Hell's Kitchen (American season 15)

The fifteenth season of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen took place in October 2014 and premiered on January 15, 2016 on Fox. The prize was a head chef position at BLT Steak at Bally's Las Vegas.[1] Country Club Chef Ariel Malone won the competition.

Hell's Kitchen
Season 15
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	16
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	January 15 – April 29, 2016
Season chronology

Gordon Ramsay and Marino Monferrato returned as head chef and Maître d' respectively.[2][3] Season 10 winner Christina Wilson was the sous chef for the red team, although Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec, who got married, returned in episode 7 of this season when Hell's Kitchen hosted her wedding reception. Aaron Mitrano replaced James Avery as sous chef for the blue team.[4] Wilson is the second former Hell's Kitchen winner to return as one of Ramsay's sous chefs, the first being season 2 winner, Heather West, who was the red kitchen's sous chef for season 6. Jason Thompson also returned as narrator for the first time since season 12.[5]

This season holds two unique distinctions. It has neither a charity dinner service nor a Taste It, Now Make It challenge, both traditional staples of the latter half of the show. It is also the first season where every chef was nominated for elimination at least once. This season saw the return of normal single elimination before finals since season 6, instead of the tradition double elimination before finals.

Opening sequence

Season 15's opening sequence features the chefs at a base camp. Ramsay is then shown placing the HK flag on top of the mountain. For the first time in Hell's Kitchen history, the opening sequence did not play after the recap of the previous episode, but after the remaining contestants had made the way up to the dorms and just before the next morning, where they came down to face their new challenge.

Chefs

Eighteen chefs competed in season 15.[6]

Contestant	Age(s)	Occupation	Hometown
Kristin Barone	27	Line Cook	Chicago, Illinois
Jared Bobkin[lower-alpha 1]	28	Line Cook/Professional Poker Player	Oak Park, Michigan
Sherkenna Buggs	30	Personal Chef	Grand Junction, Tennessee
Frank Cala	25	Marine Chef	Brooklyn, New York
Melissa "Meese" Davis	25	College Chef	Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Jackie Fuchs	32	Line Cook	Jersey City, New Jersey
Chad Gelso	25	Sous Chef	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Danielle "Dannie" Harrison	30	Line Cook/Amateur Boxer	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Edward "Eddie" Jaskowiak	27	Sous Chef	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ariel Malone	26	Country Club Chef	Hackensack, New Jersey
Hassan Musselmani	24	Catering Executive Chef	Detroit, Michigan
Ashley Nickell[lower-alpha 2]	27	Chef de Cuisine	Orlando, Florida
Amanda "Manda" Palomino[lower-alpha 3]	30	Sous Chef	Atlantic City, New Jersey
Mark Paras	27	Line Cook	Anaheim, California
Alan Parker	42	Sous Chef	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Joe Ricci	31	Sous Chef	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kevin Ridlon	29	Culinary Manager	Warwick, Rhode Island
Vanessa Soltero	33	Airport Chef	Los Angeles, California

Notes

1. Chef returned to Hell's Kitchen again on Season 17
2. Chef returned to Hell's Kitchen again on Season 17
3. Chef returned to Hell's Kitchen again on Season 17

Contestant progress

							Original teams				First switch	Second switch			Third switch					Individual		Final
No.	Chef						1501	1502	1503	1504	1505	1506	1507	1508	1509	1510	1511	1512	1513	1514	1515	1516
1						Ariel	WIN	NOM	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	BoW	LOSE	WIN	NOM	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	WIN	IN	IN	WINNER
2						Kristin	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	NOM	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	WIN	IN	IN	RUNNER-UP
3					Ashley		WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	WIN	WIN	IN	OUT
