's Kitchen were his bullheaded stubbornness, his inability to handle criticism, and his violent temper.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Whatever skill he might have possessed, he completely destroyed his chance at the prize when he became aggressive with Gordon without any provocation. Joseph didn't seem to give a crap however, having said repeatedly he didn't care to reap the rewards of prevailing in the competition. Gordon however was disgusted at how fast Joseph was to blow such an opportunity without a second thought.
• Hypocritical Humor: In the Confession Cam before presenting his Signature Dish to Chef Ramsay, he says he feels like a dog who's been taken off his leash, and when Chef Ramsay asks him to taste an uncooked Brussel sprout from his dish, he asks for a fork because, in his own words, he's not an animal.
• Jerkass Has a Point: He might be a total asshole, but he was completely correct in saying that Louie was out of his league.
• Karma Houdini: In spite of his dickish behavior and disgraceful departure from Hell's Kitchen, he returned to his job in Massapequa Park and was able to find work elsewhere.
• Logic Bomb: Right before Ramsay tasted his Signature Dish, he said to the confessional that he felt like a hungry dog taken off its leash, ready to win the competition. When Ramsay asks him to taste an overcooked brusselsprout, Joseph asked for a fork and said he wasn't an animal.
• Rage Quit: Him storming right up to Ramsay's face and challenging him to a fight with absolutely no provocation essentially boils down to this, having at that moment sunk any shot he may have had at the prize. Without flinching, Ramsay ordered him to get out, and Joseph cursed everyone in the room as he took his leave.
• Serious Business: He mentions point blank at the reward in the first episode that he only cares about winning and not enjoying a pleasant break that the blue team earned as a victory.
• This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: "I'm not no bitch!" That's all the evidence we'll ever need.
• White Gangbangers: He seriously has this vibe given his aggression, attitude, vernacular, and body language. It's especially jarring given that he's a Marine from a fairly wealthy part of Long Island and has zero reason to be acting like it.
• You Know What You Did: What set off his Rage Quit moment - After Tennille and Lovely were nominated for the Ladies, Ramsay asked Joseph to reveal his first nominee. Joseph declares "They can speak for themself, but they know who they are." When Ramsay gets him to just reveal the first nominee, he finally answers with Tony, but adds in that "he knows why"

Placement: 15th (Disqualified)

Joseph's Elimination Comment - "I don't need this or that. I don't need some limey fucking prick talking to me like that. Without skipping a beat, go back home, I'll work. Anybody would fucking hire me to work in their kitchen, and they'd be proud to have me there. Fuck him! Fuck him!"

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "What an idiot. Total, total shame."

Melinda Meaney

"My dish... it's very rich and succulent, it's luscious and velvety... you can just feel what's happening in your mouth, and the satisfaction that comes."

Occupation: Private Chef

Age: 38

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

• Alliterative Name: Melinda Meaney.
• The Ditz: She threw out plate after plate of pasta, and had the "deer in the headlights" look when it was found and even on Confession Cam. It wasn't entirely her fault that she'd had to throw out so much pasta; Tek kept overcooking the scallops, meaning that all the appetizers had to be redone, and Lovely, who was supposed to be helping Melinda, abandoned their station for 45 minutes. But she was completely unable to articulate this to Ramsay, and was eliminated, with Ramsay noting that she was "completely lost in space, so I sent her back to whatever planet she came from."
  • Let's not forget her Signature Dish, which she said was lobster tail... except there was no lobster tail. Ramsay was livid and trashed it, firmly identifying her as a ditz.
• Epic Fail: Her Signature Dish, which was supposed to be a lobster tail, was missing its key ingredient: the lobster tail. Then, during the first dinner service, she managed to throw away three pans worth of cappellini in the trash, and was completely unable to explain herself.
• Graceful Loser: All things considered, she took her elimination well, and hoped one day she might get a second chance to prove her skill to Chef Ramsay.
• High Hopes, Zero Talent: She spoke very, very highly of her Signature Dish before presenting it to Gordon, only to find herself at a near-total loss for words when it was revealed she had forgotten the lobster tail, citing "challenge" in the kitchen. After her poor performance in the disastrous opening service, she insisted she could do better, but was eliminated that evening instead.
• Ms. Fanservice: She certainly thought of herself as this, and granted she wasn't bad looking by any means.
• Oh, Crap!: Was caught wasting absurd amounts of capellini and, when Gordon demanded to know what the hell she was doing, she just stood there wide-eyed and speechless, unable to respond. While the wasted pasta wasn't entirely her fault, her reaction more or less sealed her fate that evening.
• Stunned Silence: Her reaction to being caught wasting pasta. However, doing so led her to be an easy target to get rid of as her inability to speak up made her a liability.
• What Were You Thinking?: Ramsay had this reaction when he caught Melinda throw out undercooked capellini as he expected her to cook it a little long. Then came the trashed pasta incident.

Placement: 16th

Melinda's Elimination Comment - "I am really disappointed. I really was looking forward to spending more time with Chef Ramsay. Chef Gordon Ramsay, I'd love to make you a four-course dinner and you can see exactly what kind of talent I have."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Melinda was completely lost in space, so I sent her back to whatever planet she came from."

David "Louie" Cordio

"Hundreds of people eat that in my diner every week. I don't think it was worth spitting out!"

