Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 8)

Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 8)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	15
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 22 – December 15, 2010

The eighth season of Hell's Kitchen, an American reality competition television series starring Gordon Ramsay, premiered on the Fox Network on September 22, 2010, and continued until December 15, 2010. Sous Chef Nona Sivley won the competition, earning a head chef position at the L.A. Market restaurant at the JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, as well as an opportunity to be a spokesperson for Rosemount Estate Wines.^[1]

Sabrina Brimhall holds the record for the worst nomination record of any black jacket chef on the show. Being nominated every time she was eligible for nomination she beats Runner-Up of season 2 Virginia Dambeck with 1 more nomination compared Virginia's 6.

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 to the series as the head chef, as well as sous chefs Scott Leibfried and Andi van Willigan. James Lukanik served as the maître d', replacing Jean-Philippe Susilovic, who had been serving as a restaurant director at Ramsay's restaurant in London, Petrus.^[2] Seasons 7 and 8 were taped a year apart, resulting in other staff changes.

Broadcast

Hell's Kitchen was planned to air weekly from September to December 2010. However, due to Fox's televising of the Major League Baseball playoffs and the World Series in October and November, the show was broadcast with double episodes from September 22 until October 13, double episodes on November 10, and single episodes from November 17 until the finale on December 15. This is the first time that the series took more than a week off while the competition was in progress. Cablevision did not carry Fox during the first sixteen days of the hiatus due to a carriage dispute.

Opening sequence/credits

Unlike the previous intros, this is the first that doesn't take place in a kitchen. It depicts the contestants in a scene resembling the tale Gulliver's Travels where the contestants tie up a giant Chef Ramsay as they launch various food-related attacks on him.

Credit order: Vinny, Melissa, Raj, Trev, Louis, Boris, Curtis, Nona, Sabrina, Gail, Lisa, Antonia, Jillian, Russell, Emily and Rob.

Contestants

16 chefs competed in Season 8.^[3] Ages shown are at the start of competition.

Contestant	Age	Occupation	Hometown
Vincent "Vinny" Accardi	29	Line Cook	Queens, New York
Antonia Boregman	40	Line Cook	Chicago, Illinois
Ranjit "Raj" Brandston	49	Personal Chef	Queens, New York
Sabrina Brimhall	22	Prep Chef	Moreno Valley, California
Lewis "Curtis" Curtis	26	Executive Chef	Beebe, Arkansas
Melissa Doney	31	Executive Sous Chef	Albany, New York
Jillian Flathers	28	Sous Chef	Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Russell Kook II[4][5]	29	Sous Chef	Madison, Wisconsin
Emily Kutchins	29	Executive Chef, Senior Home	Chicago, Illinois
Lisa LaFranca	48	Corporate Food Director	Brooklyn, New York
Robert "Rob" McCue	36	Law Firm Chef	Massapequa, New York
Trevor "Trev" McGrath	30	Line Cook/Bartender	Chicago, Illinois
Gail Novenario	28	Executive Chef	Wantagh, New York
Boris Poleschuk	38	Catering Chef	Manalapan, New Jersey
Louis Repucci	28	Children's Camp Chef	Diamond Bar, California
Nona Sivley	29	Sous Chef	Atlanta, Georgia