4					Jared		LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	LOSE	BoW	NOM	NOM	WIN	LOSE	WIN	NOM	LOSE	OUT
5					Manda		WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	WIN	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	NOM	OUT[n 1]
6				Dannie			WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	WIN	WIN	LOSE	WIN	LOSE	OUT
7	Frank						LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	LOSE	WIN	NOM	WIN	OUT
8	Jackie						WIN	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	LOSE	NOM	LOSE	WIN	NOM	LOSE	OUT
9				Chad			LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	NOM	LOSE	LOSE	OUT
10	Joe						LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	NOM	NOM	LOSE	LOSE	OUT[n 2]
11		Hassan					LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	LOSE	LOSE	OUT
12	Eddie						LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	LOSE	OUT
13	Alan						LOSE	WIN	WIN	WIN	OUT
14	Kevin						NOM	WIN	WIN	WIN	OUT
15	Meese						WIN	NOM	NOM	OUT
16	Vanessa						WIN	LOSE	OUT
17	Sherkenna						WIN	OUT
18	Mark						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. Chef was eliminated despite being on the winning team

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
219	1	"18 Chefs Compete"	January 15, 2016	3.41[7]
18 chefs entered Hell's Kitchen, where they were greeted by Marino. Ashley pulled the lever on the slot machine, which revealed Ramsay's message to meet him in Las Vegas. After a parade celebration, which includes Season 12 winner Scott Commings, Ramsay welcomed the chefs to BLT Steak at Bally's Las Vegas, the location where the winner will become the head chef. He also introduced his new sous chefs, season 10 winner Christina Wilson and Aaron Mitrano, before having the chefs make their signature dishes in the BLT Steak kitchen. Team challenge/signature dish: The chefs had 45 minutes to cook their signature dish, rated from 1–5 by Ramsay. Eddie's tenderloin scored 3 while Sherkenna's crab-stuffed salmon scored 2, Frank's penne ala vodka scored 3 while Ashley's ostrich filet scored 2, and Dannie's pan seared scallops scored 4 while Mark's mussels scored 1. Joe's veal scored 3 while Meese's pork loin scored 1, Jared's halibut scored 4 while Vanessa's eggplant scored 1, and Jackie's seared scallop scored 3 while Kevin's chicken and caesar piadina scored 1 as he used pre-made dough and pre-made salad dressing, and was threatened for elimination. Kristin's tenderloin scored 3 while Alan's salmon scored 1 and Chad's partridge breast scored 4 while Ariel's shakshuka scored 3. Lastly, Manda's corn flake fried scallops scored 3, but Hassan's pan seared scallops scored 4, giving the men a 24–22 win. Reward/punishment: The men were rewarded with a view of Las Vegas on the High Roller in addition to being VIP guests at Drai's Nightclub. The women stayed at Sterling Buffet to peel shrimp and make 1000 pounds of truffle mashed potatoes. Prior to service, Jared irked his team by acting like a leader and telling people what to do. Service: Audrina Patridge and Morgan Stewart were guests for this service. Ariel, Meese, Eddie and Jared served tableside grilled shrimp. In the red kitchen, Vanessa burnt the pizza and served cold squash, needing her teammates' help but Sherkenna and Ashley had strong performances on meat and fish which helped the women finish service. In the blue kitchen, Alan initially served approved scallops but fired entrees before appetizers were finished and then overcooked scallops. Mark burned the pizza for Audrina's table and Kevin served raw lobster. Fortunately, Frank managed to make the pizza. Jared and Eddie had to jump into the kitchen to help, though they underseasoned the risotto. After the blue diners walked out, Ramsay kicked them out and asked for two nominations. Elimination: Mark and Kevin were nominated, with Alan also receiving serious consideration. Ramsay send Kevin back in line and eliminated Mark for his poor performance on appetizers and lack of fightback. Ramsay's comment: "Mark was a disaster from the start. The best thing I saw from him was his back as he walked out the door."
