Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 10)

Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 10)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	20
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	June 4 (2012-06-04) – September 10, 2012 (2012-09-10)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 9 Next → Season 11
List of Hell's Kitchen episodes

Season 10 of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen premiered on June 4, 2012 on Fox and concluded on September 10, 2012. Chef de Cuisine Christina Wilson won the season and received a head chef position at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Las Vegas in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada.

Gordon Ramsay returned as head chef, Scott Leibfried and Andi van Willigan returned as sous chefs and James Lukanik returned as the maître d'.

Production and development

This season saw an alteration to the show's format, with many episodes now being two-parters, depicting the team challenge and reward/punishment one night, followed by service and elimination the following night. This is the first & only season where one challenge produced no winner and both teams faced punishment.

Opening sequence

The opening sequence of Season 10 began with the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign which morphed into "Welcome to Fabulous Hell's Kitchen". This is followed by a magic show-style opening featuring the chefs doing various stunts and tricks with Ramsay magically appearing at the end.

Chefs

18 chefs competed in season 10. Full names per official site. ^[1]

Contestant	Age	Occupation	Hometown	Result
Christina Wilson [2]	32	Chef de Cuisine	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Winner
Justin Antiorio	29	Sous Chef	Lyndhurst, New Jersey	Runner-Up
Dana Cohen [lower-alpha 1] [3]	27	Chef Instructor	River Vale, New Jersey	Eliminated before Finals
Barbra "Barbie" Marshall [lower-alpha 2] [2]	34	Catering Chef	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Eliminated before Finals
Clemenza Caserta	41	Executive Chef	Long Island, New York	Eliminated after 14th Service
Robyn Almodovar [lower-alpha 3]	31	Executive Sous Chef	Hollywood, Florida	Eliminated after 13th Service
Brian Merel	31	Personal Chef	Chicago, Illinois	Eliminated before Black Jackets
Kimberly "Kimmie" Willis-Davenport [4]	27	Personal Chef	Memphis, Tennessee	Eliminated after 11th Service
Tiffany Johnson	30	Sous Chef	Warren, Vermont	Eliminated after 10th Service
Royce Wagner	29	Sous Chef	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	Eliminated after 9th Service
Patrick Cassata	40	Executive Chef	Lombard, Illinois	Eliminated after 8th Service
Roshni Gurnani	28	Executive Chef	Boston, Massachusetts	Eliminated after 7th Service
Guy Vaknin	28	Executive Catering Chef	New York, New York	Eliminated after 6th Service
Danielle Rimmer	27	Saucier	Bayonne, New Jersey	Eliminated after 5th Service
Donald "Don" Savage	44	Cafeteria Chef	Houston, Texas	Eliminated after 4th Service
Briana Swanson	32	Personal Chef	New York, New York	Eliminated after 3rd Service
Christopher "Chris" Carrero	33	Executive Chef	Queens, New York	Eliminated after 2nd Service
Tavon Hubbard	22	Executive Chef	Washington, D.C.	Eliminated after 1st Service

Notes

1. Chef returned to Hells Kitchen again on Season 17.
2. Chef returned to Hells Kitchen again on Season 17.
3. Chef returned to Hells Kitchen again on Season 17.

Contestant progress

						Original teams				First switch				Second switch				Individual			Finals
No.	Chef					1001	1002	1003	1004	1005/06	1006/07	1008	1009/10	1011	1012/13	1014	1015	1016	1017	1018/1019	1019/20
1					Christina	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	WIN	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	IN	IN	IN	WINNER
2					Justin	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM [n 1]	IN	IN	IN	RUNNER-UP
3				Dana		WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	WIN	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	IN	IN	OUT
4				Barbie		WIN	NOM	NOM	LOSE	NOM	WIN	WIN	LOSE	WIN	NOM	LOSE	WIN	IN	NOM [n 1]	OUT
5				Clemenza		LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	NOM [n 2]	LOSE	NOM	NOM	LOSE	NOM [n 1]	NOM	OUT [n 1]
6				Robyn		WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	WIN	NOM	BoW	NOM	NOM	NOM	OUT
7			Brian			LOSE	LOSE	WIN	NOM	LOSE	LOSE	NOM [n 2]	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	OUT [n 1]
8			Kimmie			WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	WIN	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	OUT
9			Tiffany			WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	WIN	NOM	WIN	OUT
10			Royce			NOM [n 1]	NOM	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	OUT
11		Patrick				LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	NOM	LOSE	NOM [n 1]	OUT
12		Roshni				WIN	NOM	NOM [n 1]	NOM	LOSE	LOSE	OUT [n 1]
13		Guy				LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	NOM	OUT
14		Danielle				WIN	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	OUT
15	Don					NOM [n 2]	LOSE	WIN	OUT
16	Briana					WIN	LOSE	OUT
17	Chris					LOSE	OUT
18	Tavon					OUT

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. Although nominated, chef was not called down by Ramsay