Contestant progress

						Original teams					First switch			Second switch		Individual				Finals
No.	Chef					801	802	803	804	805	806	807	808/09	809	810	811	812	813	814	815
1					Nona	LOSE	BoB	LOSE	BoW	LOSE	NOM[n 1]	NOM	WIN	WIN	LOSE	BoW	IN	IN	IN	WINNER
2					Russell	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	BoB	LOSE	BoB	LOSE	NOM	LOSE	IN	IN	NOM	IN	RUNNER-UP
3				Jillian		LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	BoB	WIN	BoB	LOSE	IN	IN	BoB	OUT
4				Trev		NOM	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	WIN	BoW	WIN	WIN	BoW	NOM[n 2]	NOM	NOM	NOM	OUT
5				Gail		LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	BoB	WIN	NOM[n 1]	IN	OUT
6				Sabrina		NOM	WIN	NOM	NOM	BoW	NOM	NOM[n 2]	WIN	BoB	NOM[n 2]	OUT
7			Vinny			LOSE	NOM[n 1]	BoB	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	WIN	NOM[n 1]	LOSE	OUT
8			Rob			LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	NOM	NOM[n 1]	OUT
9		Boris				LOSE	NOM	WIN	NOM	WIN	NOM	NOM[n 2]	OUT
10		Melissa				LOSE	WIN	LOSE	NOM	NOM	OUT[n 1]
11	Emily					LOSE	WIN	NOM	LOSE	OUT
12	Louis					LOSE	LOSE	WIN	OUT
13	Raj					NOM	NOM	OUT[n 3]
14	Curtis					LOSE	OUT
15	Lisa					OUT
16	Antonia					LEFT[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. Although nominated, chef was not called down by Ramsay
3. Chef was eliminated by Ramsay despite being on the winning team
4. Chef was hospitalized and withdrew for health reasons