Occupation: Diner Owner

Age: 45

Hometown: Fitchburg, MA

• Cordon Bleugh Chef: His sausage gravy over biscuits was something of which he spoke very highly. Unfortunately for him, the dish was visually unappealing and Ramsay compared it to a pile of gunk meant for pigs.
• Epic Fail: Wasting the entire Blue Team's lamb supply was so bad that Gordon eliminated him in the middle of the first service before closing the kitchen.
• Laser-Guided Karma: He claims to have fired hundreds or even thousands of employees, and was eliminated before the first service ended.
• The Load: In his very short stint in the competition, Louie proved to be grossly incompetent as a chef. His Signature Dish was easily the worse of the men's, he failed to realize why searing meat was important, he tried to take over the garnish station from Joseph when it was not his place, and he mangled the entire lamb supply for the blue kitchen. Is there any reason why Ramsay was quick to send him home in the middle of service?
• One-Steve Limit: His real name is actually David, but he went by Louie during his very brief time on the show to avoid confusion with the other, infinitely more competent Dave.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: See above.
• Pointy-Haired Boss: He owns a diner, yet he doesn't know why you should sear meat before putting it in the oven ^note to give it color and improve the flavor; he doesn't understand why he should stick to his station instead of trying to cook both the meat and the garnish for his order; and finally, he completely wasted the lamb after repeatedly mangling it while trying to carve the chops. His incompetence earned him a well-deserved elimination mid-service.
• Sore Loser: Was livid about being ejected from the show before even reaching the end of the first service (this has not happened since.)
• We Hardly Knew Ye: His gross Signature Dish and then wasting meat in the first service led to him having the shortest stay of any contestant (not counting Season 3's J.R.) on the show up to this point, and the shortest stay of any contestant who did not leave for medical reasons; he was kicked out of Hell's Kitchen just prior to the first service ending in failure (he was immediately replaced by Robert), and Melinda followed him out the door a few minutes later at actual elimination.

Placement: 17th (Eliminated mid-service)

Louie's Elimination Comment - "You want me out? You want me to pack my fucking bags? I'm out. My bags are packed. HE CAN KISS. MY. FUCKING. ASS!"

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Season 7

Holli Ugalde

"We don't talk about food, we talk about sex."

Occupation: Banquet Chef

Age: 24

Hometown: San Bernardino, CA

• The Ace: She, along with Jay, were the only two chefs that season to completely avoid nomination.
• Badass Adorable: Hollie looks good and is one of the biggest sweethearts of the competition. She is also one of the stronger links of the red team who managed to win the competition.
• Bittersweet Ending: Despite winning the competition, she was unable to take the job at the Savoy in London due to work permit problems, causing her to accuse the show's producers of never having had any intention of employing her.^note In actual fact, the UK's immigration laws at the time required any vacancy to have been advertised to UK or European Union nationals before it could be offered to anyone else. Since the vacancy was a prize in a TV show it wasn't technically advertised at all, and thus didn't meet the requirements for Holli to be given a UK work permit. This was apparently the result of the show's production staff not realizing the law had changed since Season 1, when Michael was offered the opportunity to work at Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant in London. Though she would go on to find success after the show, creating her own line of cookware and opening her own organic farm.
• Chekhov's Gunman: An interesting real-life example. As seen under her Out of Focus section, she never got a lot of focus throughout the competition, and wasn't even treated like an actual threat due to Jay, Benjamin, and even Autumn and Ed displaying more promise. Come the black jackets however, Holli would start to get more focus and actually became a massive threat to win, and sure enough, she did.
• The Cameo: Made one for the 100th dinner service in Season 8.
• Dark Horse Victory: As consistent as she was, not many viewers actually predicted her as the winner. Jay was the favorite from relatively early in the season, with the second-favorite being Benjamin for much of the season, then Autumn in the later stages.
• Did They or Didn't They?: The night she and Jay got into the final two, they both embraced each other pretty closely. Holli said in a suggestive tone, "We are all alone." The camera panned away and then it went into the next morning. We never got to see what happened after that embrace.
  • Cherry on top was that on the next day, when the past chefs returned, Jay expressed disappointment because he was really hoping to sleep with Holli that night. As if it was a sure thing. In a post-show interview, Holli said it never happened and they were just friends.
• Epic Fail: Her Signature Dish was not great, in fact Ramsay tossed it straight into the trash. Although it's just a reminder that not every winner starts off strong.
• Fanservice: Considered by many to be one of the hottest, best-looking contestants the show has ever had. Which may explain why Jay wanted to sleep with her.
• Friendly Rivalry: With Jay. They got along well with each other - to the point where other people strongly suspected that they were sleeping with each other, not that Jay would complain about that.
• Only Sane Woman: Shared this role with Nilka while being on the dysfunctional and incompetent Red Team.
• Out of Focus: Wasn't very noticeable at first, but slowly started showing promise by dominating in challenges and making it to the Black Jackets. Chef Ramsay lampshaded it in his reasoning for her victory (see below).
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Becomes this after she got her Black Jacket, mostly with her showmance with Jay.
• Took a Level in Badass: She was a very strong chef, but she never really established herself as much of a threat in the competition for the most part. Come the black jackets however, Holli started to quickly emerge as a legitimate threat, to the extent that once she made the finale, Jay finally realized how much of a threat she actually posed.
• Underestimating Badassery: Both Jay and Benjamin (especially Benjamin) considered themselves to be significantly better chefs than her. Jay considered her to be a good chef, but never saw her as a huge threat until the finale as he had his eyes focused on Benjamin and perhaps because he was more interested in sleeping with her. Benjamin had little respect for her and thought she was actually weak. She went on to win the season.