Episodes

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

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	US viewers (millions)
125	1	"18 Chefs Compete"	June 4, 2012 (2012-06-04)	5.46 [5]
In this episode, 20 initial chefs were transported to Hell's Kitchen in a police-escorted motorcade, where sous chef Scott greeted them and explained he shaved his head to prove his dedication to Chef Ramsay, as did sous chef Andi. He called for volunteers to shave their heads; two of the "chefs" then turned out to be Scott's friends instead and got their heads shaved. Scott then called out actual contestant Danielle and was about to shave her head before Ramsay stopped him. It was later revealed that Andi was wearing a bald cap. Team challenge: Each chef created their signature dish; men (blue team) competed against women (red team). Robyn's sea bass scored over Don's southwestern saltimbocca, neither Tiffany's Lamb Schnitzel nor Guy's pan-seared bass scored a point (Guy even told Ramsay not to try his dish as he burned his sauce), Roshni's lamb and Royce's grouper both scored points, Justin's dish scored over Danielle's, neither Kimmie's Fisherman's Trio nor Brian's dessert scored a point, neither Barbie's nor Chris' dish scored a point, Briana's and Patrick's dish both scored a point and Dana's pan-seared scallops scored over Tavon's shrimp scallops and crab. Lastly, Christina's pork chop scored over Clemenza's veal chop, giving the women a 5-3 win. Reward/punishment: The women were treated to a steak meal with two Hell's Kitchen winners Rahman "Rock" Harper from Season 3 and Dave Levey from Season 6 while the men were forced to clean both kitchens. Service: Leigh Bodden was a guest for opening night. In the red kitchen, Roshni was kicked out after undercooking and overcooking scallops, and although Barbie led the women to getting appetizers out, Christina's Wellingtons came out raw. In the blue kitchen, Tavon served raw pigeon, butchered the entire team's supply of scallops, and laughed after being scolded by Ramsay, getting him kicked out, while Royce had trouble finding anchovies for salads and was also kicked out for serving undercooked spaghetti against Clemenza's advice. Don did little, annoying his teammates, and the rest of the team was kicked out after Chris served an onion tart with raw pastry. After Christina still struggled on Wellingtons, Ramsay shut the red kitchen down. Though no entrées were served, the red team was named winners for at least serving all their appetizers; the blue team was told to nominate two for elimination. Elimination: Tavon and Don were nominated. However, Ramsay overruled Don's nomination as the latter did nothing too seriously wrong that night, and nominated Royce. In the end, Tavon was eliminated for failing to live up to his executive chef position as well as being the worst performer of the night. Ramsay's comment: "Tavon may have been an executive chef at 22, but he did little to impress me in his short stay in Hell's Kitchen."
126	2	"17 Chefs Compete"	June 5, 2012 (2012-06-05)	4.87
A rap group wakens the chefs inside the dorms. Team challenge: The chefs removed 125 scallops from a large mound of ice and seaweed before cooking them to Ramsay's standards; the first team to make six plates of five scallops would win. The women won mainly thanks to Barbie and Tiffany, preparing six plates to the men's two. Reward/punishment: The women went on a yacht cruise for a day on Santa Catalina Island, and went ziplining, (where Roshni completely stalled on the line). The men cleaned and prepped the kitchens and dining room for service, as well as drink smoothies made from rejected scallops. Service: The service was deemed "Redemption Night", with Ramsay specifically wanting flawless scallops from both kitchens. Brian and Christina served shrimp scampi appetizer tableside. In the blue kitchen, Don served a burnt and also raw pizza, Brian served raw and also overcooked shrimp, Chris needed his teammates' help with scallops and served raw opah and Royce served bland mashed potatoes. For the women, Brianna served risotto in three different pans when needed put into one. Robyn and Barbie did not work together well, burning scallops and also bringing up the wrong number. Barbie continually argued with her teammates and overcooked a bass. Ramsay kicked the women out after catching Tiffany asking Danielle to cook six bass not to order. After Clemenza brought up an overcooked steak from the blue kitchen, Ramsay kicked the men out as well and named both teams losers. Elimination: The women nominated Barbie and Roshni while the men nominated Chris and Royce. Despite the women's strong desire to see Barbie go home due to her poor attitude and poor performance, Ramsay instead eliminated Chris for his awful performance on fish and for admitting he was "frazzled" during service. Ramsay's comment: "I'm sure that Chris prays that he never sees another scallop. And after tonight, I pray I don't see any more of him."
127	3	"16 Chefs Compete"	June 11, 2012 (2012-06-11)	6.25 [6]
Team challenge: Both teams had to cook a meal for 60 immigrants who had just become U.S. citizens. Barbie attempted to cook pizzas before appetizers were served and was removed from her station after burning one, while Clemenza undercooked his. Royce was slow to assemble California Cobb salads for the blue team, getting reprimanded for using mushrooms, and Brian served raw beef sliders. The women beat the men by three tables, for their third challenge in a row. [note 1] Reward/punishment: The women were rewarded with a safari trip in San Diego. The men were sent to do hard labor at the Ballona Wetlands. Prior to service, Ramsay had season 1 runner-up Ralph Pagano, Royce's boss, give Royce a pep talk. Service: A group of Marines and Firefighters were guests for this service. Don and Tiffany were assigned as servers, but Don's poor writing and bad spelling slowed the blue team down. The blue team had a strong start as Royce had a near-perfect performance on appetizers, but Clemenza, despite cooking lamb perfectly, struggled to tell Ramsay exactly when it would be ready. He then ruined a ticket due to his wellingtons coming out undercooked and then ran out of wellingtons for a six top of fire fighters, resulting in Ramsay sending him out into the dining room to tell them and ask them if they'd like the steaks instead. After this, the blue team completed service without any further problems. The red kitchen got off to a bad start as Dana first put too much sauce in an order of spaghetti, Barbie undercooked scallops, and Brianna then struggled to time them with Dana's appetizers. With Christina's help, the women served appetizers, but on entrees, Briana served cod missing half a portion. Kimmie started well, but undercooked Wellingtons, while Roshni forgot an order of dumplings and then served them undercooked. After Briana overcooked cod, Ramsay threw the red team out. The men were named clear winners and Ramsay praised Royce. Ramsay berated the women, but did praise Christina. Elimination: Briana and Barbie were nominated. Ramsay also nominated Roshni but eliminated Briana for her lack of fightback. Ramsay's comment: "Tonight, Briana had a battle with the cod, and the cod won. And that's why her time in Hell's Kitchen was a short one."