220	2	"17 Chefs Compete"	January 22, 2016	3.61[8]
Following Mark's elimination, Manda comforted Vanessa, upset over her poor performance during service. Team challenge: The chefs were tasked to make baskets of shrimp dumplings each in pairs for 20 minutes without being distracted. Since the red team had an extra member, Kristin, Manda and Meese worked as a trio. For the blue team, Kevin and Chad scored 4, Frank and Hassan scored nothing, Eddie and Joe scored 1, and Alan and Jared excelled scoring 7. For the red team, Jackie and Dannie scored an impressive 6, Kristin, Manda and Meese scored 2, Sherkenna and Vanessa scored 3 (only Vanessa's were accepted), and Ariel and Ashley scored 2, giving the women a 13–12 win. Reward/punishment: The women took a helicopter ride to Malibu for lunch with Ramsay at Geoffrey's. The men prepped the mushrooms and corn for the service's table side appetizer, in which time, Frank and Jared started an argument over the previous challenge's results. Service: Dexter Darden and the sumo wrestlers from the team challenge were guests for this service. Hassan and Manda served tableside corn fritters. Appetizers ran well, but Ashley forgot to turn the stove on when cooking risotto and Joe dropped a lamb and struggled remembering orders, but recovered. The Game then arrived having not booked in advance with a ten-top table, requiring the teams to work together to serve it. In the red kitchen, Ariel served Meese's snapper while it was raw, causing Ramsay to jump in, and blamed Meese. Meese struggled with communication, and Sherkenna burned the arctic char twice, allowing Dannie to take over and serve an acceptable portion. Both teams finished service; Ramsay named the men winners for their strong finish and fewer overall mistakes. Ramsay ordered the women, for the first time since Season 12, to nominate three chefs for elimination. Elimination: Meese, Ariel, and Sherkenna were nominated. Ramsay sent Ariel back in line and eliminated Sherkenna for giving up during service and allowing Dannie to take over. Ramsay's comment: "When the arctic char was destroyed over and over, so were Sherkenna's chances of being a head chef."
221	3	"16 Chefs Compete"	January 27, 2016	4.16[9]
Team challenge: To improve the chefs' communication, Ramsay gave each chef a jacket with a recipe on the back of it, with a chef's teammates having to communicate the recipe to them. Hassan beat Kristin on spanakopita, as Kristin only served one very soggy pastry, and she blamed Meese for not telling her to cut the pastry into strips. Ashley beat Frank, who was criticized for using liquid smoke, on cheeseburger sliders. Eddie beat Manda on taquitos by default, as Dannie had misled Manda into making a burrito. Meese beat Alan on fish sandwich to tie the score at 2 apiece, but Kevin beat Vanessa on cheesesteak and Ariel and Jared both scored on carbonara to give the men a 4-3 lead. Jackie undercooked her eggplant Parmesan and she lost the round to Joe, clinching the challenge for the men 5-3; Chad's and Dannie's dishes were not judged. Reward/punishment: The men head to The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara for a foot massage at the pool and enjoy Mojito cocktails, while the women had to eat fish head soup and prep sea bass for service. Service: Due to their challenge win, the blue team had the honor to cook for Buzz Aldrin who was a guest for this service. Alan and Ashley served tableside sea bass. In addition to Aldrin, Terry Fator and Tiya Sircar were also guests for this service. The men had a near perfect service, their only problems being Kevin serving a raw vegetarian risotto (which Jared recovered) and nearly putting already cooked wellingtons for Aldrin's table back in the oven until Eddie and Hassan stopped him, prompting Ramsay to call him a "space cadet". In the red kitchen, Dannie performed well on risotto but Vanessa struggled remembering orders, forgetting a lobster-tail, Ramsay had Christina write an order on Kristin's back after she failed to remember it. Manda struggled with communication and timing on garnish, Meese threw away perfectly cooked wellingtons, and Jackie served cold arctic char twice, causing Ramsay to lament that the team had thrown more food out than they had served. Ramsay kicked them out, having the men finish their service. Elimination: Despite the team agreeing to nominate Meese and Manda, Ariel announced the nominees as Meese and Vanessa. Ramsay decided to sent Meese back in line and eliminated Vanessa for her lack of confidence and communication. Ramsay's comment: "Vanessa had a lot of heart. But as far as her cooking was concerned, she made food only a mother could love."