Placement: Winner

Holli's Winner Comment - "I'm so excited! It's crazy! Aah! Jay is a great person, and if it wasn't me against him, I would hope he would win because I think he deserves to win. Jay rocks. I have missed my son so much. 'Cause we hug, and he's, like, 'Mama, you're the best chef ever.' When he looks back at, he's gonna be proud, and that feels good. He's my little man, he's my little chef."

Ramsay's Winner Comment - "Holli won because she has grown as a chef more than any other chef in Hell's Kitchen. At the start, she was barely noticeable, but then she got her confidence. She emerged and there was no holding her back. I'm absolutely thrilled she'll be working for me at the Savoy Grill in London."

Jason "Jay" Santos

Also Blue Team sous chef, Seasons 19-present

"I have two goals in Hell's Kitchen. One is to win and the other is to sleep with Holli."

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 32

Hometown: Melrose, MA

^{Click here to see him as Sous Chef}

• Achilles' Heel: Despite his skill and consistency during service, his track record in the challenges was surprisingly mediocre. Quite often his dishes suffered from Complexity Addiction and failed to impress Ramsay, most notably in the "Mother Sauces" challenge, where his dish only avoided being the worst of the group because Siobhan's was raw.
• Celebrity Resemblance: Bears a strong one to Fat Mike of NOFX.
• Deadpan Snarker:
  Jay: Good looking guys, but not my type.
• Dye Hard: Still has the Blue Hair even to this day.
• Friendly Rivalry: With Holli.
• In-Series Nickname:
  Ramsay: Where's that fucking Smurf? SMURF!
  • He also had another one, Blue Jay.
• Graceful Loser: He took his defeat in the finale rather well, admitting it was very close and congratulating Holli.
• One Degree of Separation: While it was never mentioned on the show, early in his career he worked under Season 6's Andy at his restaurant.
• One-Steve Limit: His first name is Jason, but he was called "Jay" on the show to avoid confusion with the other Jason. Notably, when he was featured in a "where are they now" segment at the start of Season 13, he was referred to as Jason rather than Jay. His real name was also used in the Season 17 (All Stars) finale by his former rival Benjamin who would go on become a runner-up himself, and again when he became the Blue Team's sous chef in Season 19 (Las Vegas).
• Only Known by Their Nickname: See above.
• The Runner-Up Takes It All: After the season ended, he was able to open multiple restaurants, one of which was with fellow contestant Salvatore, be featured on Bar Rescue, and have himself featured on a credit card.
  • He officially joined the Gordon Ramsay group in 2019 and became the current Hell's Kitchen sous chef for the Blue Team as of Season 19 (Las Vegas). Quite notable, given that other runner-ups (Kevin from Season 6, T from Season 14, and Heather from Season 16) returned in Season 18 as mere contestants.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: After he got his Black Jacket, due to his showmance with Holli.

Placement: 2nd

Jay's Runner-Up Comment - "I'm not psyched about losing, but it was very close, and Holli did a great job and deserved to win. - Hopefully, I can take her pants off tonight."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Benjamin Knack

Also Season 17 (All Stars)

"That's not my personal opinion, that's my PROFESSIONAL opinion."

Occupation: Culinary Instructor

Age: 33

Hometown: Elmont, NY

• Achilles' Heel: Was a really good cook in the kitchen. But he just couldn't communicate well with other chefs, often being unresponsive when people asked him for times.
• The Bully: While he didn't like the female chefs all too much, he was particularly vile to Siobhan, where he constantly said she was the weakest member of the team and said it was his "professional opinion".
• Catchphrase: "No doubt in my fucking mind." He repeats this quite often, mostly in relation to his self-flattering beliefs regarding his capabilities in running a restaurant. He will also more or less repeat constantly, in almost every Confession Cam about either Holli and/or Autumn, that they don't have the skills needed to be a head chef, that they have no passion for cooking etc. which can get annoying after a while.
• Dramatic Irony: He stated a lot that he didn't think that Holli had what it took to be a head chef. Not only did Holli manage to have a better pass than him, but Holli went on to win the season.
• Failed a Spot Check: During delivery day, he took charge of the wine delivery, only to realize upon JP pointing it out that the delivery was for Gordon Ramsay London, not Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen. That pretty much meant he, and the entire red team had to take back the entire delivery.
• He Cleans Up Nicely: At the start of the season, he looked very like Shaggy, but after winning the first individual challenge of the competition, he got a haircut, new clothes, and a photo shoot. The difference it made was astonishing.
• He-Man Woman Hater: While it wasn't nearly as bad as someone like Jason from Season 4, Benjamin very clearly had a low opinion of the female chefs of the season, Siobhan in particular.
• Gratuitous French: Had a tendency to say "oui chef".
• Important Haircut: Got his hair cut while on a reward in the Black Jackets. Soon after that, Benjamin would start to seriously struggle to the extent that the chef he believed could be easy to beat in Holli, would make it to the finals over him.
• Minor Injury Overreaction: After straining his back from punishment, he completely skipped out on dinner prep. He almost withdrew from the competition. Jay and Holli noted that during dinner service, he cooked just fine with no signs of pain at all.
  Benjamin: I can't bend over. I can't cook. (bends over to pick up something without a sweat; background piano music plays)
• Poor Communication Kills: One of his biggest problems was not being able to communicate with his teammates, several times someone would ask him "how long?" and he would just stare blankly and not give any kind of response, Ramsay identified it as one of his weaknesses, which made him a very poor leader.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: He believed that he was the only chef that could beat Jay. In the finals when Benjamin was on his team, his actions essentially cost Jay the victory.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Attempted to pull this near the end of the season, claiming he had back problems (which he used as an excuse to get out of doing prep) and tried to use that as an excuse to quit the show despite having no problems bending over or moving around the kitchen, the other Black Jackets were pretty annoyed by his laziness and after a talk with Ramsay he decided to stay.
• Smug Super: He was very much arrogant, but he was one of the better chefs of the season.
• Too Dumb to Live: After Ramsay left the kitchen for a moment and Sous Chef Scott took over, Benjamin decided to try becoming a leader and reading out orders from the pass. It turned out that this was one of Sous Chef Scott's berserk buttons, and thus was on the receiving end on an absolutely brutal chewing out from a furious Scott.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: He didn't start out that terribly, being seen as reasonable enough. However, after his transfer to the Red Team, he started to act extremely condescending to the other chefs.
• Unwanted Assistance: In the finale he tried to help run Jay's kitchen for him in order to ensure his victory, but if anything it more likely prevented Jay from winning, since it ended up looking like he needed assistance to run the kitchen, whereas Holli was indisputably the one in charge of her own kitchen.
• Worthy Opponent: Jay considered him to be one. He was often competitive with Benjamin, but he respected him as well and considered him a friend. The feeling was mutual as Ben felt that he was the only cook capable of beating Jay. When he came back in the finale, he was very energized to compete alongside Jay (part of it was because he felt like he was better than Holli and wanted to see her lose).

