Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 6)

Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 6)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	15
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	July 21 – October 13, 2009

Season 6 of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen began airing on the Fox Network on July 21, 2009 and concluded on October 13, 2009.

Despite suffering a fractured wrist early in the competition, Executive Chef Dave Levey won the season and was awarded a Head Chef position under Executive Chef James Walt ^[1] at the Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia, the first time the prize was a position at a Canadian restaurant.^[2]

Format

The first half of each episode consists of a team challenge, in which the winning side gets a reward of some sort of leisure activity, while the losing side has to clean up and prepare both kitchens, as well as some activity that is not so pleasant. Afterwards, the teams compete in executing a dinner service, during which Ramsay can impose additional punishments or kick chefs out of the kitchen. The losing team(s) nominates chefs to be considered for elimination. Ramsay can also nominate chefs, and ultimately sends a chef home. At six chefs left, the teams merge to one, and the chefs compete as individuals.

Staff

Gordon Ramsay returned as the head chef, blue team sous chef Scott Leibfried, and Maître d' Jean-Philippe Susilovic as well. Heather West, the winner of Season 2, became the new sous chef for the red team, she replaced Gloria Félix who was the sous-chef for the previous two seasons.

Opening sequence

The chefs appear in a Hell's Kitchen style carnival. A second version was shown from episode 2 onwards featuring Robert taking the place of Dave who now appears before Tennille.

Contestants

Initially, sixteen chefs began the competition, and were joined by a seventeenth, Robert Hesse from the previous season, in the middle of the first episode.^[2]

Contestant	Age	Occupation	Hometown
Ariel Contreras	27	Sous Chef	Los Angeles, California
David "Louie" Cordio	45	Diner Owner	Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Kevin Cottle	35	Executive Chef	Middletown, Connecticut
Tony D'Alessandro	30	Culinary Store Manager	Chicago, Illinois
Amanda Davenport	27	Sous Chef	New York, New York
Sabrina Gresset	34	Restaurant Manager	Phoenix, Arizona
Robert Hesse[lower-alpha 1]	30	Executive Chef	Quogue, New York
Vincent "Van" Hurd	26	Fish Cook	Dallas, Texas
Andrew "Andy" Husbands	40	Executive Chef	Boston, Massachusetts
Connie "Lovely" Jackson	23	Camp Chef	Chicago, Illinois
Dave Levey	32	Executive Chef	San Diego, California
Jim McGloin	34	Sous Chef	Nashua, New Hampshire
Melinda Meaney	38	Private Chef	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tennille Middleton	28	Executive Chef	Fairfax, Virginia
Amanda "Tek" Moore	27	Line Cook	New York, New York
Suzanne Schlicht	24	Sous Chef	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Joseph Tinnelly	27	Former U.S. Marine	Massapequa Park, New York

Notes

1. Hesse first competed in Season 5 of Hell's Kitchen, but withdrew in fifth place due to pericarditis. In the year between seasons, Hesse married, lost 55 pounds, and underwent gastric bypass surgery.^[3]

Contestant progress

Each week, the best member (determined by Ramsay) from the losing team during the latest service period is asked to nominate two of their teammates for elimination; one of these two is meant to be sent home by Ramsay. On some weeks, there is a variation in the nomination process, depending on the losing team's (or even winning team's) performance.

							Original teams	With Robert	First switch							Second switch	Individual				Finals
No.	Chef						601	602/03	603	604	605	606	607	608	609	610	611	612	613	614	615
1						Dave	WIN	LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	LOSE	BoW	BoB	BoW	LOSE	IN	IN	IN	IN	WINNER
2						Kevin	WIN	LOSE	BoB	WIN	BoB	BoW	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	IN	IN	IN	NOM	RUNNER-UP
3					Ariel		LOSE	LOSE	BoW	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM[n 1]	NOM	IN	OUT
4					Tennille		LOSE	NOM	NOM	LOSE	NOM	LOSE	WIN	BoW	LOSE	LOSE	BoW	IN	OUT
5					Suzanne		LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	NOM	NOM	LOSE	NOM	OUT
6					Van		WIN	LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	LOSE	NOM	WIN	LOSE	NOM	OUT[n 1]
7				Sabrina			LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	BoW	LOSE	NOM	WIN	NOM	NOM[n 1]	OUT
8			Andy				WIN	NOM	WIN	WIN	WIN	NOM	NOM[n 1]	WIN	OUT
9			Amanda				NOM	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM[n 1]	LOSE	WIN	OUT[n 1]
10			Robert				N/A[n 2]	LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	IN[n 3]	OUT
11			Jim				WIN	LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	OUT
12			Tek				LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	OUT
13			Lovely				LOSE	NOM	NOM	OUT
14		Tony					WIN	OUT
15		Joseph					WIN	LEFT
16	Melinda						OUT
17	Louie						OUT[n 4]

Keywords WIN = Won the dinner service LOSE = Lost the dinner service BoB = Best of the Best, usually exempt from nomination BoW = Best of the Worst, sometimes exempt from nomination IN = not nominated for elimination NOM = nominated for elimination OUT = eliminated LEFT = withdrew from competition

Color key      Chef was eliminated after nomination      Chef was eliminated without nomination      Chef was eliminated during service      Chef withdrew from the competition      Chef was retained after nomination      The winner of Hell's Kitchen      The runner-up of Hell's Kitchen

Notes

1. Chef was nominated by Ramsay
2. Chef was not in competition
3. Chef was hospitalized and did not participate in service
4. Chef was eliminated by Ramsay during service