222	4	"15 Chefs Compete"	February 3, 2016	4.60[10]
Following Vanessa's elimination, Dannie and Ariel have an argument about the latter's decision to defy the team's nomination consensus. Team challenge: After each chef gathered five rubber ducks with an ingredient on it, they had to use them to make a duck dish judged against an opposing team member who had the same ingredients. Chef Josiah Citrin was invited as a guest judge, with Ramsay and Citrin each awarding a chef between 1-4 points. Since the blue team had an extra member, they chose Kevin to sit out. Joe scored 6 and Manda scored the minimum 2 for severely overcooking her duck. Ariel, Chad, and Jackie each scored 5, while Frank scored 7. The red team cut the margin to 22-21 as Dannie and Meese scored 5 and 4 respectively while Alan's greasy collard greens and Hassan's poor presentation earn them a measly 2 apiece as well. Ashley gave her team a one point lead with her 6 over Eddie's 4 as his duck breast was caked in raw fat, but on the last round, Jared scored a 6 while Kristin scored a 3 due to her duck being overcooked, giving the men a 32-30 win. Reward/punishment: The men spent the afternoon riding on a yacht to Penthouse in Santa Monica where they had dinner with Ramsay, in which Joe humorously asked if he could use Ramsay as a reference. The women had to prep duck for the next service and eat duck feet sandwiches. During the punishment, Jackie's antics continued to get on her teammates' nerves and she angered Sous Chef Christina by titling a prep list "The F***ing List". Service: A VIP guest was seated at each chef's table with Kris Jenner in the red kitchen and Dita Von Teese in the blue kitchen. Frank and Dannie served tableside duck confit. The men once again had a near-perfect service, their only problems being Kevin not communicating from the meat station until Hassan took charge and led the men through their third dinner service win. The red kitchen struggled throughout the night with Ashley again forgetting to turn the stove on when cooking capellini, Manda under seasoning the risotto and Jackie serving raw chicken. However, it was Meese who failed to communicate with her teammates again and sunk on garnish when she served mashed potatoes on a tray for the chef's table. Ramsay had several of the men help the women finish service for the second night in a row. Elimination: Jackie and Meese were nominated. Ramsay eliminated Meese for her problems with communication and being nominated three consecutive times. Team change: Ramsay moved Hassan to the red team after he was impressed with his performance during the service, hoping he could help lead them. Ramsay's comment: "After being nominated three times in a row due to the lack of communication, Meese may want to consider changing her name to Mouse."
223	5	"14 Chefs Compete"	February 10, 2016	4.40[11]
Team challenge: The two teams had to create a holiday platter consisting of three dishes for three major holidays: Fourth of July, Cinco de Mayo, and Mardi Gras. Each successful dish would be awarded a point. For the Fourth of July round, Kristin and Jackie scored one to Frank and Joe's two. The Cinco de Mayo trios of Hassan-Manda-Dannie and Eddie-Jared-Alan each scored two, but Ariel and Ashley scored two on their Mardi Gras dishes, while Chad and Kevin failed to score a single point due to raw chicken and undercooked rice, giving the red team a 5-4 win. Ariel and Ashley's dishes were also chosen to be featured in an upcoming issue of Family Circle. Reward/punishment: The red team enjoyed a wine mixing lesson and lunch at the Sunstone Vineyards & Winery in Santa Ynez, while the blue team had to prep candy and cake pops for Family Night. During the reward, an argument erupted between Dannie and Hassan, as Dannie openly stated she was opposed to Hassan leading the red team. Service: A kid's menu was provided alongside the regular menu; Ariel, Jackie, Chad, and Jared served grilled cheese in the dining room. Millie Bobby Brown and Everclear musician Art Alexakis were in attendance for family night in addition to Marino's family who was there to celebrate his daughter's birthday. Kevin struggled on fish, dropping scallops too early and therefore hindering the rest of his team. Ramsay then proceeded to show him how to cook the scallops, only to be interrupted by Joe spilling the sauce for the scallops on the grill, almost setting the kitchen on