Placement: 3rd

Benjamin's Elimination Comment - "Being in Hell's Kitchen makes you appreciate every moment. I gave it all, and either I was gonna show off, or I was gonna go down in flames because I was pushing it. The time that I've spent in Hell's Kitchen has definitely reconnected my passion. There's no way I can go back to teaching."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Autumn Lewis

"I'm not afraid to be the bitch."

Occupation: Personal Chef

Age: 29

Hometown: Chicago, IL

• Can't Hold His Liquor: Got very drunk from simple wine tasting.
• Emotionless Girl: Subverted. Often came off as this, whether she wanted to or not. But she gave up her PhD program to cook and never gave up, no matter how much she was disliked or nominated.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: She was very much disliked by everyone else. Not necessarily because she was a bad person, just because they found her annoying.
• Genre Blindness: Failed to catch the sabotage dish while at the pass. Fair enough, a lot of chefs don't catch that. But when Chef Ramsay pointed it out, she laughed about it. She admitted later on that she made a huge mistake since Chef Ramsay does not like laughing in the kitchen.
• Hidden Depths: When questioned about her passion, she stated she gave up a chance for a doctorate to follow her passion on cooking.
• Informed Flaw: The Red Team accused her of being the weakest cook and nominated her for elimination twice, even though she only did one wrong thing for each night (putting too much salt in the pasta water during prep and accidentally dropping a piece of fish on the hot electric stove), and Jamie and Siobhan respectively had been the actual worst performers on the Red Team on those evenings (albeit in the latter instance Autumn and Siobhan were the only two Red Team members who did anything wrong that night, and Siobhan's mistakes weren't much worse than Autumn's). A lot of this was just due to them not liking her personality and coming up with excuses to get her kicked out.
• Moment Killer: Joined Holli and Jay in the hot tub while they were in the middle of flirting (and groping each other). They weren't too pleased about that.
• Took a Level in Badass: While she was a long way from being one of the worst performers in the first half of the season, she was rather inconsistent. Starting with the last Red/Blue Team service however she started doing much better, and during the final weeks of the season was generally considered as the favorite to make it to the final with Jay.
• Two First Names: Autumn Lewis.
• Wall of Blather: She really wasn't a bad person. But she often annoyed the people around her with the way she talked on and on.

Placement: 4th

Autumn's Elimination Comment - "I'm happy to have made it this far. I was able to overcome obstacles I didn't know that I had the strength in me to do. I got stronger and stronger, and I never gave up. Every elimination, I was being told by my teammates I wasn't passionate, I wasn't a team player, and I proved everyone wrong, and I'm really proud of myself for that."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Jason Ellis

"Chef Ramsay, he's like the Jay-Z of fucking restaurants! You don't talk back to a man like that!"

Occupation: Personal Chef

Age: 37

Hometown: Greenville, SC

• Berserk Button: He really didn't handle criticism well at first. He got better at handling this after time though.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: He wasn't a particularly outspoken individual. But he would easily get mad at times. When he was nominated for the first time, he became downright scary when they came back to the dorms. This was mainly in the beginning though, not so much later on.
• Cheaters Never Prosper: Attempted to fry a piece of chicken and French fries in the same basket in one service. When Ramsay discovered it, he ripped Jason apart, derisively calling him a "fucking smart arse."
• Crippling Overspecialization: Save for his final three challenges, Jason was a very strong performer in those. Service-wise however, Jason was rather inconsistent.
• Deadpan Snarker: He had some moments throughout the season.
  Jason: Jason don't jump out of fucking planes. Do I look like a bird, a condor, a fucking pterodactyl?
• Did Not Think This Through:
  • The aforementioned chicken and French fry incident in the barbecue service.
  • In the Budget Challenge, Jason thought that buying frozen ravioli would be respectable for both the budget and the judges. It ended up being the worst rated dish of the night at $16.
• Expy: He seemed to share some similarities to Season 4's Bobby, such as both being the same height, being nominated early in the season, but managing to bounce back, and even finished in the same position.
• Genre Blind: During the final five challenge, Jason made the particularly questionable decision of using frozen ravioli for the budget challenge, as using pre-made ingredients is one of Hell's Kitchen's biggest no-nos. It's even worse when considering that Salvatore had also gotten in trouble for using pre-made pasta for his signature dish, so he clearly must've forgotten.
• Out of Focus: Despite making it all the way to fifth place, he never really got much attention.
• Scary Black Man: Was for the most part quiet. But he had a temper problem and could be pretty scary when angry. This was mainly in the beginning, he sort of got better as time went on.
• Third-Person Person: Does this in the quote in Deadpan Snarker.
• Took a Level in Badass: He wasn't exactly great in the beginning, but as the season progressed, he got way better, and even made it to the Black Jackets.
• Two First Names: Jason Ellis.