Episodes

Each episode consists of a challenge with a reward, a service and an elimination.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date
64	1	"16 Chefs Compete"	July 21, 2009
Sixteen new contestants arrive at Hell's Kitchen and meet with Jean-Philippe at the front entrance. He shows them tips from former contestants: Bonnie Muirhead and Aaron Song (season 3) and Colleen Cleek (season 5) to avoid mistakes in future dinner services. Team challenge: For the first time in this series, the signature dish presentation is being doubled in the first team challenge, and the chefs are divided into men (blue) and women (red) teams. The team with the most dishes appreciated by Ramsay would win the challenge. Tek, Tennille, Tony, Jim and Van all impressed Ramsay with their dishes. Dave and Joseph earned compliments for the meat that they cooked, but both failed to cook the vegetables properly and lost out; Joseph was also berated for refusing to try his own dish because he wanted a fork. Kevin had cooked his filet steak well, but his choice of using a coffee sauce cost him. Ramsay disapproves of Ariel's duck as it was badly undercooked, same with Suzanne's risotto, and Andy and Lovely's dishes fell flat. Sabrina's chipotle wrapped tenderloin was too spicy, and Amanda was berated for making a simple french toast dish which Ramsay says takes three minutes to make, and seemingly attempting to get Ramsay drunk on tequila. Even Louie's sausage gravy was found disgusting. Finally, Melinda's poached lobster tail dish misses its main component: a lobster tail. In the end, the men won the challenge 3-2. Reward/punishment: The men were rewarded to a lunch at Hell's Kitchen featuring dishes from Ramsay's London West Hollywood restaurant, while the women had to clean both kitchens. Automatic elimination: After Louie served poorly cut pieces of lamb and wasted a huge amount of meat over the course of the night, Ramsay lost his temper and eliminated him on the spot. Louie is responsible for the fastest exit in Hell's Kitchen history not caused by illness, as well as being the 4th contestant to be eliminated during service. Service: Season five contestant Robert Hesse and his wife were the guests for the night's dinner service. The women got off to a bad start as Lovely sent burnt fondants to the pass before the restaurant had even opened. Later she felt overwhelmed, and left the kitchen for nearly an hour. Melinda had to cook the same pasta dish nine times as Tek did not manage to deliver an acceptable serving of scallops for her dish. Melinda also wasted much pasta, because of her lack of attentiveness - one one occasion, despite Ramsay saying it was not yet cooked, Melinda binned the portion instead of cooking it out. The errors were not only on the appetizer station, as Amanda accidentally put the salmon wraps in the freezer instead of the fridge, making it impossible to serve the five salmon dishes on order. For the men, Jim had well-cooked scallops on his first attempt, but cooked the wrong amount. Both he and Kevin managed to get a steady supply of appetizers moving out of the blue kitchen. When they reach the entree stage, Louie put raw lamb in the oven without seasoning or searing the rack and also tried cooking his own garnishes at the meat station. When Ramsay saw that he quickly stopped him from doing Joseph's work. Joseph offered to swap stations with Louie, but Ramsay denied this request. Louie's lamb finally made it to the pass as poorly cut pieces of meat, and Ramsay discovered his stash of meat that he had wasted over the course of the night, leading him to be immediately eliminated. Ramsay shut down both kitchens and named the men the winning team on being able to served a few entrées. Robert's return: After both kitchens closed, Ramsay went out into the dining room to speak to Robert, and personally invited him back into Hell's Kitchen for another chance to win the competition. He accepted Ramsay's invitation and lined up with the men for the post-mortem. Elimination: The women nominated Amanda and Melinda, although Amanda thought that Lovely should be up instead of her. Ramsay eliminated Melinda because he feels the issues with the pasta fiasco doomed the women from start. Team member added: After the elimination, Ramsay ordered Robert to join the women to balance out the teams. Ramsay then told Robert that while he did a good job last season, he'll be treated like everyone else. Ramsay's comment: "Melinda was completely lost in space. So I sent her back to whatever planet she came from."
65	2	"15 Chefs Compete"	July 21, 2009
Team challenge: Each chef prepared shrimp for the next night's service, with each team scoring one point for each shrimp perfectly prepared. The red team had an extra member and Lovely sat out. Sabrina scored 7 and as well as Amanda with even 9, followed by Tek and Ariel with 7 shrimps. Suzanne had 10 shrimp, though Robert scored an underwhelming 4, leaving the final total at 44. The first two members of the blue team posted the same scores as their red team counterparts, Andy and Van having 7 and 9; Tony then continued with 9. Joseph and Dave only managed 5 and 4, though Kevin had 9. Jim has 2 which allowed the men to win 45-44. Reward/punishment: The blue team ate at The Cannery Restaurant with Ramsay in Newport Beach followed by dessert on a yacht. The red team prepared shrimp and lemon wedges for the service. Meanwhile, at the Cannery, Joseph drew attention from his teammates with disrespectful comments towards Ramsay, that he just wanted to cook and was learning nothing by eating lunch. Dave criticized him for his comments. Service: Ramsay put Van and Tennille to cook and serve scampi in the dining room. In the blue kitchen, Tony had a hard time preparing grapefruit to a point where Chef Ramsay threatened to kick him out of the competition. Van accidentally served customers at the other team's table, and he chose to ignore Jean-Philippe's admonition to respect the dining room, leading to a heated confrontation between the two. Ramsay pulled them out of the kitchen to reprimand them on their behavior. Tony and Kevin weren't able to send out fish. At the red team, Tennille faced not only Ramsay's anger, but also her team's, for having served undercooked shrimp to a woman who was pregnant. Lovely repeatedly burned her fish and didn't realise that the gas on the stove was turned off. When both Andy and Sabrina had trouble cooking chicken, the service was a lost cause, and Ramsay ordered the chefs to make shrimp cocktails for the diners (that make quick stress with no requirement to cook), causing both kitchens to be shut down. No winner was declared. Elimination: Ariel civilly named Tennille and Lovely for the elimination list. As for the blue team's nominations, Joseph ignored Ramsay's request to give the "first nominee and why" for the team, rather insisting "they can speak for themselves, they know who they are". He then announced Tony and Andy as the nominees, but cited no valid reason to be nominated and insisting Tony "knows why"; Ramsay refused to accept the nominees. After much arguing with Ramsay and some of the other contestants, Joseph eventually lost his temper and tore off his jacket, walked right up to Ramsay and asked for a fight. Before anything happens, the episode ends with "To Be Continued" and the elimination is delayed until the next episode.