fire. Alan served soupy risotto and then added too much cheese to it, making it all sticky. Ramsay kicked the team out after Joe undercooked the fish and chips. The red kitchen started off strong under Hassan's leadership, but a lack of communication between him and Dannie led to Dannie forgetting an order of tuna before overcooking it. After Hassan served raw New York strip, Ramsay kicked the red team out as well. Automatic elimination: After the blue team failed to serve a single appetizer due to Kevin overcooking the scallops even after having been shown how to cook them, Ramsay sent them to the pantry room to regroup. After angrily and rhetorically asking the chefs what they were doing, Ramsay immediately interrupted himself to point at Kevin and direct him to remove his jacket and exit the competition, slamming the door behind him after he exited the closet. Kevin did not receive a coat-hook scene and picture burning sequence until the next episode, and his exit interview was never aired. He warned the rest of the blue team to start coordinating with one another and put Jared on the fish station for the rest of the service. Elimination: The red team nominated Manda and Kristin while the blue team nominated Joe and Alan. Ramsay eliminated Alan for his failure on the appetizer station and irregular performances. Team change: After Alan was eliminated, Ramsay called down the two nominees from the red team, Manda and Kristin. Instead of eliminating either one, Ramsay moved Manda to the blue team due to them now being short two chefs. Ramsay's comment: "On a night when the dining room was filled with children, it was Alan who needed a babysitter. He and Kevin should both understand I'm not running a daycare."
224	6	"12 Chefs Compete"	February 17, 2016	3.97[12]
During the recap of the previous episode, Kevin's jacket was hung and his photo was burned. Over the night, Ashley and Jackie had a heated argument about the previous night's nominations (due to Ashley attempting to nominate Jackie as the weakest chef right after promising to vouch for Jackie), causing Ashley to break down crying and Jared to comfort her. Team challenge: The two teams were taken to a grocery store, where they had to rearrange shopping carts with letters on them into six ingredients that the whole team would use, then were given one minute to obtain a personal ingredient. Then each dish would be awarded 1–5 points. For the blue team, Chad scored 3, Eddie scored 4, Frank scored 3, Jared scored 3, Manda scored 4, and Joe scored 5. For the red team, Jackie scored 2, Ariel scored 5, Hassan scored 3, Kristin scored 4, Dannie scored 3, and Ashley scored 5 to tie both teams at 22. Ramsay broke the tie by choosing the best dish of the challenge, which turned out to be Ashley's, thus awarding the red team the win. Reward/punishment: The red team flew over Los Angeles in stunt planes, over which time, Jackie and Ashley reconciled. The blue team had to peel apples, coconuts and grapes for a Spanish sangria. Service: In attendance were Thomas Ian Nicholas and Omar Benson Miller. Joe and Kristin served table-side octopus. In the red kitchen, Ariel had a strong performance on appetizers, but Hassan was criticized for sweating in the lobster, though he recovered. Jackie struggled with communication on garnish and under-portioned fries, and Dannie overcooked New York strip because of Jackie taking so long. In the blue kitchen, Jared had a strong performance on appetizers, but Joe struggled table-side and was forced to leave to change his jacket. Eddie struggled to communicate on garnish, causing Frank to overcook Arctic Char. Ramsay confronts the blue team after Chad attempted to serve raw chicken for Omar Benson Miller's table. Both teams finished service with no ejections, but for the second service in a row, Ramsay named no winner. For the first time since Season 13, Ariel and Jared were named Best of the Worst and were each asked to nominate two members of their team for elimination. Elimination: Ariel nominated Jackie and Kristin, and Jared nominated Eddie and Joe. Ramsay questioned Kristin's nomination and ended up sending her back in line without asking for a plea. Ramsay also send Joe back in line and eliminated Eddie for his lack of leadership and poor performance on garnish. Ramsay's comment: "Eddie couldn't lead, and he certainly couldn't follow. And so it was time to get the fuck out of the way."