128	4	"15 Chefs Compete"	June 12, 2012 (2012-06-12)	5.32 [7]
Ramsay woke the chefs early and took them to a lamb pen at a local farm. Team challenge: Each chef retrieved as many ingredients off animals as possible, with the collars and paint indicators of each ingredient. They then split into pairs to create 4 different lamb dishes; as the blue team had one less member, Patrick worked on his own. Tiffany and Danielle and Clemenza and Don both earned a point on lamb chop, Roshni and Kimmie's ground lamb earned a point over Patrick's and Justin and Guy's rack of earned a point over Barbie and Robyn's due to their lamb being raw (which Robyn blamed her teammates for convincing her to take it out for fear of overcooking). Lastly, Royce and Brian's lamb steak earned a point over Christina and Dana's, giving the men their first challenge win; a victory of 3-2. Reward/punishment: The men celebrate their first challenge win were with a day at the horse races. The women had to wash paint off the sheep in addition to cleaning and prepping both kitchens. Their day gets worse when they ate lamb testicles for lunch. Service: In the red kitchen, Danielle undercooked a risotto, while Roshni served raw Beef Wellingtons twice and was thrown out. For the men, Brian ran out of cod before being thrown out for calling Ramsay "baby". Ramsay then threw Don out for overcooking steak, followed by Robyn and Danielle for communication issues on garnish and Justin and Royce for both cooking bass for the same table. Service was completed, but both teams were named losers. Elimination: The men nominated Don and Brian while the women nominated Roshni and Danielle. Ramsay eliminated Don for his lack of improvement over four services. Team change: Ramsay then transferred Roshni to the men, hoping a new environment would change her performance after being nominated three times in a row. Ramsay's comment: "Everyone in Hell's Kitchen starts at the bottom. Unfortunately, Don stayed there."
129	5	"14 Chefs Compete"	June 18, 2012 (2012-06-18)	5.65 [8]
Team challenge: Sous chef Scott brought a large donkey piñata to the teams and Ramsay explained that the piñata would pour out balls with ingredients labelled on them. Each chef had 25 ingredients to work on six different Mexican dishes, before each team selected five to be judged by Ramsay and two guest judges. Kimmie scored over Royce for Tacos, Clemenza scored over Danielle on Burritos, Tiffany scored over Justin on Soup and Patrick scored over Christina on Enchlidas. The red team won 3-2, with Dana’s Tostada not only beating Roshni's but being noted as the best. Reward/punishment: The red team went to one of the guest judge's gourmet restaurant for lunch and later an outdoor salsa dancing class. The blue team had to prep both kitchens, make handmade salsa for service and eat tripe for lunch. Service: The service was Mexican night. The blue team started badly with Guy delivering undercooked tuna, but he recovered. On the red team, Barbie served incorrectly seasoned mussels and Kimmie baffled Ramsay by putting meat and fish on the same tray. Several chefs were kicked out; Guy and Patrick for communication issues, Danielle for serving raw pork twice, Justin and Clemenza after Justin served meat despite Clemenza's warning, Barbie for using a thermometer in chicken, Tiffany for serving burnt mashed potatoes and Royce for serving burnt chicken. The remaining chefs finished service, but Ramsay again named no winner. Elimination: The blue team nominated Patrick and Guy while the red team nominated Barbie and Danielle. Ramsay sent Barbie back in line, but the episode then ended in a cliffhanger.
130	6	"13 Chefs Compete, Part 1"	June 19, 2012 (2012-06-19)	5.34 [9]
Continued from the previous episode, Patrick was sent back in line and Ramsay eliminated Danielle for her second consecutive awful service. Ramsay did not give a comment on Danielle's elimination and she did not receive a coat hook and burning picture scene. Team challenge: Both teams prepared an appetizer and two entrées (seafood and poultry) for three fashion designer judges; David Meister, Amanda Che and Ina Soltani. Christina and Dana's appetizer scored over Brian and Justin's, but Roshni and Patrick's poultry dish scored over Barbie and Tiffany's. Clemenza, Royce and Guy's seafood dish then beat out Kimmie and Robyn's, giving the blue team the win. Reward/punishment: The blue team was treated to a shopping spree in Malibu. The red team had to assemble the runway for Hell's Kitchen's first-ever fashion show. Pre-service: Ramsay chose Kimmie and Royce to assist with plating dishes. Clemenza started cooking scallops before the show started and, upon questioning, Ramsay found out he cooked four servings as the episode ends with "To Be Continued" cliffhanger.
131	7	"13 Chefs Compete, Part 2"	June 25, 2012 (2012-06-25)	5.66 [10]
Pre-service - continued: Despite Clemenza's mistake, Ramsay ordered Hell's Kitchen to be opened. Service : The red team beat out the blue team on appetizers as Clemenza got overwhelmed with the number of scallop orders, but redeemed himself on entrées. Guy got distracted and was scolded, while Robyn ran out of beef, was scolded for asking Christina to get some from the blue kitchen and was eventually forced to apologize to the customers and offer them a different entree. Tiffany undercooked swordfish and then tried to blame it on Christina, while Guy undercooked beef and Royce struggled plating food. Both teams completed service, but Ramsay discovered a leftover tray of swordfish, resulting in an argument between Clemenza and Royce over who was responsible. The red team was named winners, with Kimmie being named best of the night. Elimination: The blue team immediately decided on Clemenza as their first nominee and, despite considering nominating Brian for not doing enough to help Clemenza on the fish station, ultimately decided on Guy as their second nominee. While the blue team all blamed Clemenza, Ramsay eliminated Guy for his lack of fight-back, but praised him for his hard work. Ramsay's comment: "Guy's performance in Hell's Kitchen was extremely inconsistent. That is why I know he is not THE guy to run Gordon Ramsay Steak."