66	3	"14 Chefs Compete"	July 28, 2009
Joseph's exit: Following the replay of the previous episode where Joseph's confrontation started, security was called in to quell the tensions between Joseph and Ramsay. Joseph called Ramsay "nothing but a bitch", though Ramsay stood his own ground and tells Joseph he has no respect before asking him to leave the competition, marking the show's second voluntary exit at elimination (following Ji from Season 5). Ramsay called Joseph an idiot before kicking his jacket to the side. Outside the restaurant, Joseph gave an insulting exit interview where, while smoking a cigarette, he stated that he didn't need Ramsay to talk to him like that and calls Ramsay a "limey prick". He also says that any restaurant would hire him, and they would be proud to have him there. Elimination: Ramsay goes back to business and asks Kevin to finally and civilly deal with the nominations. He nominates Tony and Andy properly and with valid reasons. Ramsay, while feeling Lovely had been the worst performer of the night, eliminated Tony for failing to control his station. Joseph received no elimination sequence, but his jacket and burned photo can be seen next to Lovely's. Team change: Shortly afterwards, Ramsay returned Robert back to the men. Team challenge: The chefs were awakened at 2 A.M. with lights and sirens from fire trucks. There is no fire, but they are told to serve the firefighters a pasta meal consisting of Chicken Alfredo, Meatball Marinara, and a garlic bread appetizer; the first to serve all firefighters on its side would win. Andy and Lovely have trouble cooking garlic bread, however Lovely quickly recovers and Andy struggles to the point. Andy only uses two of the five available ovens, slowing down the rest of his team. Eventually, Andy's bread makes it out to the dining room. The red team are far ahead, but get pushed back, allowing the men to catch up when Sabrina doesn't put enough chicken in the Alfredo and Tek undercooks some of the meatballs for the Marinara. Both teams make it to the final ticket simultaneously, but the women narrowly won. Reward/punishment: The women rode a helicopter to the Pacific Waters Spa. The men had to clean the firefighters' engines, to be followed by cleaning the dining area. During the team punishment, Dave sprains his wrist while Kevin sprains both ankles and they require treatment. Both opt to stay in the competition. Service: Ramsay assigns Dave (who volunteered) and Lovely (who did not) to be waiters. Lovely is criticized for her general slowness, taking 42 minutes to bring in an order, and is slowed even further when a customer requests a rare Balmoral wine, which she collected from Ramsay's office. Tennille used too much oil in her scallops whilst Andy attempted to cook too many scallops in one small pan, causing an argument between himself and Robert. Ramsay tells Van to stop shouting because he was confusing his team, but was impressed with his risotto. Kevin also impressed with his performance on the meat station, despite his injured ankle. Amanda under-cooks several entrees and bins six portions of lamb. Although both teams are able to complete their service, the red team finishes first. The men has only one order to go for win, but Robert forgot to cook the salmon, forcing a 12-minute delay on the final table. However, the men ultimately won the service after receiving 83% of the customers' cards, compared to the women's 81%. Elimination: Ramsay named Ariel as best of the worst and tells her she must pick two nominees for elimination. She selects Lovely and Tennille. Ramsay indicates that he thought Amanda should have been nominated rather than Lovely, but allows the nominations to stand. With two chefs eliminated after the previous service earlier in this episode, Ramsay decides that no one will be eliminated, then ends up testing Amanda's math skills once again. He also plays off Joseph's diatribe by reminding the chefs, "I'm nobody's bitch." Ramsay's comment: "Lovely and Tennille may think they've just received a gift, but what I have in store for them tomorrow will have them running for the door."
67	4	"13 Chefs Compete"	August 4, 2009
Team challenge: Each chef must make sausages in pairs of two, by hand. The first team to make six strings of sausages that meet Ramsay's specifications will win. At this point, Ramsay chooses Amanda to sit out. The blue team struggles, and one pair, Jim & Robert, produces nothing. The majority of women are perfect, with only Ariel and Sabrina producing a line too thin, and the women won 6-4. Reward/punishment: The women visits the Old World Village restaurant in Huntington Beach and got to celebrate in their very own Oktoberfest. The men must clean up the dorms of both teams and this takes a mental toll on Robert, who had yet to win a single challenge himself. When sous chef Scott reprimands him for showing passion now that he did not in the challenge, Robert breaks his broom in a fit of anger, reminding everyone how he almost died last season. Also, Dave receives a call from his doctor, informing him that his sprained wrist is actually a fracture, and must come to hospital to put cast to remain on for two weeks. Dave contemplates quitting the competition, and after seeking advice from Ramsay, he decides to stay. Service: This service includes Melinda Clarke, Dwight Freeney, Tom Green, John O'Hurley, Drew Lachey, Christopher "Kid" Reid and Kristy Swanson. Jim and Ariel are assigned to the dining room to prepare an Amuse-bouche appetizer. In the dining room, Jim's slowness and inattentiveness hinders his team. In the blue kitchen, Andy's lamb is undercooked and despite Robert doing well on the appetizers, he is criticized by Ramsay for being overtly loud and swearing. In the red kitchen, Lovely has trouble keeping track of the orders. Another problem came when John O'Hurley's appetizer was sent back to the kitchen after Tek overseasoned it. Dave returns for service after being released from hospital with a new cast and is assigned to desserts. Andy sends up raw chicken and Sous Chef Scott shouts at him for more chicken. Ariel overcooks the tagliatelle. The men won the service after serving all of the entrees in a close finish. In the post-mortem that followed, Suzanne asks Ramsay for a "play-by-play" on the disappointing loss, but is shut down cold by Ramsay. Ramsay also points out that despite only having "eleven hands" (due to Dave's wrist fracture, and compared to the women's 14), the men were still able to complete the service. Elimination: Sabrina was named Best of Worst, and nominated Lovely and Tek for elimination. Suzanne is asked who she would send home and she says Lovely. Ramsay agrees with the decision and sends Lovely home. Although Tek performed poorly with the appetizers, he deemed Lovely at fault since her inability to keep up with the others cost her team the win and he was fed up Lovely's constant excuses about her failures. Ramsay's comment: "If people were named for their cooking, her name wouldn't be Lovely. It would be Useless."
68	5	"12 Chefs Compete"	August 11, 2009