Placement: 5th

Jason's Elimination Comment - "I'm proud of myself. From the first dinner service up until my last dinner service, I elevated every time. Being here this long has made me truly a better chef, a better person, and a better leader. I know something else is out there for me, and being here was probably the catapult for that thing to happen. But I loved the experience, it was great, once in a lifetime. Ups and downs, highs and lows, it was wonderful, but I'd never do this shit again."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Jason was good enough to make it to the final five, but he just didn't instill the confidence I needed to see to be my head chef."

Edward "Ed" Battaglia

"Fist pump, come and get ya', how do you like me now?"

Occupation: High School Cooking Teacher

Age: 28

Hometown: Burlington, NJ

• Badass Decay: He started out as a major front-runner of the season due to his strong leadership in the first episode. After that however, he would slowly start to crumble, making more and more mistakes.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: After the Blue Team win the challenge in Episode 8, he got pretty drunk during the reward, and then continued drinking throughout the night that followed. As a result, he was hungover throughout prep and (implicitly) the service that followed, which predictably ended in total disaster. His strong-until-then performances never recovered after that, eventually leading to him getting the chop after the first Black Jacket service.
• Epic Fail: His final service on fish, which could be worse than Nilka's. He sent up raw fish numerous times, and was completely flustered throughout the night.
• Foreshadowing: In the show's intro, Ed can be seen riding a surfboard before wiping out. This foreshadows that Ed started out extremely well, only to wipe out when he was doing good.
• The Generic Guy
• In Vino Veritas: His personality completely changes if he's drunk.
• The Leader: He became this during the opening service, where his leadership allowed for a Hell's Kitchen first in the first service being completed.
• Naked People Are Funny: During the drinking scenes, he eventually decided to go buck naked in the spa.
• Nervous Wreck: Was this in his final service, where his nerves and failure to properly cook fish resulted in his elimination.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Edward, but he went by Ed during the show.
• Rule of Three: He was eliminated on his third nomination.
• Un Ishment: A downplayed example with the third episode punishment; while he wasn't overly thrilled about having to clean the banks of the Los Angeles river, he was glad to at least be doing something useful for the community, and also found it weirdly amusing the things that people throw in the river.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Did not return for the final service so Siobhan took his place.
• The Worf Effect: Ed started out extremely strong, leading the blue team to victory during the first night and thus, resulting in opening night's service being completed for the first time. However, around the final eight, Ed started to tank hard. It's even possible that he could've been eliminated in the final seven had Nilka not completely tanked on the fish station. At the final six, he had easily his worst performance, and that would send him home.

Placement: 6th

Ed's Elimination Comment - "It's disappointing, but I don't have any regrets, I had a great time here. The hardest part about being here is standing up for yourself, building self-confidence, not wanting to give up. Sometimes, actions speak better than words. Apparently, my actions tonight weren't too good. I guess it's kind of easy when you got 15 others, but when you got only five others and you mess up, you really stand out."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Ed was one of the favourites because of his strong start. Unfortunately, in cooking, it's not how you start, it's how you finish."

Nilka Hendricks

"You can go fuck yourself, and I mean that from the bottom of my ASS!"

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 28

Hometown: Glen Cove, NY

• Berserk Button: Completely ripped into the Red Team, in particular Fran, for nominating her in Episode 5 over Scott. While it was definitely one of her less stellar services, it was nowhere near as bad as Scott's performance. Ramsay saw through this easily, and sent Nilka back in line without even asking why she should stay, while also nominating Scott himself.
• Deadpan Snarker: As seen in the quote under This Is Gonna Suck.
• Determinator: After being kicked out during her last service, she came back into the kitchen, refused to leave, and eventually had to be ushered out by Benjamin.
• Glass Cannon: Nilka was for the most part a solid chef, and she very well could've been a dark-horse pick to win based on the fact that her mistakes weren't necessarily terrible. However, her final service saw all of her skill fly right out the window, to the extent she was ejected despite looking like a front-runner.
• This Is Going to Suck: When she sent up her dish for the pork challenge, she sounded and looked defeated since she knew the dish was awful.^note It was a blood sausage and prune puree that Scott forced her to do. Ramsay basically called it a disaster.
  Nilka: (Confession Cam) I knew it. I'd rather have just gone up there with an empty plate, like "voilà, chef!"
• The Worf Effect: Things went spectacularly wrong for her in the last Red/Blue Team service however, which led to her being kicked out mid-service. However, Ramsay still thought she had done immensely well and actually met her at the service entrance to say goodbye, something he had never done before.
  • Managed to return to her former badass self when she came back in the finale (despite a bit of a rocky start on venison, which she never cooked before).