132	8	"12 Chefs Compete"	June 26, 2012 (2012-06-26)	5.51 [11]
Team challenge: In front of each team were four domes and each dome contained six ingredients. Every five minutes, one dome became available for use. Each team member was told to take one ingredient from each dome that matches their protein and were judged by three Michelin-starred chefs, Michael Cimarusti, Anita Lo and Douglas Keane. Tiffany and Justin tied at 6 stars for Monkfish, Barbie and Clemenza tied at 5 stars for Hen, but Kimmie and Roshini tied with the minimum of 3 stars for Turkey, yet Brian and Dana tied with 6 stars for the Veal Chop. Patrick then scored 6 stars for his pork tenderloin while Robyn scored the minimum of 3 stars after it was revealed she hated beets. The red team won 30-29 after Christina's lobster dish received 7 stars, (3 stars from Anita) compared to Royce who scored the minimum of 3 stars due to hair and improperly cleaning his lobster tail. Her dish was placed on the menu for dinner service. Reward/punishment: The red team spent a day at a spa and a set of Demeyere cookware each. The blue team prepped both kitchens for service and cleaned the dorms. Service: Tito Ortiz and Sugar Ray Leonard were seated at the chef's tables, with Robyn and Justin supervising them. The red team had little trouble except for Christina undercooking risotto and Tiffany having trouble on meat, including using a dirty knife to check a Wellington, but the team rebounded. In the blue kitchen, Clemenza served hard pasta, Brian served soupy risotto, although both rebounded however Roshni served raw and overcooked meat and Ramsay kicked the blue team out after Patrick served cold lobster twice. Ramsay had the red team complete their service. Elimination: Brian and Clemenza were nominated however Ramsay disagreed with the decision, overruled and nominated Roshni and Patrick. Ramsay eliminated Roshni for her irregular performances, but praised her for her big heart. Ramsay's comment: "Roshni is a small lady with a big heart. Unfortunately, her performance tonight matched her stature."
133	9	"11 Chefs Compete Part 1"	July 2, 2012 (2012-07-02)	5.83 [12]
Team challenge: A slot machine was spun and determined what type of ingredients and steak one member of each team had to cook in 30 minutes. Since Kimmie did not spin due to the women having an extra member, she got to choose which batch of ingredients she would cook with; she chose Robyn's, but Robyn's ribeye steak was chosen over Kimmie's. Justin's filet mignon scored over Tiffany's, Christina's hangar steak scored over Royce's, neither Dana's or Patrick's flat iron steak scored a point and both Barbie's and Brian's New York strips scored a point. Clemenza's ribeye steak then scored over Robyn's, giving the men a 3-2 win. Ramsay told the women they should have chosen Kimmie's steak, which he preferred. Reward/punishment: The blue were rewarded with a shopping spree for kitchenware and utensils, followed by lunch at Comme Ça. The red team prepped the beef for service. Kimmie's injury: Dinner service's is a combination of steakhouse and family night. Shortly before service, Kimmie burned her left hand and arm picking up a pan with hot grease; while she was medically treated, she argued with Robyn. The episode then ended in another "To be continued" cliffhanger.
134	10	"11 Chefs Compete Part 2"	July 3, 2012 (2012-07-03)	5.07 [13]
Kimmie's injury - continued: Despite being advised by the medic not to take part in service, Kimmie decided to, which led to her team (bar Robyn) praising her dedication. Service: Tiffany burned pizzas for the kids and served inconsistent blinis for smoked salmon, but Barbie took over and served perfect appetizers, earning praise from Ramsay, which annoyed Tiffany. Kimmie and Robyn continued to argue and failed to get entrées out due to disagreeing over times. On the blue team, Patrick and Royce were thrown out for serving raw meat and Brian was scolded for acting goofy. Ramsay called Clemenza, Brian and Justin to assist the red team, but the fighting among the women continued and Ramsay threw them out after Robyn served raw steak. Although the men finished both teams' services, Ramsay named both teams losers but praised Clemenza, Brian and Justin for their efforts indicating none of them would be eliminated. Elimination: The blue team nominated Patrick and Royce while the red team nominated Tiffany and Robyn. Ramsay eliminated Patrick for failing to live up to his Executive Chef position and inconsistent performances. Team change: Ramsay then accepted Robyn's request to be transferred to the men's team, though he warned her to stop blaming others for her mistakes. Ramsay's comment: "Patrick talked a good game, but he couldn't back it up with his cooking so it was time for him to leave Hell's Kitchen."
135	11	"10 Chefs Compete"	July 9, 2012 (2012-07-09)	6.01 [14]
Team challenge: Each team member rolled a 12-sided dice, with each face having a letter, and had to think of a food item beginning with that letter, after which each team had to produce one dish using all the ingredients named. [note 2] The blue team narrowly won after the red team's brussel sprouts were undercooked. Reward/punishment: The blue team head to Southwest Airlines for a flight to Las Vegas, where they spent an entire evening at the Paris Las Vegas. The red team spent all night barbecuing a pig to make pulled pork, with an alarm sounding every hour. Service: Chef's tables were featured in this service. The blue team cooked for two American Idol contestants which include Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze and Season 10 finalist Haley Reinhart while the red team cooked for David Beckham and his son Brooklyn. The red team had a near flawless service, thanks to Barbie's excellent performance on meat, with the only problems being Dana and Christina initially struggling on making the flatbreads, though both managed to recover, and Tiffany mistaking cod for sea bass