225	7	"11 Chefs Compete"	February 24, 2016	4.23[13]
After returning to the dorms, Ariel injured her foot and was seen by the medic. Team challenge: After welcoming newlywed and red kitchen sous chef Andi back to Hell's Kitchen along with her husband Brice, Ramsay tasks both teams to make six dishes: two seafood appetizers, two chicken entrees and two beef entrées. Andi and Brice will choose one dish of each type that will be served during their wedding reception the following night in Hell's Kitchen. Because the blue team was short one member, Joe agreed to cook both a seafood and a chicken dish. Frank, meanwhile, made both steak and chicken without telling anyone beforehand, and convinced his teammates not to present Manda's ribeye. Chad scored for the blue team with his prawns and handmade pasta before Dannie scored with her romanesco filet, but Joe won with his stuffed chicken breast with pancetta and Brussels sprouts, giving the blue team the win. Reward/punishment: The blue team headed to Las Vegas where they enjoyed a zip-lining extravaganza and spending the night in a grand suite at Caesar's Palace while Manda angrily confronted Frank for forcing her dish out. The red team assisted the celebrity wedding adviser (over whom Hassan got distracted easily) to decorate Hell's Kitchen for the reception in addition to making macaroons. Service: During prep, Ariel was taken to urgent care, revealing she had broken her ligament, but returned to the competition wearing a compression boot. That night was Andi and Brice's wedding reception, with a head table to be served by both kitchens. During appetizers, in the red kitchen, Jackie under-portioned risotto and Dannie cooked the scallops in a regular pan, causing them to stick. In the blue kitchen, Joe forgot to add herbs to his risotto and Chad overcooked scallops. Things quickly fell apart during entrees, Ramsay ordered Hassan and Jared to coordinate their kitchens to serve the head table at the same time, however both sent up raw chicken. Jared managed to recover, but Hassan undercooked the chicken again, forcing Ramsay to serve only half of the head table. After Chad served raw salmon, both teams managed to complete service with no ejections, but for the third service in a row, Ramsay declared no winning team. Elimination: The red team nominated Hassan and Dannie, while the blue team nominated Chad and Jared. In one of the season's biggest shockers, early frontrunner Hassan was eliminated, as Ramsay felt that his performance on the meat station during that night's service was his worst yet, in addition to his declining performances since moving to the red team. Ramsay's comment: "I thought a move on the red team would give Hassan a chance to shine. Unfortunately, it only shined a light on his shortcomings."
226	8	"10 Chefs Compete"	March 2, 2016	3.38[14]
Team challenge: Ramsay treats the chefs to a performance by Steve Vai, leading to their next head to head challenge where they must create five dishes that has seven, six, five, four and three ingredients. Manda scored over Kristin on 5-ingredient sea bass, Ariel scored over Frank on 7-ingredient hangar steak, Jackie scored over Joe on 3-ingredient lobster, and Ashley scored over Chad on 4-ingredient ahi tuna. With the red team up 3-1 and only one dish left, they won the challenge by default, and Chef Ramsay didn't even taste the pork chop dishes from Dannie and Jared. Even though Kristin's sea bass was the only one from the red team not to earn a point, she still earned high praise for beautifully cooking the sea bass but only losing the point by an edge. On the contrary, the blue team's 3 losing dishes were not merely not good enough, but rejected harshly. Frank caused Ramsay to laugh after explaining the meager plating of his potatoes, Chad doused his tuna with too much black garlic (despite constant warnings from teammate Jared) and Joe actually ate so much of his lobster that there wasn't enough left on his plate, prompting Ramsay to advise Joe to have a bigger breakfast before challenges because it wasn't an eating challenge. Ramsay also stated that hanger steak needs 7 ingredients, which was fortunate for Ariel as she was initially going for three ingredients but was forced to go with seven as that was the only option left. Reward/punishment: The red team enjoyed a game of paintball with Marino while the blue team faced a day of delivery and preparation. During the punishment, Manda injured her back lifting boxes out of a van, though the remainder of the blue team remained unsympathetic. Service: Guests in attendance were Jonathan Loughran and Garcelle Beauvais. The red team had a near perfect service under Kristin's leadership and Ariel's concentration, their only problem being Jackie momentarily falling behind on garnish and Dannie having to heavily rely on Ariel throughout, as she was uncertain of what to do. In the blue kitchen, Jared cooked scallops off the stove, causing them to stick and Ramsay to send him out for a break. Chad and Jared then failed to communicate on entrees, while Manda struggled after hurting her back during the punishment, serving raw New York strip and failing to ask her teammates for help. Ramsay sent her into the storeroom and threatened her with elimination for one more mistake within the next fifteen minutes – however, Manda bounced back and produced acceptable New York strip. The red team were named clear winners for having no communication issues. Team change: Though Manda and Jared were nominated, Ramsay called Chad down and gave him one last chance in the red team with Dannie taking his place in the blue team because Ramsay felt that they both needed to get their confidence back after their declining performance tonight, especially Chad. Ramsay's comment: "Chad desperately needs to regain his confidence, and Dannie is desperate to be a leader. Hopefully, their new teams will bring out the best of both of them."