Team challenge: For the special service, Marine Staff Sergeant Otis James has just returned home from a tour of duty in Iraq. To celebrate his return, Ramsay will be serving a dinner for his family and friends that includes Otis' favorite foods. Each team has 45 minutes to cook one appetizer and two entrees, using pointers given by Otis' wife as a guide. She only gave the instructions to Robert and Suzanne, for them to give to the rest of their teams, Robert proved to be a strong leader and effectively coordinated his team leading Kevin to praise his leadership. Mrs. James will then determine, by taste, which dishes would Otis like best; the team with the most selected dishes will win. The blue team wins the challenge 2-1, with the decider coming on the surf and turf dishes. Crucially, Robert correctly remembers that Otis prefers grilled lobster, whereas Suzanne misremembers and serves a poached lobster. Reward/punishment: The men spends the day flying in a mock dogfight with professional aviators from Air Combat USA while the women prepares the dining room for the celebration with Ramsay's wife Tana giving specification help. Service: Tana opens the service, and features Otis' favorite foods that are being added to the menu. The blue team manages to serve all their tables successfully, though Jim was overwhelmed on grilling Surf & Turf dishes on the grilling station, and struggled to recite the orders when questioned by Ramsay, although he got away with this when Ramsay became distracted by a burning pan on Van's station. The women started off well enough, despite Sabrina failed to cook a mushroom salad, but Tek proved unable to get the steaks on a right temperature, and also forgot that a hamburger was part of the order, caused on a big stall. When Tek finally managed to cook some acceptable steaks, the order still couldn't be sent because Amanda had undercooked the lobster. When the men have served all of the entrees, Ramsay ordered them except Kevin who was on desserts, to help the women. Ramsay named the men the clear winners while berating the women for failing to send a single entree while the men (who have injured members) complete theirs. Elimination: The women decided to nominate Tennille and Tek. Tennille, however, thought she improved in that night's service and thought Amanda should have been nominated, so Ramsay decides on Amanda to come up. When the three nominees stepped forward, Ramsay has called Tennille back in line. Although Ramsay felt Amanda lacked the emotional strength to win Hell's Kitchen, he ultimately picked Tek to leave Hell's Kitchen as she was accountable for the steak fiasco, which ruined any chance of the women even completing service. Ramsay's comment: "I kept on waiting for Tek to emerge. She couldn't even handle her station. Tek had a total meltdown."
69	6	"11 Chefs Compete"	August 18, 2009
When the Red Team went back to the dorms, Ramsay had a quick private talk with Amanda. Concerned about Amanda's ability to handle the pressure of being in Hell's Kitchen, he told her that her performance in services needed to improve quickly. Challenge: Each team had 45 minutes to create a low-calorie meal, consisting of an appetizer, an entreé, and a dessert, with the entire meal containing less than 700 calories; the team with the most items selected by Ramsay would be the winner. The men had 597 total calories while the women had 694 total calories. The women won the challenge with a score of 3-1. Reward/punishment: In addition to their low-calorie menu being cooked on both sides of the dining room, the women was also rewarded with a day at Venice Beach and learned how to play volleyball with Annett Davis. On their return to the dorms, each member also receives a gift basket which included a Vitamix blender and Ramsay's book, Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite. The men spend the day prepping both sides for that night's service. They also have to drive a Conference Bike to a market to pick up more produce. This proved costly for Robert, as the operation of this vehicle was more than he could take — after returning to Hell's Kitchen, he was rushed to a hospital, experiencing shortness of breath and dizziness. Due to this, he was unable to participate in that night's service. Dinner service: The men had a terrible start. Andy failed to pay attention to Ramsay's orders each time, repeatedly cooking the scallops incorrectly; he also undercooked the halibut, before overcooking the same piece. Jim dragged in service by continually cooking the risotto incorrectly until sous chef Scott was told to take over the station. Dave got yelled at by Scott as well for cooking the wrong garnish. Over on the red team, Ariel "boiled" the scallops, which were returned for being undercooked. Sabrina took heat for undercooking the pork. Tennille was almost kicked out of the competition after back-talking to Ramsay over not making enough mashed potatoes; after a heated argument with Ramsay in the corridor, she promised to hold her tongue and get the job done and she was allowed to return. With the service going nowhere, Ramsay closed the kitchen down and deemed both teams the loser. This loss marks the worst service streak for the women at six losses. Elimination: Each team had to nominate one person for elimination. The women nominated Sabrina. The blue team settled on nominating Andy, though he convinced them to nominate Robert, who was absent from service. Upon discovering this, Ramsay said that Robert would not be eligible for elimination unless he did not return for dinner service the following week, forcing the men to pick Andy. After Ramsay deliberated with the nominees, he ultimately chose Jim because he didn't show any passion for his work. Before leaving, Ramsay told Jim, "I can teach someone how to cook but I can't give you a heart. You're not the Tin Man and I'm not the fucking Wizard of Oz. Give me your jacket." Ramsay's comment: "At times I thought Jim was sleepwalking, but then I realized that he had no passion. And that's why it was time for him to leave Hell's Kitchen."
70	7	"10 Chefs Compete"	August 25, 2009
Team challenge: Each team rolled a die which had letters on twelve sides. Whichever letter it showed, the chef had to name an ingredient starting with that letter.[note 1] They then had to cook using the ingredients.[note 2] The men won the challenge after Ramsay said on his very tough decision on the fig and angel hair pasta dish and also the fact the women's garlic in the garlic puree was so powerful, it "obliterated everything else", despite Tennille having warned Ariel to make it less pungent. Reward/punishment: The men had to go to Las Vegas where they toured the city in a limousine and then had an overnight stay in a high class suite at the Palms Casino Resort. The women had to unload and unpack boxes of food being delivered to Hell's Kitchen, including wine for Jean-Phillippe. In addition, they have to perform items in the kitchen as well as cleaning and prepping in the next service. The women were awoken at 1:15AM to accept yet another delivery of food. Service: The men were still a down man with Robert still in hospital, while the women were sick of Suzanne. Just before service began Robert returned. The men felt that the team dynamic worked better without Robert, and as a result, they snubbed him, and he wandered around doing nothing for the pre-service, before finally going upstairs to eat a cheeseburger. Each team had a chef's table on their side of the kitchen. Van had to talk