Placement: 7th (Eliminated mid-service)

Nilka's Elimination Comment - "It hurts to get kicked out of here like this. It really, really does. I don't want to take my jacket off, and it- oh it just- it pisses me off that it went down like this, it really, really did. It really, really did. - I don't want to go home. I don't want to go home. I don't. I came here for a reason."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Tonight was the best service we've had in Hell's Kitchen, and that's why I rewarded the final six. Now, only the best chefs remain. Nilka was clearly out of her depth."

Frances "Fran" Klier

"Nobody fucking talks in this kitchen! It's like walking zombies."

Occupation: Catering Chef

Age: 44

Hometown: Rockville Center, NY

• Determinator: Was a pretty bad cook. But a very determined one at least. When she got kicked out in the first service, she told Chef Ramsay that she wouldn't leave her team. He had to threaten to drag her out in order for her to leave.
• The Load: Was the worst cook on the Red Team after Stacey got an early exit from the show and then Small Name, Big Ego trope offender Scott was sent packing.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Had this when she nominated Nilka for elimination on Scott's advice. She felt genuinely terrible, and claimed she felt so bad, she would rather nominate herself than put Nilka up ever again.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Her real name is Frances, but she went by Fran during the show.
• Too Dumb to Live: After being named the Best of the Worst in episode five, Fran was given the option to choose who to nominate. Before the ceremony, Scott told her to not nominate him as Ramsay would probably eliminate both him and Maria, who also screwed up that night. Fran, instead of not listening to Scott and remembering that Ramsay would likely not accept her nominations, decided to nominate Nilka of all people instead of him. This of course resulted in Ramsay calling Scott up regardless and Fran being made to look gullible.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Received one from Ramsay for nominating Nilka instead of Scott. Later that night, she received another epic one from Nilka herself.

Placement: 8th

Fran's Elimination Comment - "I don't regret one minute that I have spent here. I truly was the backbone of the team. They all think that the red team is stronger with me gone. The red team, they don't realize what they've lost right now."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Fran wanted her team to communicate, but it seems the only thing her team agreed on is wanting her gone."

Siobhan Allgood

"It's not going to ruin my day if I cry, it's going to make me feel better."

Occupation: Pub Executive Chef

Age: 25

Hometown: Rockledge, PA

• Extreme Doormat: She was not treated very well throughout the season, being pushed around by several chefs, with Benjamin in particular being the worst offender.
• History Repeats: After Jamie was kicked out following the third service for letting Siobhan take over her station, Siobhan was herself eliminated as a direct result of allowing Benjamin to take over her station.
• Picked Last: Didn't take this too hard as she anticipated it. She was mostly glad that she wasn't on the same team as Benjamin.
• Rule of Three: She was eliminated on her third nomination.
• The Woobie: She got very little respect throughout the competition, due to being seen as one of the weaker chefs and being pushed around by Scott and Benjamin.

Placement: 9th

Siobhan's Elimination Comment - "I'm definitely leaving Hell's Kitchen with a lot of confidence, and I'm very proud to at least have gotten this far. It would be nice to run the Savoy Grill, but to take this experience and to learn so much from it is priceless. All in all, I stayed professional, I stayed true to myself, and I was brave and fearless the entire way through."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Siobhan got pushed around a lot in Hell's Kitchen, so it was up to me to finally push her out."

Salvatore Coppola

"Chef, they're gonna think that I'm a man whore!"

Occupation: Pizzeria Chef

Age: 35

Hometown: Laurel Springs, NJ

• Blatant Lies: Denied that he added fresh rice to a batch of risotto that was almost finished because he discovered that he didn't have enough risotto.
• Epic Fail: His Signature Dish included packaged pasta, which baffled Ramsay as he was actually native to Italy. On top of that, the pasta wasn't cooked all the way through. The next dish to come up (Benjamin's) actually included homemade pasta and got high marks from Gordon, who was quick to remind Salvatore to keep his authentic next time.
• Funny Foreigner: Despite having lived in America since he was 13, Italian is still his first language, and he's definitely not lacking in a sense of humor.
• Graceful Loser: Admitted that he deserved to be eliminated, despite being on the winning team.
• Irony: He's authentic Italian, and yet he used pre-made pasta for his Signature Dish (for extra bonus, it was under cooked). Even worse when his teammate Benjamin said he made his pasta for his dish right after, which Ramsay enjoyed.
• Kaizo Trap: He was eliminated despite being on the winning team due to his constant mistakes in the kitchen.
• The Load: Outside of one service, Salvatore was more often than not one of the weaker chefs of the season. It was bad enough for Ramsay to eliminate him from the winning team.
• Mr. Fanservice: Despite living in America for twenty years, he kept his accent just because the women like it.
• Never Learned to Read: He was chosen to take down orders in Episode 3 but his writing, to put it lightly, couldn't be deciphered. When Ramsay chews him out on this, he nearly ends up walking out, until Jean-Philippe persuaded him to stay. When the same situation came up again two episodes later, Salvatore explains that he never learned to read or write English because he spent all of his time working with his parents when he came to America. Ramsay lightens up after that.
• Nice Guy: Hands down the friendliest contestant this season.
• Older Than They Look: Salvatore looked quite young, despite the fact he was 35.
• Only Friend: In the grand scope of things, he appeared to be this to Scott, as everyone else really hated his Small Name, Big Ego tendencies and being a consistent weak link. Notably, when Salvatore got control of the nomination after the fourth service, he took the time to tell Scott that his nominating him was nothing personal, and that there was simply no-one else he could nominate (the only other Blue Team member who got anything wrong that night was Ed, and his mistakes were comparatively minor), with Scott himself agreeing it was the right call.
• Really Gets Around: When asked how many women he slept with, he was not sure. Apparently he lost count around the 30s-40s.
• Took a Level in Badass: After several services of him being weak, he had a good enough performance to allow him to named Best of the Best. Unfortunately for him, he spiraled immediately afterwards.
• What Were You Thinking?: Despite being a native Italian, he used premade pasta, making him the second contestant to use premade ingredients for their Signature Dish. Ramsay wasn't as serious about this one as other cases though, still eating it only to find it was also undercooked.