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)	Recap
94	1	"16 Chefs Compete"	September 22, 2010	5.95[6]	[recap 1]
Sixteen chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen and met James, the new maître d'. They were then taken to the LA Market restaurant in JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. Live to meet Chef Ramsay and were told that the competition winner would become the head chef there before Ramsay had them return to the kitchen to make their signature dishes. Signature dish challenge: Men (blue team) competed against women (red team), being judged by Ramsay. Russell and Emily both earned a point, Vinny scored over Nona, neither Antonia or Curtis earned a point, Jillian scored over Rob, neither Gail or Trev earned a point, neither Lisa or Louis earned a point, Boris scored over Melissa and Sabrina scored over Raj, tying the score at 3–3. As a tie-breaker, Ramsay judged Antonia's dish to be the worst, giving the men the win. Reward/punishment: The men received massages, while the women cleaned the kitchen. Antonia's exit: Shortly before dinner service, Antonia collapsed, suffering from a migraine. She was rushed to the hospital and would not return to the competition. Service: Raj and Emily were assigned as waiters, while Boris and Melissa were assigned a special pizza menu. In the red kitchen, Melissa served raw pizza, Lisa worked slowly on fish and undercooked halibut and Sabrina served beef Wellingtons too early. In the blue kitchen, Raj struggled as a waiter, Trev overdressed salads, Boris mimicked Ramsay and was given a stern warning and Raj and Boris had trouble working together on pizzas. After two hours with no entrees and only a few appetizers, Ramsay shut down the kitchens and named no winner. Elimination: Raj, Trev, Lisa and Sabrina were nominated. Ramsay eliminated Lisa for her abysmal performance on fish and feeling she was over her head. Ramsay's comment: "The only thing positive I can say about Lisa's performance tonight: she didn't kill anyone."
95	2	"14 Chefs Compete"	September 22, 2010	7.19[6]	[recap 2]
The chefs were awakened by taiko drumming. Team challenge: The chefs worked in pairs to make five salmon cucumber avocado rolls and four pieces of tuna nigiri according to Ramsay and master sushi chef Masaharu Morimoto's specifications. Afterwards, the men chose Trev and Curtis to sit out to even the numbers. The blue team won 16-15. Reward/punishment: The men joined Ramsay in a trip to Cellar360 in San Francisco for wine tasting, and got to keep their Morimoto knives, while the women had to prep sushi for service. Dinner service: Ramsay appointed Vinny and Jillian as assistant maître d’s. On the red team, Nona had a strong performance on fish, but Emily struggled on meat and Melissa got orders mixed up on garnish, forcing Ramsay to switch her with Jillian. On the blue team, Vinny told customers not to order sides as it involved Raj's station and was kicked out, while Boris took over scallops from Trev, but served them raw. Curtis was kicked out for poorly slicing avocado roll and not putting wasabi on it, as was Raj for stacking the garnish station, before the team was ejected when Louis unbalanced walnuts on two dishes. The red team completed service, being named clear winners. Elimination: Raj and Boris were nominated; Ramsay also nominated Vinny. However, Ramsay spared the trio and eliminated Curtis for being the main reason for the blue team's collapse. Ramsay's comment: "Curtis might have been a good ol' boy, but unfortunately, he wasn't good at cooking."
96	3	"13 Chefs Compete"	September 29, 2010	5.72[7]	[recap 3]
The chefs were woken up by paramedics, who gave them health exams. Team challenge: The teams cooked breakfast for fifty paramedics; the team that finished first would win. Rob forgot to put pineapple in fruit salads, while Emily burnt bacon. Due to Raj's abysmal performance on scrambled eggs, the red team finished before the blue team even served one table, so Ramsay had them help the men. Reward/punishment: The women visited Santa Monica's Viceroy Hotel to attend trapeze school, while the men had to clean the kitchens and polish stemware. Dinner service: Trev and Sabrina served cocktails in the dining room. In the red kitchen, Emily's appetizers were returned for being salty, Melissa overcooked Dover sole and Gail dozed off while one of her meat pans caught on fire. In the blue kitchen, although Vinny did well on appetizers, Boris had trouble cooking beef Wellington and Raj ran out of Dover sole. Raj left the kitchen, and put his head in the refrigerator to calm down, but Ramsay caught him and pulled him back into service. Both teams finished service; Ramsay could not pick a winner, so he garnered the customer comment cards and the blue team narrowly won with a 54% above average rating, compared to 50% for the red team. Elimination: Emily and Sabrina were nominated, but Ramsay spared them and eliminated Raj for being a terrible performer in all three services, much to the blue team's relief.[note 1] Ramsay's comment: "When the going gets tough in the kitchen, a chef puts his head down and cooks. All Raj wanted to do was put his head in the freezer, and that's why his stay in Hell's Kitchen was a short one."