twice. However, the blue kitchen had a terrible dinner service from the start. On appetizers, Clemenza forget to drain his scallops, though he managed to recover, and Brian struggled to make flatbreads until Robyn helped him, and because of her strong performance on appetizers, the blue team was able to successfully serve most of their appetizers. However, they failed to serve any entrées, with Royce first serving three wellingtons at different temperatures, thus causing Ramsey to flip the ticket, and then being inconsistent on how long his pork chop and New York strips would take. Ramsey then marched the entire blue team, minus Robyn, into the storeroom and told them to get a grip and regroup. However, Royce again failed to properly cook his meat, this time overcooking the pork, and Clemenza served burnt cod on the same ticket. After Royce told Ramsey he was ten minutes away on the refired pork chop, Ramsey brought the red team, who had just finished serving their entrées, into the blue kitchen to help them. Despite Tiffany arguing with Brian on garnish, the blue team managed to serve all their entrées with the red team's help and under Christina's leadership. The red team were named the clear winners and Barbie was named best of the night. Ramsay berated the blue team, but did praise Robyn. Elimination: Royce and Clemenza were nominated. Ramsay had them both remove their jackets and eliminated Royce for failing to live up to his abilities to his mentor before giving Clemenza a clean jacket. Ramsay's comment: "Royce came in promising a Rolls-Royce service. But instead, his service was like a broken-down car. Time to send Royce to the junkyard."
136	12	"9 Chefs Compete Part 1"	July 16, 2012 (2012-07-16)	6.33 [15]
Two chefs from each team competed against competitive eater Joey Chestnut in a chicken wing contest; Brian/Justin and Barbie/Tiffany had 60 wings to eat between them, while Chestnut had 60 to himself. The first to finish won $500 in cash; Chestnut won. Team challenge: The annual "blind taste test" then took place; since the red team had an extra member, Kimmie sat out. Brian identified three ingredients correctly compared to Christina's two, Barbie scored one while Robyn failed to get any and Tiffany also scored one while Clemenza also failed to get any. Lastly, Dana scored two, but Justin became the first chef in Hell's Kitchen history to get a perfect score of four, giving the blue team a 7-6 win. Reward/punishment: The blue team spent a day at the Raging Waters water park in San Dimas. The red team spent the day taking in deliveries, grinding peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, changing the oil in the fryers and peeling potatoes. Durning the punishment, Kimmie got into a fight with Barbie about how little work she was doing and Barbie insulted Kimmie's Weight. Pre-service: The teams received an iPad video message from Ramsay, instructing them to create their own menu, consisting of three appetizers, three entrées and three desserts. Barbie prepped at a slow pace, annoying her teammates, the first batch of Kimmie's barbecue sauce tasted awful, forcing Christina to help her, and Dana helped Tiffany with potatoes since they were crunchy, while Clemenza stepped out of prep to clean his jacket. Ramsay had issues with the red team's appetizers, but had positive comments about their entrées. By contrast, Ramsay did not like any of the blue team's dishes, eventually finding several bones in Clemenza's quail dish, leading him to threaten Clemenza with elimination before service. The episode then ended with another "To be continued" cliffhanger.
137	13	"9 Chefs Compete Part 2"	July 17, 2012 (2012-07-17)	6.02 [16]
Pre-service - continued: Ramsay warned the blue team to step up their game. Service: The customers submitted comment cards based on which team's dishes they preferred. Robyn undercooked and overcooked Justin's stuffed squash blossoms and was forced to suggest an alternative to the diners after the blue team ran out of scallops. Brian forgot onion rings for Justin's steak and brought them up soggy, Justin overcooked prime steak, and Clemenza lied to Ramsay after forgetting a sea bass. After Brian brought up raw sea bass, Ramsay kicked the blue team out and had sous chef Scott finish the last ticket. For the red team, Christina got overwhelmed on flatbreads, Kimmie overcooked duck and ribeye steak, Dana's lobster was sent back for being raw, and Tiffany cooked garnish in a dirty pan. Tiffany got stalled on raw potatoes for her gratin dauphinoise dish, and when she argued with sous chef Andi, who kicked her out. Despite the red team finishing service, Ramsay tore up the customers' comment cards and named both teams losers, describing tonight's service as their worst so far, and is disappointed that everyone made mistakes on a menu they all created. Elimination: The blue team nominated Robyn and Clemenza while the women nominated Tiffany and Barbie, but Ramsay believed the women's second nominee should have been Kimmie. Although he was disappointed with Clemenza for lying and Robyn for not getting along with her new teammates, Ramsay eliminated Tiffany for her lack of passion, standards and leadership. Ramsay's comment: "The most passionate I ever saw Tiffany was moments ago when she was already on her way out. That was just too late."
138	14	"8 Chefs Compete"	July 23, 2012 (2012-07-23)	6.46 [17]
Team challenge: A southern gospel choir, the Southern Voices of Victory, serenaded the chefs with their rendition of This Little Light of Mine before the challenge. The teams split into pairs and one from each team cooked a modernized version of a Southern entrée and side item, each revealed on a fan held by a choir member that the chefs chose. They then had 30 minutes to cook the items and were judged by Ramsay and Epicurious editor Tanya Steel. Barbie scored over Clemenza on the Catfish and Collard Greens round and Kimmie scored over Brian in the Porkchop and Grits round. Despite Justin scoring a point over Christina in the Fried Chicken and Mac'n'Cheese round, Dana scored over Robyn in the MeatLoaf and Sweet Potato round, giving the red team a 3-1 victory. Dana's dish was judged the best, leading for her dish to be featured on Epicurious. [18] Reward/punishment: The red team were featured in a photo shoot for Epicurious followed by a trip for lunch at The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. The blue team prepped for service, which involved baking biscuits and churning