with the chefs at the blue kitchen's chef's table because he forgot what he was cooking on the fish station. Robert made mistakes on the meat station, making the lamb smaller than the bone itself. Food was returned to the pass from the dining room due to having pieces of plastic wrap in it. The women do well throughout service but hit a slight snag on the pasta. Amanda is scolded Ramsay because she didn't have her food ready, due to Ariel not having the pasta ready. Ramsay yelled at Kevin for not stopping to regroup with the team. Meanwhile, Robert's rabbit was raw, and Ramsay shuts down the blue kitchen. The women finishes its service, serving both chef's tables, giving them their first dinner service victory of the season. Since the diners liked Dave's appetizer's (even though he had refused to let them choose their order), he was named best of the worst and told to nominate two men for elimination. Elimination: Dave nominated Robert for his weak service and continued absence, and Van based on his poor performance. Ramsay also brings Andy forward at the nomination nod. After the heated pleas over Andy and Robert, Ramsay ordered Andy back in line and eliminated Robert. Ramsay noted that Robert had more services than any of the remaining chefs and his latest poor performance cost him his stay.[note 3] Before leaving, Robert says that his culinary career isn't over, to which Ramsay replies, "I can't wait to see you." Ramsay's 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."
71	8	"9 Chefs Compete"	September 1, 2009
Team challenge: The chefs are challenged to a blind taste test and were blindfolded as well. With the women has an extra person, Tennille was told to sit out. Each chef has then given 4 ingredients to taste and they have to identify it correctly to receive points for their teams. The team with the most points would win the challenge. The women won 6-4. Reward/punishment: The women 'visited Opaque at the V Lounge in Santa Monica with Ramsay. The men made sorbet for tonight's service, as well as take in a delivery of fruit and clean the glasses for the sorbet. Service: The men were able to complete their service with few flaws - Andy ran out of mashed potatoes for the last few remaining orders, but Dave was able to successfully cook up a new batch quickly despite his injured arm. The red team has several major problems during the service. Suzanne cooked her Sea Bass early put pressure on Sabrina to quickly get out the lamb which ended up undercooked, and Ramsay temporarily removed Sabrina from the kitchen and forced her to eat the lamb. Later, Suzanne held up a table's orders too long due to delays in cooking the Sea Bass, and Ramsay forced them to redo the table. Close to the end of dinner service, Amanda jumped in to help Suzanne on the fish station, though when halibut was undercooked, Suzanne pinned the blame on Amanda. Nevertheless, both teams completed their service and the blue team declared winners. Ramsay noted that the men won despite being one cook down, and he especially singled out Dave for his performance. Elimination: Tennille was named best of the worst and had to nominate two chefs for elimination. She immediately chose Suzanne, having formed a dislike to her and her lack of teamwork, something the rest of team agreed with. After deliberating between Sabrina and Amanda, Tenille chose Sabrina. Ramsay adds Amanda to step forward with the chosen nominees. In the end, he eliminated Amanda. Although both Sabrina and Suzanne made such major errors, Ramsay felt Amanda was too polite and was a far weaker performer overall than the other two nominees. Ramsay's comment: "Amanda was a sweet girl, but sweet girls don't make great head chefs."
72	9	"8 Chefs Compete"	September 8, 2009
Team challenge: Each team has 20 minutes to make four crêpes for one each: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Ramsay and Jean-Philippe decided which ones were the best and will win. The women won the challenge 3-2 after Sabrina's poached pears and chocolate ganache were deemed delicious compared to Dave's soggy undercooked crêpes. Reward/punishment: The women learns how to be mime artists, followed by dining at La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica where they were served foie gras. The men prepared both kitchens for a French-themed service. They also ate cow tongue, baguettes and head cheese. Service: Prior to the start of service, Andy accidentally sliced off his fingertips while using a mandoline to slice potatoes, requiring medical assistance—he returned at the start of service. Suzanne made several errors, including undercooking and overcooking the lamb and cutting meat too early. Sabrina also underseasoned the risotto, forcing Ramsay to grab Dave's risotto for comparison and she was reprimanded by Ramsay for underspicing the frog legs. Andy failed to do many of his tasks on making the salad, Ramsay accuses him of putting in too much dressing. Andy reasoned that his fingers on his left hand were injured (as he uses his left hand to accomplish most tasks), but Ramsay reminded him that Dave and Kevin have been injured for weeks, and neither complained about it. Dave performed many tasks simultaneously, and was met with immense praise from Ramsay. Andy spent most of the service asking his teammates to help him complete his assignments, frustrating Ramsay, and kicked him out of the kitchen for not doing any work. In the red kitchen, Suzanne overcooked an entire table's worth of lamb, and Sabrina was inconsistent on appetizers, leading Ramsay to kick them out. Ariel and Tennille completed the red team's service and got a help from sous chef Heather and ends on Ramsay's statement on unable to announce a winning team since both teams were incomplete to finish at the end of the service. Elimination: Each team had to nominate two nominees for elimination and they chose Suzanne and Andy. Ramsay accepts the first choice of nominees to step forward and he sends Andy home for his inconsistent performances and numerous excuses for his issues, though praised him for having a big heart. Sabrina was also called up-front and was told to step up. Team change: Even though Ariel and Tennille vocally wanted Suzanne out of their team, Ramsay told her take off her jacket and informs she would be join the men, starting next episode. Ramsay's comment: "Andy has had good and bad moments in Hell's Kitchen. Unfortunately, most of them were bad."
73	10	"7 Chefs Compete"	September 22, 2009