97	4	"12 Chefs Compete"	September 29, 2010	6.55[7]	[recap 4]
Team challenge: Each chef had to create ravioli with their own pasta, filling and sauce. They then had to present the dishes from best to worst for judging by Ramsay. The chefs all got good reviews, except for Louis. Ramsay named the blue team winners. Reward/punishment: The men took a helicopter trip to a coastal resort to play golf, and Vinny's ravioli was placed on the menu for dinner service, while the women had to clean the kitchen and milk cows. Service: The blue team did well on ravioli, but Louis undercooked pork and Rob burnt pizza. Ramsay then kicked out Boris for washing dishes instead of cooking and Louis for serving raw chicken parmesan. In the red kitchen, Melissa forgot a ravioli before serving it cold, while Sabrina and Gail struggled to work together on meat and garnish, but the red team finished service. The women were then ordered to help the men, but after no success, Ramsay kicked everyone out. Ramsay named both teams losers. Elimination: Melissa, Sabrina, Louis and Boris were nominated. Ramsay eliminated Louis for being the worst performer of the night. Ramsay's comment: "Louis the camp cook dreamed of fine dining, but the only thing I would trust him with is toasting a marshmallow. Kumbaya, my friend."
98	5	"11 Chefs Compete"	October 6, 2010	6.13[8]	[recap 5]
Team challenge: The chefs prepared a tasting menu of an appetizer and two main dishes for the Beverly Hills High School prom committee, who ended up favoring the red team's dishes. Reward/punishment: The women visited the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park, while the men had to clean the kitchens and help the prom committee put up decorations. Service: The dinner service was for the prom; Vinny and Nona assisted Ramsay plating food. The blue team got a fish entrée added to the menu, since all of the red team's dishes were meat-based. In the red kitchen, Emily's crab cakes were soggy, Melissa overcooked filet mignons before they finished serving appetizers and Emily served raw halibut. In the blue kitchen, Boris also had soggy crab cakes but Russell helped him. Both teams finished service; Ramsay named the blue team winners and praised Russell; Sabrina was named "Best of the Worst". Elimination: Sabrina nominated Melissa and Emily. After asking Nona, Ramsay eliminated Emily for her lack of passion and effort. Ramsay's comment: "Like everyone in Hell's Kitchen, Emily started at the bottom. Unfortunately, she stayed there."
99	6	"10 Chefs Compete"	October 6, 2010	7.03[8]	[recap 6]
Team change: Prior to the team challenge, Ramsay moved Melissa to the blue team and Trev to the red team. Team challenge: The chefs prepared entree salads. Sarah Tenaglia, the senior food editor of Bon Appétit magazine, was the guest judge. After a 2–2 tie, Rob's salad was named best, giving the blue team the win. Reward/punishment: The blue team had lunch at the Getty Villa in Malibu, and Rob's salad was added to dinner service and featured in Bon Appétit magazine. The red team had to eat a flower salad with bugs for lunch. Service: Rob's salad proved difficult for both teams; Nona struggled on scallops and Ramsay changed the order to a rock shrimp salad when Melissa wasted all of the blue team's scallops. Sabrina struggled on garnish, while Boris overcooked garnish, causing Ramsay to throw him out. Though both teams finished service, Ramsay named no winner and had the teams nominate one chef for elimination. Elimination: Sabrina and Boris were nominated; Ramsay also nominated Nona and Melissa. Ramsay eliminated Melissa for her declining performances and making too many simple mistakes. Ramsay's comment: "Melissa had a red jacket, she had a blue jacket, and now she has no jacket at all."
100	7	"9 Chefs Compete Part 1"	October 13, 2010	5.98[9]	[recap 7]
Team challenge: The chefs spun a modified roulette wheel with 18 letters of the alphabet.[note 2] Each chef had to name an ingredient starting with the letter that the ball landed on and then had 30 minutes to cook a dish using those ingredients.[note 3] The red team won after Rob failed to season asparagus and yams properly. Reward/punishment: The red team went to Las Vegas and enjoyed a special appearance by Penn & Teller, while the blue team prepped potatoes for French fries. Service: The theme for service was family night. Special guests included Ramsay's family and Jerry Springer and his family. Both teams served fries on time, though both Nona and Rob struggled to keep up on garnish, Vinny was scolded for making risotto ahead of schedule and attempting to serve an old risotto to Ramsay's wife, and Boris, after cooking meat perfectly, almost sliced on a dirty board until Ramsay jumped in. Both teams completed service and both garnered a satisfaction rating of 90%, making both teams winners, though Ramsay had each team nominate two chefs for elimination. Elimination: Sabrina, Nona, Boris and Rob were nominated. Ramsay called down Nona and Rob, and asked Rob to remove his jacket, but surprised him with a clean jacket, retaining all chefs for a job well done. Ramsay's comment: "Tonight, I finally got a respectable service, so I gave them a little respect and didn't send anyone home. But tomorrow, they're in for the most intense dinner service in the history of Hell's Kitchen."