Placement: 10th

Salvatore's Elimination Comment - "You mess up, you pay the consequences, so... Yeah, I'm mad that I left, but at the same time, you know, I messed it up two, three times in a row, so I deserve to went home, and it was the right decision. Grazie tutti. Ciao."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Salvatore had a big heart. Too bad he couldn't cook with it."

Scott Hawley

"It'll be a struggle for me to be a cook amongst other cooks, because I've become accustomed to being a chef amongst cooks. I would be embarrassed to finish second place."

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 32

Hometown: Modesto, CA

• Batman Gambit: After the fifth service, Scott attempted to convince Fran, who had been named the Best of the Worst, to not nominate him, saying that Ramsay would eliminate both him and Maria. While Fran ends up not nominating him, Ramsay ends up calling him down anyways.
• Cordon Bleugh Chef: While the Red Team were lumped with a difficult selection of ingredients during the pork challenge, he probably couldn't have come up with a worse combination than blood sausage and prunes even if he'd actively been trying to.
• Establishing Character Moment: His Signature Dish scene told all there was to his character. Gave a big speech which is his character quote. Cut to Chef Ramsay calling his dish pathetic.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He was arrogant, condescending, and overall unpleasant to be around, but he did have good moments to him. He did pick up Salvatore after he came close to quitting, and even after Salvatore was choosing the Best of the Worst nominees and chose him, Scott didn't take it personally.
• Killed Mid-Sentence: While he was given yet another speech about he was the best in the team, Ramsay cut him off and eliminated him right there.
• The Load: He saw himself as the strongest player on both teams. His teammates greatly disagreed, as his attempts to help often made things worse.
• Manipulative Bastard: Managed to persuade Fran to nominate Nilka instead of him in Episode 5, despite him having been far worse. Ramsay sees through this easily, and nominates him personally.
• One-Hit Wonder: His one genuinely decent performance came in the second service, when Ramsay relied on him to serve extra tableside appetizers to make up for Mikey's screw-ups, and then brought him into the kitchen to help out after Andrew's Rage Quit.invoked
• Pet the Dog: The only legitimately good thing (aside from the second service) he did was pick Salvatore up from being close to quitting and gave him some confidence to deliver a decent dinner service.
• Rule of Three: Was eliminated after being nominated for the third time in a row.
• Running Gag: Whenever he gave these big grandiose speeches describing how good he was, there was always overly heroic music accompanying it.
• Small Name, Big Ego: One of the worst offenders of this in the whole show. Almost every sentence that came out of his mouth was about how great a chef he is and how the Blue/Red Team would "die" without him, when he was one of the worst chefs of the season.

Placement: 11th

Scott's Elimination Comment - "I certainly am the best cook on the red team, but when you're working with teammates that aren't as qualified to be there as you are, it makes it hard. But at the end of the day, I'm still gonna go on and continue to be a great chef."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "If Scott could cook as well as he talks, he'd be the winner of Hell's Kitchen. Unfortunately for him, he can't."

Maria Torrisi

"I dunno, maybe I talk a little too much. I don't know if it's just flat-out a lack of self-control. It's just outrageous. Look at me now, I can't even stop myself."

Occupation: Kitchen Supervisor

Age: 24

Hometown: Scranton, PA

• Cloud Cuckoolander: Spaced out really easily during service, and even laughed out loud at Ramsay when he was yelling at her for undercooked steak.
• Distaff Counterpart: To Charlie from Season 5. Much like him, she did a poor job in the kitchen during the service when she was eliminated, but not really any worse than Scott or Sibohan. Where she did do much worse than either of them was when it came to being a server, which ended up being the deciding factor in her elimination.
• Dumb Blonde: Had her moments of this.
• Epic Fail: One moment of failure to note is Maria serving Ramsay a sweet potato soup with ham hock garnish. The problem? It was a pork themed challenge where the pork had to be the star of the dish! Even Ramsay told Maria she screwed the red team on that mistake.
• Motor Mouth: Once she started talking, it was really hard to get her to stop. Self described in the above quote.
• Sarcasm-Blind: When an angry Chef Ramsay barked at her to 'get her pretty face over here', she took this quite literally and wistfully told the Confession Cam that at least one nice thing happened to her that day.

Placement: 12th

Maria's Elimination Comment - "I really didn't show the heart, I didn't show all of my capabilities, but based on performance alone, Scott had a worse service than me - plain and simple."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Maria was in over her head. On garnish she was lost and her team paid the cost. That's why her life in Hell's Kitchen is dead."

Jamie Bisoulis

"Chef Ramsay, you're a little slutty!"