227	9	"10 Chefs Again"	March 9, 2016	3.76[15]
Team challenge: After they were greeted by a 12-year old bison named Jack, the chefs headed outside the kitchen for their next head to head challenge, where opposing team members stood in front of different cuts of bison. Then the two chefs for each cut competed in archery to win the right to pick a flag representing the country whose ingredients would be used in the dish. Everyone from both teams ended up scoring a point except for Manda's questionable combination of pappardelle pasta and flank steak and Jackie's dry meatballs, resulting in a 4-4 tie. Ramsay broke the tie by choosing the best dish of the challenge. Chad's dish won for the red team. Reward/punishment: The red team got to meet and feed animal actors. In addition, Ramsay rewarded each of them with their very own Vitamix blender. The blue team cleaned the carpet (which had been soiled by the bison), and made bread and butter the old fashioned way for that night's cowboy steak dinner service. Joe broke the ceramic when churning the butter on a number of occasions. Service: Cowboy steak night was the theme for this service. In addition, Stacey Dash and Phil Dalhausser were in attendance that night. The blue team managed to have a strong service, mostly due to Dannie's performance on the fish station and their consistent communication. However Joe served uneven mashed potatoes and greasy fries, resulting in three of his teammates having to help him out. Despite this, the blue team managed to finish service. In the red kitchen, Ariel initially served what appeared to be an acceptable serving of scallops for Stacey Dash's table, though they got sent back for being undercooked, and she had to re-fire several orders of scallops after undercooking and then overcooking them. During entrees, Ariel continued to struggle on fish, and Jackie's attempt to help her resulted in them burning tuna. Meanwhile Ashley undercooked several rib-eyes, resulting in Ramsay kicking the team out and declaring them the losers. While debating for nominations, Jackie revealed to her team she had only been cooking for three months, shocking her team, who believed she did not deserve to be there. Elimination: Ariel and Jackie were nominated. However, Ramsay spared them both and eliminated Joe for continuing to struggle in dinner services despite his strong challenge performances, making him the sixth person to be eliminated despite being on the winning team after Carol from season 5, Salvatore from season 7, Raj from season 8, Jeremy from season 11 and Randy from season 14. Ramsay's comment: "Joe had amazing taste profile and was a standout in challenges. Unfortunately for him, dinner services were just out of his reach."