101	8	"9 Chefs Compete Part 2"	October 13, 2010	7.16[9]	[recap 8]
Team challenge: The chef visited local supermarket Bristol Farms, where they had 20 minutes and 60 dollars to buy ingredients for four dishes; beef, pork, lamb and chicken. They then had 45 minutes to cook their dishes. Four judges, one for each type of meat, were brought in to assess how much they would pay for the dishes. The red team won $110-$101. Reward/punishment:The red team went sail boating, had a seaside dinner and went mambo dancing, while the blue team had to fumigate both kitchens and prep them for the black tie dinner service. Service – In celebration of Hell's Kitchen's 100th service, service was an invitation-only, black tie affair, whose guests at the chef's table included four former Hell's Kitchen winners: Rahman "Rock" Harper (Season 3), Christina Machamer (Season 4), Danny Veltri (Season 5) and Holli Ugalde (Season 7). Also in attendance were various dignitaries and celebrities such as cast members of Glee. The red team near-flawlessly completed service, their only problems being Nona serving an old risotto and Trev heavily struggling on garnish, to the point that all the women had to help him. Trev was eventually kicked out of the kitchen, allowing Nona to take control of the garnish station, ensuring a smooth service for the red team. In the blue kitchen, Boris had a poor performance on appetizers, three of Vinny's lobsters were returned for being overcooked and Rob forgot a chicken, putting them eight tables behind the red team. When the chicken was served, it was raw, causing Ramsay to kick the blue team out. The red team completed their service, being deemed clear winners. Elimination: The blue team nominated Boris but could not choose between Rob and Vinny, so Ramsay nominated both of them. Ramsay eliminated Boris for his inconsistent performances, but praised him for his big heart. Ramsay then had Trev step forward as the episode ended in a cliffhanger.
102	9	"8 Chefs Compete"	November 10, 2010	5.432[10]	[recap 9]
Team change: After warning Trev about his horrendous performance, Ramsay reassigned him to the blue team, making the teams separate by gender again. Scott brought a room service cart where the chefs enjoyed its various offerings, but Ramsay noticed they could not tell a five-star appetizer from a fast-food one, leading to the next challenge. Team challenge: The teams did a blindfold taste test of various food items. Russell indentifed two ingredients compared to Gail's one. Sabrina and Rob incorrectly identified white asparagus, smoked mussels, cheddar cheese, and thought filet mignon was chicken, shocking the chefs and Chef Ramsay. and Jillian and Vinny both scored two. Lastly, Nona scored three compared to Trev's one, giving the red team a 6-5 win, and impressed Chef Ramsay. Reward/punishment: The women went on a 2000$ shopping spree at a local boutique and dined at XIV, a restaurant owned by celebrity chef Michael Mina, while the men removed recyclables from a garbage truck filled with trash, dined on American cheese sandwiches and prepped both kitchens for service. Service: In the red kitchen, Jillian did well on scallops, but Nona struggled on beef and argued with Ramsay, who kicked her out. In the blue kitchen, Rob undercooked scallops and halibut, but shaped up after Ramsay's warning. Vinny was kicked out for serving raw gnocchi, as was Russell for serving raw chicken and Rob for more undercooked fish; Trev completed his team's service with help from Sous Chef Andi. Ramsay was dissatisfied but named the red team winners and Trev "Best of the Worst". After the post-mortem, Ramsay gave Nona encouragement, but warned her not to argue with him again during service. Elimination: Trev nominated Rob and Russell. Ramsay eliminated Rob for being a consistently poor performer and outstaying his welcome. Ramsay's comment: "If the size of one's waist corresponds to the size of one's talent, then Rob would be a fantastic chef. Instead, he just wears gigantic pants."
103	10	"7 Chefs Compete"	November 10, 2010	5.786[10]	[recap 10]