butter from scratch. Dinner service: Service featured a special menu of Southern cuisine. In the blue team, Brian overcooked oysters on appetizers, but he managed to recover and the blue team was able to send appetizers out. On entrées, Brian burned catfish and gave Ramsay a snide answer when Ramsay asked him to taste it. As a result, Ramsay kicked him out, and Brian nearly walked out the front door, but after prompting by maître d' James, Brian returned and fought back. However, Robyn served undercooked fried chicken twice, causing Ramsay to throw the blue team out. In the red kitchen, appetizers ran well, but Kimmie burned catfish and Barbie served under seasoned garnish. After Kimmie again served burned and undercooked catfish, Ramsay threw the red team out, leaving him and the sous chefs to complete service. Furious, Ramsay ordered both teams to nominate one chef for elimination. Elimination: The red team nominated Kimmie and the blue team nominated Robyn. Despite the Blue Team openly stating that Robyn should go, Ramsay eliminated Kimmie for not living up to her expertise on southern cooking, but praised her for her passion and drive. Ramsay's comment: "As a woman from Memphis, tonight's Southern cuisine menu should've been an easy walk in the park for Kimmie. But it turned out to be a difficult uphill battle, and that is why it was her time to go."
139	15	"7 Chefs Compete"	July 24, 2012 (2012-07-24)	6.23 [19]
Team challenge: The chefs had to prepare three dishes (risotto, cod, rack of lamb) from the regular Hell's Kitchen menu in a tag-team race. Ramsay then judged the dishes on completeness, taste and appearance. The red team burnt their risotto while the blue team undercooked theirs. Clemenza forgot to put broth in the cod, while Christina undercooked it. Finally, the blue team's lamb had an awful tasting sauce, while Barbie severely mangled the lamb for the red team, resulting in both teams losing the challenge for the first (and so far only) time in the history of Hell's Kitchen. Punishment: The reward would have been a day at the beach in Santa Monica with lunch and a helicopter tour. Instead, both teams were forced to detail the SUVs, clean the restaurant and prepare for that night's service. Service: For the red team, Christina cooked too much risotto, nearly mixed a cooked portion into a fresh one, and burned a portion while rejecting Barbie's help. Dana was also criticized for needlessly cooking three bass in separate pans, but they finished well before the blue team, who failed to get entrées out, causing some of their tables to walk out. Clemenza used three pans to cook five orders of risotto, resulting in them turning out different colors. Robyn tried to blame her teammates for telling her to keep her garnishes warm in the oven. Justin served old sea bass and Brian served three Wellingtons at different temperatures. After Brian stalled an order with raw steak and overcooked Wellington, Ramsay kicked him off and had Barbie take over. The red team were named clear winners and Christina, Dana and Barbie were given black jackets. [note 3] Elimination: The blue team nominated Robyn, but could not choose between Brian and Clemenza, so Ramsay nominated the entire team. Clemenza and Justin were given black jackets before Robyn was given the final black jacket and Brian was eliminated for giving up easily in service and not having a more serious attitude. Ramsay's comment: "Brian had a lot of energy and was a funny guy. But after tonight's performance, I wasn't laughing. And that's why he has to leave Hell's Kitchen."
140	16	"6 Chefs Compete"	August 13, 2012 (2012-08-13)	6.58 [20]
Team challenge: The chefs were split into pairs (Barbie/Justin, Christina/Robyn and Clemenza/Dana) and had to taste Chef Lefebvre's and Chef Hatfield's dishes. This led to the actual "taste it, make it" challenge, in which the chefs had to distinguish the ingredients in Ramsay's dish and reproduce it in 30 minutes. Dana and Clemenza made a veal chop wrapped in prosciutto with white bean horseradish puree and madeira sauce, while the other two pairs wrapped their veal chops in serrano ham, seasoned their purees with smoked bacon, and finished with port sauce. The bacon turned out to be prosciutto and the puree included smoked bacon, which meant that the challenge would be decided on the sauce. Ramsay revealed the alcohol to be madeira, giving Clemenza and Dana the win. Reward/punishment: Clemenza and Dana went to Silverwood Lake for a day of jet skiing and enjoying a gourmet picnic. The others cleaned the dining room, and polish glasses and silverware. Service: The chefs competed against another team, composed of runners-up from previous seasons of Hell's Kitchen: Russell Kook II (season 8), Jay Santos (season 7), Kevin Cottle (season 6), Paula DaSilva (season 5), Bonnie Muirhead (season 3) and Virginia Dalbeck (season 2). The runner-up team had a virtually flawless service from start to finish, with Ramsay commenting how fast food was leaving the kitchen. Their only real mistake was Jay getting overwhelmed on fish, though even then, Kevin helped him get service back on track. For the black team, Robyn underdressed the caesar salads, and she and Clemenza cooked appetizers not on order. Dana failed to ask for help and control the fish station, Robyn was kicked out for talking back to Ramsay and Clemenza overcooked scallops. Ramsay told the black team their service was "not bad", but the runners-up were deemed to have been far better, meaning one member of the black team would be eliminated. Elimination: Robyn and Clemenza were nominated. Much to all the other chef's reliefs, Ramsay eliminated Robyn for her inconsistency, argumentative nature and lack of teamwork, but praised her for her passion. Ramsay's comment: "Making it to the black jackets was a dream come true for Robyn. But cooking against the runners-up was a reality check for her and for me."
141	17	"5 Chefs Compete"	August 20, 2012 (2012-08-20)	6.23 [21]