Team challenge: Ramsay flew to Whistler overnight, via a video connection, a tour of the Araxi restaurant, as well as introduce this episode's challenge: each team had 2½ hours, and he times to fly back to Los Angeles to prepare three entrees using all 15 ingredients, all native to Canada, without repeating ingredients. In the red kitchen, Tennille and Ariel worked on a dish they thought was lamb, but was actually venison, something Sabrina neglected to inform them about. Former Olympic Medalists Sasha Cohen and Jonny Moseley judge each entree. The blue team won both votes on all entrees and won the contest 4-2 after Van's dish of braised kale was being liked by the judges' satisfaction. Reward/punishment: The blue team went with Ramsay to the Campanile restaurant where chef Mark Peele shows them stylish versions of everyday dishes, including a grilled cheese sandwich. They also received a "souvenir" – a tuque with Whistler's logo emblazoned upon it. The red team had to go to a farm to do various chores including milking the cows and cleaning the pig pen. Service: Before dinner service, Ramsay tore up the dinner menu and had each team create a new menu, with their own personal flair. While the blue team has no problem creating their menu, on the red team, Sabrina shot down most suggestions though came up with nothing herself. Tennille's ideas were deemed to complicated, so Ariel took responsibility for the large part of the menu, with Sabrina having no input on the menu. Van had constant issues with the fish station, and spilled the sauce for the fish at the pass. Dave re-aggravated his arm injury after lifting a heavy pan, and despite having the medic called over, he chose to fight through the rest of the service. Ariel had several of her ravioli dishes returned for being undercooked. Van and Sabrina were both singled out for undercooking the halibut; in Van's case, Ramsay slams a hand into the halibut, and then closes both kitchens. Ramsay declared both teams losers for the second time in a row.[note 4] Elimination: Each team decides which of their teammates to nominate for elimination. Dave announces that Van was nominated for his poor service, while acknowledging that Suzanne is the weakest cook on the blue team. The red team nominate Sabrina, who goes on the chopping block for the third straight service. Ramsay sent her home as he felt she was on the downward spiral in the last few services.[note 3] Ramsay's comment: "Sabrina wanted to be the head chef in Whistler. Now all she has to do, is take those red lips and whistle on out of here."
74	11	"6 Chefs Compete"	September 22, 2009
The remaining six chefs wake up to gifts congratulating them on making it to the Final Six. The chefs reveal their black team chef jackets. Team challenge: The chefs were arranged in pairs and had 30 minutes to recreate one of Ramsay's signature dishes based on taste alone, and Ramsay will judge the dishes. He named the chefs in three pairs (Ariel and Van, Dave and Suzanne, and Kevin and Tennille). The three pairs correctly identified the turbot but failed on the puree, which was black onion. Dave and Suzanne won the challenge on giving a good palette on a passion fruit with sauteed turbot and parsnip puree dish. Suzanne still annoyed her teammates for being smug about the win, and Dave was particularly uncomfortable about going on the reward with her. Reward/punishment: Dave and Suzanne have lunch with Ramsay, cooked by Hell's Kitchen season 4 winner Christina Machamer at Ramsay's London West Hollywood restaurant. Suzanne asked Christina many questions, shooting down Dave's attempts to talk to Christina. The other chefs prep the kitchen and dining room for a special "couples" dinner service. Service: Kevin served salad and Porterhouse steaks table side. However, he was unable to actually serve the salads as Suzanne has trouble with her appetizers, which needed to be at the table at the same time. Apart from Ramsay noticing that Van was incessantly dropping beads of sweat into his scallop appetizers, Van also under-cooked his halibut and Ariel burns her lettuce garnish. Ramsay, visibly losing his sanity, walked out of the kitchen with sous chef Scott, a first in the series. Tennille and Kevin take control of the kitchen. Ariel continued to struggle on staying in sync with the others, and Suzanne annoyed her teammates by refusing to plate dishes thinking she'd get the blame if they were poorly done. Ramsay returned to the kitchen to kick out Suzanne, Ariel and Van to the dorms, leaving Kevin, Dave and Tennille to finish the service themselves. Van became infuriated, and even though Ariel attempted to calm him down in the dorms, Van walked out of the dorms. After Dave, Kevin and Tennille finished the service, Ramsay explains to them that by no fault of their own that it was the worst service in his career. Elimination: The trio were told to decided to nominate two of the other three people for elimination, and their first choice was Suzanne. The team is conflicted for the second nominee, and they were divided between Van and Ariel. Dave wanted to nominate Ariel, hoping that this would increase the chance of Van, who Dave considered weaker, staying in the competition. When Tennille told Ramsay she thought Van should go up, this angered Dave as he felt betrayed by Tennille. Ramsay called the three nominees to step forward, and after each states their case, Ramsay called Ariel down but sent her back in line. Ramsay eliminated Van for his back to back failures on the fish station, but told him he can cook, but that should let the food do the talking instead of him. Ramsay's comment: "Van may be a poissonier, but his performance on fish was anything but Van-tastic."
75	12	"5 Chefs Compete"	September 29, 2009
Challenge: For the first individual challenge, each chef had 45 minutes to cook an entree that not only tasted the best, but also was the most-appealing to the eye. The editorial staff of Bon Appétit magazine judged the visual aspects, with the top two dishes judged by Ramsay and Bon Appétit editor in chief Barbara Fairchild for taste. Ariel's John Dory dish and Kevin's Caribbean Sea Bass made the top two and ended in a tie, with no consensus to taste the best. Reward/punishment: Kevin and Ariel join Fairchild and Ramsay at the Shutters on the Beach Hotel in Santa Monica for a photo shoot for a future issue of Bon Appétit and their entrees would be featured in that night's service. The others picked up litter off a stretch of road "adopted" by Hell's Kitchen, dressed up in jumpsuits, and transported on a prison bus. They also cleaned up the Hell's Kitchen complex as well and had aggravated Dave's broken arm, requiring him to wrap it in ice. Kevin, seeing this, tried to convince Dave to leave Hell's Kitchen, though Dave remained determined to stay till the end. Service: When Tennille's risotto was overcooked, Ramsay criticized her for failing to catch the overcooked rice going in the risotto. Kevin confessed that he overcooked the rice in prep, forcing them to gather a new batch of rice for the risotto. Suzanne had difficulty cooking Ariel's John Dory dish and Ariel had undercooked the chicken and the lamb. Most tables in tonight's service were served incomplete with the final five struggling on their dishes in Ramsay's approval. Eventually, service was completed, but as Chef Ramsay expected this standard a long time ago, he merely said "Big deal." Elimination: The team nominated Ariel and Suzanne for elimination for their many mistakes during service. Ramsay eliminated Suzanne, feeling that she was not only on a seemingly unsalvageable downward spiral, but as she had been up for elimination four times, had run out of chances, much to the relief of Tennille. Ramsay told Tennille she dodged a bullet as she deserved to be nominated. Ramsay's comment: "Suzanne had a red jacket, she had a blue jacket, she had a black jacket. Now, she has no jacket."
76	13	"4 Chefs Compete"	October 6, 2009