Team challenge: The chefs had to prepare three dishes: tagliatelle, salmon with lobster ragout and poached chicken. However, only one chef from the team was allowed in the kitchen at a time and the chef had five minutes before having 15 seconds to brief the next chef. Ramsay rated the dishes and awarded the blue team the win, since Jillian dropped her salmon. Reward/punishment: The blue team went on a shopping spree at Sur La Table for cooking equipment, followed by dinner at Mélisse, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Santa Monica, where they met its head chef, Josiah Citrin. The women took in deliveries of food for Hell's Kitchen. Service: The teams created their own menus, and diners had a choice between the two. Although the diners ordered more from the red team, Citrin ordered from the blue team. In the red kitchen, Nona made poor mushroom risotto and Gail served unacceptable lobster capellini seven consecutive times, forcing Ramsay to kick her out. In the blue kitchen, Vinny struggled on Citrin's lamb entree. Russell helped him, but Citrin disapproved of it, angering Ramsay, before Vinny served raw sea bass. Although both teams completed service, Ramsay named no winner. Ramsay had the chefs individually nominate another for elimination. Elimination: Russell nominated Vinny, Trev and Vinny nominated Sabrina, and Gail, Jillian, Nona and Sabrina all nominated Trev. Ramsay called Trev down, but gave him the first black jacket; Jillian, Nona, Russell and Sabrina were then given black jackets. Ramsay then gave Gail the last black jacket and eliminated Vinny for worsening performances. Ramsay's comment: "When the competition first started, I thought Vinny was the one to beat. But after tonight's dismal performance, he's now the one to go home."
104	11	"6 Chefs Compete"	November 17, 2010	7.21	[recap 11]
Challenge: Each chef had 30 minutes to create five servings of an amuse-bouche, judged by five notable chefs in the Los Angeles area out of 20 (10 for presentation and 10 for taste). The final ranking was: Russell (100), Gail (87), Sabrina (70), Nona (67), Jillian (65) and Trev (62). Reward/punishment: Russell received a tour of LA Market with Ramsay, meeting executive chef Kerry Simon, and chose Gail to join him. The others had to prep the kitchen and clean the dorms. Service: Nona served Steak Diane at tableside. Sabrina fried risotto and underdressed salad and Trev overcooked spaghetti and argued with Sabrina and Russell. Gail failed to properly cook fish, Jillian served salty mashed potato, and Russell undercooked beef Wellingtons. Some entrées were served, but after Russell undercooked ribeye, Ramsay threw everyone out. Elimination: Trev and Sabrina were nominated.[note 4] Ramsay eliminated Sabrina for her inconsistency and lack of maturity, but praised her for her big heart. Ramsay's comment: "Sabrina was quite dramatic in her final plea, but I'm not looking for a drama queen. I'm looking for a head chef."
105	12	"5 Chefs Compete"	November 24, 2010	6.24	[recap 12]
Challenge: The chefs had to prepare 80 portions of their signature dishes in one hour in a food truck; the diners at LA Market ranked the dishes from best to worst. Over 40% of the diners voted for Gail's skirt steak with mangoes and pecans entrée as the best, while Russell's grilled octopus and aioli salad entrée was deemed the worst. Reward/punishment: Gail went to José Eber's studio in Beverly Hills for a makeover, while the others had to clean the exterior of Hell's Kitchen and wash the food trucks. Service: Ramsay assigned stations to the chefs; among the diners were Cojo, Paris Hilton and twelve Marines. Russell helped Jillian on fish as she had not worked the station before, but Nona undercooked spaghetti and Ramsay and Scott stormed out when Trev served a cold ribeye. The chefs managed to send out appetizers, though Trev tried to re-fire the ribeye. Ramsay and Scott then returned and Ramsay mixed the chef's stations around, issuing an ultimatum to kick out anyone who made a mistake. He kicked out Gail for undercooking salmon and Jillian for serving a raw egg dish, while the remaining three completed service. Elimination: Gail and Trev were nominated. Ramsay eliminated Gail for her worsening performances over the past three services, remarking that he was disappointed she did not make it even further than she did. Ramsay's comment: "Gail's performance in Hell's Kitchen was up and down, up and down, and up and down. Roller coasters are great for amusement parks, not kitchens."
106	13	"4 Chefs Compete"	December 1, 2010	5.83[11]	[recap 13]