Challenge: The chefs had to teach five Miss Teen USA winners, Kamie Crawford (Justin), Stevi Perry (Clemenza), Hilary Cruz (Barbie), Katie Blair (Christina) and Allie LaForce (Dana), how to cook a chicken parmesan dish. Barbie and Hilary won, with Dana and Allie coming a close second. Reward/punishment: Barbie was treated to a gourmet Italian lunch and kayaking in the Venice canals. In addition, she chose Justin to go with her. The others prepped for Italian service. Service: Before service, Sous Chef Scott caught Clemenza overtenderizing chicken. Barbie incorrectly cooked risotto numerous times, to a point where Ramsay threatened to throw her out if she messed up again, and sent capellini with too little crab on the last ticket. Dana earned a trip to the storeroom after burning filets and Clemenza, despite producing perfect flatbreads, had a messy workspace and forgot the order multiple times. Christina burned and under-seasoned garnish, but recovered. Ramsay expressed disappointment with the performance and had the team nominate one for elimination. Elimination: The team could not choose between Barbie and Clemenza, so Ramsay nominated both of them. [note 4] Ramsay eliminated Clemenza for his inconsistency and lack of organization, but commended him on his effort; Ramsay provided no comment on Clemenza's elimination and he did not receive a coat hook and burning picture scene. The final four found a champagne bottle from Ramsay, which included a congratulations note and a promised surprise the following night.
142	18	"4 Chefs Compete"	August 27, 2012 (2012-08-27)	6.87 [22]
The chefs were treated to a visit from their loved-ones, Christina's mother and girlfriend, Dana's parents, Barbie's husband and children, and Justin's parents. Challenge: The chefs were taken to a Bristol Farms supermarket, where they had 10 minutes to spend up to $15 on ingredients before having 30 minutes to cook their dish. Three judges, two restaurateurs and a critic for Bon Appétit magazine, priced the dishes, with the chef with the highest average price winning. Dana won with her panko-coated halibut ($34), narrowly beating out Christina's grilled swordfish with saffron rice and shrimp ($33.67), while Barbie finished third ($33) and Justin last ($28.33). Reward/punishment: Dana visited the Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, where the chef helped her cook a dish and serve it to her parents. The others sort recyclable material from the garbage and prepped the kitchen for service. Service: Paris Las Vegas president David Hoenemeyer was a guest for this service. The chefs took turns running the pass while having to spot acts of sabotage Ramsay and sous chefs Scott and Andi set up. Justin had a very strong start, spotting crab instead of lobster in a spaghetti, and only had trouble with Dana's poor attitude on fish due to the latter not respecting Justin as a leader until she was berated by Ramsey. Dana was strong in leadership, but failed to notice that a risotto was seasoned with sugar instead of salt. Barbie kept addressing her orders to the diners instead of the chefs, but managed to catch mashed celeriac instead of mashed potatoes. Christina had a rough start when Dana kept getting her times wrong, but became more vocal and decisive, catching arugula instead of spinach. Elimination: Ramsay announced that two chefs would advance to the final. After each chef gave a reason to stay, Ramsay firstly eliminated Barbie, but praised her for her improvement, passion and hard work. The episode then ended in a "To Be Continued" cliffhanger as Ramsay prepared to name the two chefs advancing to the final.
143	19	"2 Chefs Compete"	September 4, 2012 (2012-09-04)	6.17 [23]
Elimination - continued: Ramsay chose Christina and Justin to advance to the final, eliminating Dana, praising her for being a strong competitor and her solid performance allowing her to keep her jacket. Christina and Justin prepared a menu of four appetizers, four entrées and three desserts before Ramsay sent them on a private jet to Las Vegas, where they meet sous chefs Scott and Andi poolside at the Paris Las Vegas. They spent a day at a pool and had dinner with their loved ones. Later, they saw Penn & Teller perform, which featured Ramsay as part of a magic trick. Challenge: Christina and Justin then had each one hour to cook two appetisers and three entrées, judged by five well-renowned chefs, including Wolfgang Puck. Despite Justin scoring for both appetiser dishes, Christina scored on all three entrées and won 3–2. Reward: Christina was granted first pick in drafting a team using the eight chefs eliminated from the competition prior to the final. [note 5] Christina picked Dana, Patrick, Kimmie and Robyn, while Justin chose Barbie, Brian and Royce, and was left with Clemenza. Christina and Justin then briefed their team on their menus, but Clemenza, upset over being picked last, began to walk out. The episode then ended in a "To Be Continued" cliffhanger.
144	20	"Winner Chosen"	September 10, 2012 (2012-09-10)	6.27 [24]
Continued from the last episode, while Clemenza was less than enthused, he decided to take part. Christina and Justin held one final briefing the following morning, but Clemenza did not show up, causing Justin to encourage him. Ramsay gave each of the menu items a taste test, identifying dishes in need of tweaking, before starting Hell's Kitchen's 140th service. Service: Both teams encountered problems. Clemenza burned the bruschetta, Royce served raw crab cakes and undercooked meat, and Barbie overcooked ribeye steak and eventually ran out. After conferring, Justin served filet mignon as a substitute. On Christina's team, despite Christina distrusting Robyn, she put in a solid performance. However, Dana burned scallops, which caused Robyn to have to recook some of her appetizers. Dana again struggled on fish on entrees, and despite Christina telling her to recook some halibut, Dana ignored her and tried to serve them. After Christina returned them for being overcooked, Dana argued with Christina that they were okay, with Christina nearly kicking Dana out for it. Luckily, Dana managed to bring up properly cooked halibut and get the table out. Near the end of service, an undercooked pork from Dana went to the pass for the red team, leading Ramsay to ask Christina to either serve it or restart the table. She decided to restart, a decision he approved of. Both teams completed service. Before he sends the finalists to the dorms, Ramsay named Tavon the winner of Hell's Kitchen as a joke. Winner: After deliberating, Ramsay called Christina and Justin to his office and sent them to two doors; Christina's door opened, making her the tenth winner of Hell's Kitchen. Christina hung her portrait on the Wall of Fame and Justin took his defeat graciously. Ramsay's comment: "Christina's passion and talent are undeniable. She's a strong leader who is totally at home in the kitchen. I know I'm not rolling the dice with her in Vegas because she is the real deal."