Challenge: The chefs awakened and to be greeted by Little Gordon, Ramsay's child version. After Little Gordon gave the contestants a brief show, the real Ramsay comes in the dining room and gives them their next individual challenge. They had one hour to cook 80 portions of a Vegetarian dish for 80. However, after the chefs had cooked their dishes, it was revealed that they'd be serving to children. Each of the children is served one portion of each contestants' dish. Tennille's dish made "yummiest" and receives an average of 55%, making her the winner of a challenge. Dave finished second in the challenge, while Kevin's dish was voted as the "yuckiest". Reward/punishment: Tennille was treated to a makeover in Beverly Hills and then went with Ramsay to Nobu in Los Angeles. She was treated to a sushi meal personally prepared by world renowned sushi chef Nobu Matsuhisa. At the end of the meal, Chef Matsuhisa presented her with a brand-new set of authentic Japanese knives designed by Rokusaburo Michiba and manufactured by J.A. Henckels. Ariel, Dave and Kevin cleaned up the mess left behind by the 80 children which included scraping gum off the bottom of the tables. Service: Kevin started off the service at the appetizers station, cooking delicious risotto. When Dave's wrist injury acted up once during service, Ramsay directed Dave to see a medic, though Dave ensured his wrist was fine. Tennille struggled badly in her scallops that did not make the mark and she burnt many of her fish. When the other chefs asked for cooking times, Tennille refused to respond, before eventually giving mixed signals However, after getting blasted by Ramsay, she made a comeback and her subsequent cooking was perfect. Eventually, the service was completed "flawless". Elimination: Just after service, Ramsay considered eliminating Dave because of his continuous pain, though Dave successfully pleaded on his case that if he is to be eliminated, it was on his abilities as a chef and not on his injured wrist. Ramsay then stated he doesn't want any nominations tonight, deciding to eliminate Tennille for being the only chef to struggle during service. After Tennille broke down in tears, Ramsay continued to praise her during her farewell calling her the biggest comeback this season, having previously told her no chef had ever cooked meat so well.[note 5] The remaining chefs were likewise upset upon saying their farewells, in particular Ariel, who Tennille had been on a team with since the beginning. The three remaining chefs went to the dorm rooms to relax and Ramsay calls them downstairs for more business to attended to. After Dave's right frightened decision to keep him, Ramsay calls Dave and surprised him with his fiancée and sister, followed by Ariel's fiancé and mother, and Kevin's wife and son so they could each spend time with their loved ones.
77	14	"3 Chefs Compete"	October 13, 2009
Challenge: The chefs had 45 minutes to cook a dish of randomly selected ethnicity.[note 6] Each of their dishes were then judged by three chefs in their represented countries which include Eddie Wong, Thomas Garcia and Vikas Khanna. Ariel's dish received mixed response; while the flavors were felt to be decent, the sauce was too thin. Kevin did not receive any votes, having forgotten his sauce (similar to the challenge several weeks prior). Dave's dish immediately received criticism for serving pork, an animal largely considered taboo in large parts of India due to its Muslim population (something Dave had been aware of when preparing the dish), though was still felt to be the best. Dave won the challenge after receiving all three votes from all chefs. Reward/punishment: For the challenge reward, Dave joined his sister and fiancee for enjoying lunch cooked by the judging panel, and he also won a complete set of Demeyere Cookware. Meanwhile, Ariel and Kevin polished numerous pieces of silverware and then prepared for the night's service. Service: Each contestant took turns at the pass, in which they were tested on their leadership, as well as their ability to spot intentionally made mistakes introduced by sous chefs Scott and Heather. Kevin passed both quality control tests but was bogged down by Ariel's lamb, and despite Ariel having warned Kevin that the lamb should not be separated from the bone, Kevin still had her prepare a new one. Dave's aggressive leadership was initially successful, but he twice missed catching mistakes in the dishes, forcing Ramsay to pull him aside and tell him to improve. He later managed to spot weaknesses in the other dishes, earning praise from Ramsay. Ariel caught one of two of the sabotaged dishes, and despite her vocal leadership, was let down by Kevin on scallops, who had forgotten his orders and thus blamed Ariel. Elimination: Each chef nominated a person who they felt should not advance to the final service. Kevin and Ariel nominated each other and Dave decided to nominate Ariel. Ramsay selected firstly Dave, and then Kevin to advance to the final. However, as Ariel was saying her farewells, Ramsay told her to keep her jacket, as a token of her hardwork and progression until that point. This was the first time an eliminated contestant had been allowed to keep their jacket (the first had officially been Ji, though she kept it as she was forced to withdraw from the competition).
78	15	"2 Chefs Compete"	October 13, 2009
Challenge: Dave and Kevin were taken by limo to the Bonaventure Hotel as for the site of the final individual challenge. Dave and Kevin had 45 minutes to cook a dish "worthy of the Araxi" to be judged by five-person panel of chefs and gourmands. Dave made a venison dish while Kevin made a petite clam bake with lobster. Dave won the first two points, though Kevin rebounded, winning the next two. For the final point, Dave won the challenge 3-2. Reward: Instead of prizes, Ramsay asked sous chef Scott for the "special deliveries" at the truck and opened six chefs from the competition, and Dave had first pick.[note 7] Dave picked Ariel, Robert, and Suzanne, and Kevin picked Van and Amanda, and he was left with Sabrina. Dave was in charge of the blue kitchen with Scott as sous chef, and Kevin heads the red kitchen with Heather as sous-chef. Service: For the first time in Hell's Kitchen history, Dave and Kevin did not redesign their own dining rooms, but they still created their own menus. Dave kept his menu simple, while Kevin had elaborate but time-consuming dishes. Each kitchen served 50 diners, including each preparing a meal for Araxi executive chef James Walt. Kevin's team were stalled by Amanda's inability to cook scallops, so Kevin had her and Van switch stations, with Van helping to compensate for her mistakes. Amanda also stalled the team during the main course until Kevin showed her how to cook her dishes correctly. Dave started off well, though there was some conflict with Robert over the mushroom risottos, and Ariel often failed to cook the venison properly which eventually lead to Robert going over and helping her. Eventually, the two teams were neck-and-neck by the time dinner service ended. However, both teams ended the service. Winner: Ramsay determined the winner based on customer card's comments, he told Dave and Kevin to stand in front of two doors, and one door opens would be the winner. Dave's door opened, making him the sixth winner of Hell's Kitchen, Kevin took his defeat graciously. Ramsay's 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 gonna be an amazing asset to the Araxi Grill 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."