Challenge: Each chef had 30 minutes to cook an entrée using the ingredients provided; Ramsay tasted each dish and identified its ingredients by taste alone. This lead to the actual "taste it, make it" challenge, where the chefs had 45 minutes to recreate a dish that Ramsay made without knowing the ingredients. Jillian made a good-tasting dish, but missed every ingredient except for the chicken stock. Trev correctly identified carrot purée rather than yam purée, but forgot to put it on the plate, and used pork instead of veal. Russell had bacon instead of pancetta, but the seasoning was fairly close. Nona won by matching everything except the purée. Reward/punishment: Nona received a copy of Ramsay's cookbook, Recipes From a 3 Star Chef and a set of cookware. She also chose Russell to accompany her for a day at Hands On Boutique Spa for massages. Trev and Jillian prepped the kitchen and did laundry, including Ramsay's chef's whites. Prior to service, Ramsay gave Jillian a pep talk after her recent poor performances. Service: Trev spent a long time slicing beef Wellingtons despite cooking them perfectly. When he tripped and forgot two wellingtons, Ramsay put him in "time out" twice. Russell had some mishaps on scallops and halibut and Nona miscooked risotto twice, but Jillian cooked garnishes perfectly. Eventually, they completed service, which Ramsay called "not perfect, but bloody good". Elimination: Trev and Russell were nominated. However, Ramsay spared them and surprised the chefs with visits from their families, announcing no elimination until next time.
107	14	"4 Chefs Compete Again"	December 8, 2010	6.446	[recap 14]
Ramsay announced that since no chef was eliminated last time, he would eliminate two chefs in this round. Challenge: The chefs had 45 minutes to cook a fusion cuisine dish, using a combination of ingredients from two countries, selected by drawing flags at random.[note 5] Each dish was then judged by three chefs who were experts in fusion cuisine. While Trev, Nona and Russell received mediocre reviews, Jillian impressed with her Spanish/Thai paella dish. Reward/punishment: Jillian joined her family and Ramsay for lunch at Spago, while the others cleared out the dorm furnishings of their past contestants. Prior to the service, Ramsay told the chefs they would each have a turn handling the pass. Service: Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Sasha Vujačić was a guest at the chef's table. As each chef took a turn on the pass, Scott introduced some deliberate errors. Russell rejected Trev's scallops and spotted pecans in a salad instead of walnuts. Nona was strong in leadership, rejecting Russell's chowder, but was not able to spot mashed potatoes being served of mashed celery root. Trev tried to send out entrees before appetizers on a table and had trouble getting the attention of his teammates, but spotted seabass being served instead of halibut. Jillian originally struggled in leadership, but recovered after prompting by Ramsay, rejecting Trev's undercooked fish, though she failed to spot rib eye steak being served instead of New York strip steak. Elimination: Ramsay firstly eliminated Trev, but praised him for his determination. Ramsay then selected Russell and Nona to advance to the final, eliminating a teary-eyed Jillian. Ramsay allowed Jillian to keep her jacket, though her photo was burned. Ramsay's comment: "Jillian didn't let her lack of fine dining experience get in the way. She made it this far because of her passion and determination. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to get her into the final."
108	15	"2 Chefs Compete"	December 15, 2010	5.855[12]	[recap 15]
Nona and Russell talked with the sous chefs on preparing a full dinner service where they would run their own kitchens. They were taken by helicopter to the top of the Marriott building for their final individual challenge. Challenge: Nona and Russell prepared five dishes for a taste challenge; each dish was judged by an executive or executive chef, including Kerry Simon. Russell won 3-2. Russell was granted first pick in drafting a team using the eight chefs eliminated from the competition prior to the final. Russell picked Jillian, Vinny, Sabrina and Rob, while Nona picked Gail, Melissa and Trev, and was left with Boris. Service: In the blue kitchen, Ramsay caught Sabrina putting stock in beef before she served a raw beef, and Rob argued with Russell, causing Russell to switch them with Vinny and Jillian respectively. Russell tried to serve two tables at once, but this backfired when they were returned for being undercooked, earning him a warning from Ramsay. In the red kitchen, Boris served raw fish three times, forcing Trev to jump in, causing an argument to erupt between the two. and Melissa served raw beef, but recovered. Both teams finished service. Winner: Ramsay determined the winner based on the diners' comments and his own observations. Each finalist stood in front of a door; Nona's door opened, making her the eighth winner of Hell's Kitchen. Unlike all of the previous runner-ups of Hell's Kitchen, Russell took his defeat ungraciously, blaming his teammates for his loss. Ramsay's comment: "When Hell's Kitchen first started, I used to say, "No, no, no" to Nona. After every service, she improved dramatically, and I was soon saying "Yes, yes, yes". She has a phenomenal palate and a real passion for cooking. Soon, all of America will be saying "yes" with me when they see her excel as the head chef of LA Market."