Notes

1. The men's loss meant they set a record for the worst start in Hell's Kitchen history, with five lost challenges/services out of five.
2. Clemenza chose heirloom tomato, Justin chose daikon, Robyn chose dragonfruit, Brian chose edamame and Royce chose chicken. For the red team, Tiffany chose chicory, Barbie chose lamb, Kimmie chose turnips, Dana chose brussels sprouts and Christina chose truffles.
3. The blue team set the worst competitive record of any blue team in the history of Hell's Kitchen dinner services. They were victorious only once in twelve services, losing five outright to the red team as well as suffering six joint losses.
4. Clemenza's nomination count ties with Autumn Lewis of season 7 Sabrina Brimhall of season 8, Elise Wims in Season 9 and Scott Commings of Season 12.
5. Tiffany did not return, so Patrick took her place as the last person eliminated prior to the top ten.

References

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8. Kondology, Amanda (June 19, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Adjusted Up; 'The Glass House' Adjusted Down". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
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12. Kondolojy, Amanda (July 6, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' & 'US Olympic Trials' Adjusted Up; 'Glass House' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
13. Kondolojy, Amanda (July 6, 2012). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen' Adjusted Up; 'Love in the Wild' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
14. Bibel, Sara (July 10, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen', 'MasterChef', 'Fear Factor' Adjusted Up; 'The Glass House' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
15. Kondolojy, Amanda (July 17, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'American Ninja Warrior' Adjusted Up; 'The Glass House' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
16. Kondolojy, Amanda (July 18, 2012). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
17. Bibel, Sara (July 24, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings:'Bachelor Pad' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
18. Cohen, Dana (July 24, 2012). "Hell's Kitchen Meatloaf with Sweet-Potato Puree". Epicurious. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
19. Bibel, Sara (July 25, 2012). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Adjusted Up; 'MasterChef', 'Love In The Wild' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
20. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 14, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: No Adjustments for 'Hell's Kitchen', 'Hotel Hell', 'Bachelor Pad' or 'Grimm'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
21. Bibel, Sara (August 21, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Grimm', 'Stars Earn Stripes', 'Hell's Kitchen' Adjusted Up; 'Bachelor Pad', 'The Glass House' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
22. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 28, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Hotel Hell' & 'Stars Earn Stripes' Adjusted Up; 'Hell's Kitchen' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
23. Bibel, Sara (September 6, 2012). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen' & 'America's Got Talent' Adjusted Up Plus Final Numbers for DNC Day 1". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
24. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 11, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' Adjusted Up + Unscrambled CBS Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 12, 2012.

External links

• Official website