Occupation: Sous Chef

Age: 26

Hometown: Chicago, IL

• The Generic Girl: Didn't really stand out much.
• Lethal Chef: She somehow left a toothpick in her Signature Dish, which unsurprisingly caused Ramsay to refuse to even taste it. She also wasn't especially good in the kitchen, to put it lightly.
• The Load: Outside of the Egg Relay Challenge (which she scored a perfect score, although she was teamed up with Holli), she wasn't a standout performer by any means.
• Sore Loser: She didn't take her elimination very well, saying that Ramsay made the wrong decision, and even said she was a stronger cook than Fran, even though Jamie was not that much better than her.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: For the brief time she was here, she didn't really do anything of note.

Placement: 13th

Jamie's Elimination Comment - "Words can't describe how pissed off I am right now. I don't think Chef Ramsay made the right decision. I am, by far, a better cook than Fran is, and I expected to be here a lot longer than what it was."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "To be a great chef, you need creativity, leadership qualities and passion. Jamie had passion."

Michael "Mikey" Termini

"Chef Ramsay dynamites the thing. Right in front of us. There was halibut shrapnel all over us."

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 29

Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA

• Embarrassing Tattoo: Subverted; Mikey himself wasn't embarrassed by any of his tattoos (and after being eliminated, he even said that he would always wear his Hell's Kitchen tattoo with pride), but when he showed them off during Episode 1 several of them were blurred out, presumably due to being too obscene for TV.
• Graceful Loser: He accepted that Chef Ramsay didn't like what he saw, while saying that he would always wear his Hell's Kitchen tattoo with pride and accepting his fate.
• The Load: Backed up the first two Blue Team services by consistently undercooking halibut and risotto, respectively. Chef Ramsey responded by eliminating him despite his not being nominated.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Michael, but he went by Mikey on the show.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Clearly a big HK fan, but one of the most ineffective chefs that season; he only made it through 2 episodes.

Placement: 14th

Mikey's Elimination Comment - "Chef Ramsay really didn't like my performance. I know I did crappy, but I still got my tattoo of Hell's Kitchen, and I wear it with pride. I don't regret a thing coming here, and I accept my fate."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Mikey was all about appearances. Unfortunately for him, it didn't appear he could cook."

Andrew Forster

"You know what, then he may take my shoes, J.P.. I don't need this."

Occupation: Farmer

Age: 28

Hometown: West Babylon, NY

• Beat: When Andrew explains his steak tartar Signature Dish by saying that he raises and butchers his own animals, which he likes to eat raw. Everyone stares at him looking very disturbed.
• Cloud Cuckoolander:
  • During the helicopter ride, he asked if they could fly over the ghettos. During service, he started talking to the garnishes and himself while cooking.
  • As part of his Screw This, I'm Outta Here, he left his shoes in the restaurant. While it did make a bold statement, it's actually rather impractical to throw away your shoes like that.
• Humble Goal: Didn't seem to care about the prize money or having an illustrious career. He just wanted to buy two walk-in coolers, so he could indulge in his favorite pastime of butchering animals and eating them raw. With these low goals, it's probably easy to see why he was so willing to exit the show after being kicked out of the kitchen.
• Literal Metaphor: Given how bizarre he was in general, it's hard to tell if he removed his shoes as a symbolic rejection of Ramsay's tutelage (he did it in response to Jean-Philippe saying many would love to figuratively be in his shoes), or if he was actually offering for someone else to wear them.
• Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: One of the creepiest contestants to have ever appeared on the show (psycho strings were played when he talked about how he liked to butcher his own animals). Needless to say, many people were grateful that he was taken out early (kick out-induced quitting).
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In Episode 2 after an argument with Ramsay over mashed potatoes which he had cooked into "potato soup", Ramsay kicked him out of the kitchen. Jean-Philippe tried to persuade him to go back into the kitchen, but he kicked off his shoes and left via the front entrance.

Placement: 15th (Kicked out of the kitchen, then quit)

Andrew's Elimination Comment - "Chef Ramsay got pissed at me. I'm sure he looks at me as a little prick! You know, whatever, I don't really care what Chef Ramsay thinks of me. I'm done! Have a nice day."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Anastasia "Stacey" Slichta

"It's done. It's over with. You might as well just give me the prize."

Occupation: Private Chef

Age: 38

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

• Blasé Boast: Breezily mentioned in her first Confession Cam that her winning the competition would be a foregone conclusion. It... wasn't.
• Dumb Blonde: Her only service proved that she was not strong in the kitchen due to forgetting basic steps of cooking (such as seasoning scallops) and could not call back times properly. Needless to say, Ramsay got rid of her as soon as he could.
• History with Celebrity: Introduced herself by listing all the actors and TV personalities she had cooked for in her capacity as a private chef.
• The Load: Stacey was easily one of the weakest chefs on the red team that season and she did not last long after getting kicked out of service.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Her real name is Anastasia, but she went by Stacey on the show.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Called herself a celebrity chef; she lasted nowhere near long enough to back this up.

Placement: 16th

Stacey's Elimination Comment - "I'm used to cooking for people at home and running the show. I completely screwed up. I screwed up. I took accountability for it, and kudos for me for standing up."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "It's a good thing Stacey's a private chef. Her food wasn't good enough for the public."

Tana Ramsay

Not an actual contestant, Gordon brought his wife in for the Signature Dish Challenge to demonstrate that he cares less about experience than he does about passion and ability.