Epilogue

Nona Sivley worked as the head chef of LA Market since her win in December 2010. Her menu in the season finale service was integrated into the LA Market menu. She reappeared in Season 9 when the team challenge winners visit LA Market as a reward. She also appeared in Season 11 where she & four others champions being Rock Harper (Season 3), Christina Machamer (Season 4), Dave Levey (Season 6) & Paul Niedermann (Season 9) competed against that season's final five chefs. In November 2013, she joined Simon to oversee Pork & Beans, a restaurant in Las Vegas.^[13][14]

Other chefs have made appearances in later Hell's Kitchen episodes. Jillian and Trev appeared in Season 9 where they competed against that season's five chefs. Russell appeared in Season 10 to compete against that season's six chefs.

Notes

1. Raj's elimination was the third time Ramsay eliminated a chef from a team that had won dinner service.
2. In the challenge, 36 spots were allocated to letters of the alphabet (18 letters each given two spots). There were also two green spots represented with Hell's Kitchen logos, although in this season, none of the balls landed in the green spots.
3. Vinny spun twice, he chose kale and yam. Boris chose miso, Rob chose striped sea bass and Russell chose asparagus. For the red team, Trev chose rutabega, Jillian chose cauliflower, Sabrina chose bok choy, Gail chose fennel and Nona chose salmon.
4. Sabrina's nomination ties Autumn Lewis from season 7, Elise Wims from season 9, Clemenza Caserta from season 10 and Scott Commings from season 12 as the most nominated contestant in the history of the show, at seven nominations.
5. Trev drew Mexico and China, Russell drew France and India, Nona drew Greece and Italy and Jillian drew Spain and Thailand.

References

Recaps

1. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 16 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
2. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 14 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
3. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 13 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
4. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 12 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
5. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 11 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
6. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 10 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
7. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 9 Chefs Compete Part 1". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
8. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 9 Chefs Compete Part 2". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
9. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 8 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
10. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 7 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
11. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 6 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
12. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 5 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
13. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 4 Chefs Compete". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
14. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 4 Chefs Compete Again". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
15. "Recaps – Hell's Kitchen on Fox – 2 Chefs Compete – Winner". Fox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.

Other references

1. ""Hell’s Kitchen Season 8: Meet The Cast", August 23, 2010". homorazzi.com. August 23, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
2. "Petrus – Chefs – Restaurant Director – Jean-Philippe Susilovic". Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
3. Hell's Kitchen (August 23, 2010). ""CHEF GORDON RAMSAY HAND-PICKS FRESH CROP OF ASPIRING CHEFS FOR EIGHTH SEASON OF "HELL'S KITCHEN"" (Facebook post). Retrieved February 28, 2014.
4. Rogers, Nicole E. (September 24, 2010). "Madison native tests his mettle in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’". Host.madison.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
5. "Monona native Russell Kook is runner-up in TV chef competition". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
6. "TV Ratings: Wednesday September 22, 2010 (MODERN FAMILY laughing all the way to the bank)". The TV Addict. September 23, 2010.
7. "TV Ratings: Wednesday September 29, 2010 (LAW & ORDER: LA Opens Big)". TheTVAddict.com. September 30, 2010.
8. "TV Ratings: Wednesday October 6, 2010 (LAW & ORDER Plunges! COUGAR TOWN UP!)". TheTVAddict.com. October 7, 2010.
9. "TV Ratings: Wednesday October 13, 2010", TheTVAddict.com, October 14, 2010
10. "Overnight ratings for Wednesday, November 10, 2010". TVbytheNumbers.com. November 11, 2010.
11. "Wednesday Final Ratings: America's Next Top Model Adjusted Up", TVbytheNumbers.com, December 2, 2010
12. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/12/16/wednesday-final-ratings-criminal-minds-human-target-adjusted-up/75814/| title =Updated Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Criminal Minds,' 'Human Target' Adjusted Up
13. Stapleton, Susan (November 8, 2013). "Nona Sivley Goes From Hell's Kitchen to Pork & Beans – Coming Attractions". Eater Vegas. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
14. "Downtown Container Park". Team Rossman. March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2014.

External links

• Hell's Kitchen official Fox.com website by Fox Broadcasting Company