Epilogue

Dave went on to work for the Araxi Restaurant until the end of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games at which point he left as he disliked the way they treated him like a line cook.^[4] Despite not appearing in Season 9, Dave was mentioned by Chef Ramsay who told Jonathon about Dave's victory with only one hand. Dave returned in the first episode of Season 10. He cooked a steak dinner for the red team along with Rock Harper from Season 3. Dave competed against Season 11's final five chefs alongside Season 3 winner Rock, Season 4 winner Christina, Season 8 winner Nona, and Season 9 winner Paul.

Tennille and Van returned in Season 9 as part of an All-Stars team alongside Ben (Season 5) & Trev & Jillian (Season 8) and competed against that seasons final five chefs at dinner service - only to end up losing to that season's Top 5.

Kevin later returned to Season 10, to face against that seasons final six chefs, with Virginia Dalbeck (Season 2), Bonnie Muirhead (Season 3), Paula DaSilva (Season 5), Jay Santos (Season 7) & Russell Kook II (Season 8) and ended up being the clear winners.

Lovely took part in the ninth season of Food Network's Food Network Star. She was eliminated in the fourth episode but won the star salvation in the eighth episode but was eliminated that episode.

Notes

1. In the dice roll challenge, 24 spots are allocated in the letters of the alphabet (12 letters each which are given two spots).
2. For the red team, Suzanne rolled on R and went for rabbit, Amanda rolled on H and went for Haricot Verts (Green Beans), Tennille rolled P and went for Potato, Sabrina rolled G and went for Garlic and Ariel rolled H and went for Ham Hock. As for the blue team, as Robert was still in hospital, Andy had going an extra roll and rolled H and went for Haddock, Dave rolled F and reluctantly went for Figs, Van rolled A and went for Angel Hair Pasta, Kevin rolled A and went for Apples and Andy rolled T and went for Tomato.
3. Robert and Sabrina's elimination were paid in a retrospect montage in their exits. These were the first clips outside of chefs who had received black jackets since Rachel Brown of season 2 has a retrospect montage clip.
4. The red team set the worst competitive record of any red team in the history of Hell's Kitchen in terms of dinner services. They were victorious only once in ten services, losing five outright with the blue team as well as suffering four joint losses.
5. Tennille's elimination is the first time Ramsay has eliminated a chef while in the kitchen after service.
6. For the ethnic cuisine challenge, the chefs chose from three countries: Chinese, Mexican, and Indian. Ariel drew Chinese, Kevin drew Mexican and Dave drew Indian.
7. In the season finale, six chefs returned to help the two finalists. However, four of the final seven eliminated chefs are present for the final service. Andy and Tennille were two of the former contestants who should have come back for the final service, but since they did not return because Andy had still recovered his finger injury and Tennille for unknown reasons, Robert and Amanda took in their places and were the last two persons prior to top eight chefs.

References

1. Araxi.com
2. Amber Dowling (2009). "'Hell's comes to Canada". MSN. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
3. "Exclusive Interview: Robert Hesse of 'Hell's Kitchen'". My Buddy TV Web Site. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
4. Araxi Homepage, Hell's Kitchen

External links

• Official website
• Araxi Restaurant