228	10	"9 Chefs Compete"	March 16, 2016	3.57[16]
Following Joe's elimination, Kristin and Jackie got into a huge argument over the latter's inexperience with cooking, causing Jackie to dump cigarette ash on Kristin's shoulder. Kristin walked out of the argument, though later returned for the challenge. Team challenge: The teams had thirty minutes to make vegetarian, sweet, meat and seafood breakfast dishes that are judged by Ramsay, executive chef and owner of Jar Suzanne Tracht and executive chef and owner of M.B. Post David Lefevre where each judge will give each dish a score of between 1 to 3 stars. As the Red team had an extra member, they were allowed to choose which type of dish to make two of. Jackie choose to do vegetarian in addition to Ariel forcing the Red team to choose between them. The red team (including even Kristin) chose Jackie's dish for its far superior presentation. Ashley started off the competition strongly for the red team, beating Manda 9-3 on French toast, and Kristin and Frank tied at 8 apiece on meat. However, they were sunk by Jackie's dish scoring the minimum 3 points for tasting very bland, and Chad's scallop ceviche tacos suffering the same fate. Jared was worried about having broken the eggs for his Mexican tostada, but the judges thought it tasted delicious and gave him a perfect 9, thus allowing the blue team to win the challenge 25-23. Reward/punishment: The blue team headed to Palm Springs in a private plane where they each rode all-terrain vehicles. The red team cleaned both kitchens and hand squeezed oranges for the mimosa that was part of the next service's brunch special. During punishment, Jackie talked with Sous Chef Christina about her position in the competition. Christina suggested that if Jackie were to restrain her ego, and ask more questions, she could become a better chef, though Jackie said she didn't want the red team to see her as weak for asking questions. Service: In addition to local chefs and their families, Ramsay also announced VIP guests for the chef's tables, with rapper Flo Rida sitting in the red kitchen while comedian Jeff Dunham and his puppet Walter sat in the blue kitchen. In the blue kitchen, Jared served raw chicken twice and got kicked out, while Frank left Manda to take care of his French toast. When the toast got burned, Manda was also kicked out. In the red kitchen, Chad served a tuna salad for which Ariel forgot to add quail eggs, and got kicked out for undercooking French toast. Jackie made raw chicken, but recovered. Ramsay merged the remaining chefs together to finish service in the blue kitchen, but angrily demanded an explanation for the service rather than nominations for the first time in the series' history. Elimination: Ramsay asked each team for an explanation of the service, and the chef they did not want on their team any longer. All of the members of the blue team chose Frank, who conversely chose Manda, while the red team picked Chad, who chose Ariel. Ramsay immediately eliminated Chad for his lack of confidence and worsening performances, making him the sixth consecutive man to be eliminated. Ramsay's comment: "I gave Chad numerous chances to regain his confidence. Unfortunately, he wasted them all."
229	11	"8 Chefs Compete"	March 23, 2016	3.54[17]
Team challenge: The teams had five minutes to gather the ingredients for a rack of lamb, sea bass and chicken. Then, the chefs took two turns having five minutes to cook the ingredients for one of the proteins before being replaced by a teammate. The red team decided Jackie should go first, as she was the weakest chef, and the others could recover if she messed up. Both teams scored on the sea bass, the red team scored on the lamb, and the blue team scored on the chicken, resulting in a tie. Ramsay then used the sea bass as the tie breaker, and judged the blue team's to be slightly better, giving them the win. Reward/punishment: The blue team spent the day as VIPs at the Santa Anita horse racetrack, though Frank, still annoyed about being nominated, refused to enjoy the reward, annoying the blue team. The red team unloaded two 100-pound lambs into the kitchen and prepped them for service. During prep the next day, an argument broke out between Kristin and Ariel after Ariel accused Kristin of lying that she didn't cook a steak before service, causing Christina to send them to the pantry to work things out. Meanwhile, Frank continued to openly resent his teammates. Christina pulled him aside and advised him not to take things personally. Service: Bill Engvall and Lainie Kazan were guests for this service. In the blue kitchen, Frank and Manda struggled to communicate on appetizers, but they recovered. In the red kitchen, Ashley served soupy risotto twice (with Ashley added too much cheese in second risotto), and broke down until Ramsay told her to fight back. Both teams got entrees out smoothly, causing an impressed Ramsay to declare that this is the best service yet, and announces that the first team to finish their last ticket would win. The blue team narrowly won after Jackie served arctic char she knew was raw but was pushed by Ashley to serve. After service, Ramsay asked why Ashley was upset, to which she said that she was "better than" her performance that night. Ramsay tells her that he doesn't care if mistakes are made, it's how they're recovered from. Elimination: Ashley and Jackie were nominated. To the red team's relief, Ramsay send Ashley back in line and eliminated Jackie for her inconsistency, inexperience, aggressive nature and lack of maturity, but praised her for her improvement throughout the competition. Ramsay's comment: "Jackie was one of the most outspoken chefs in the history of Hell's Kitchen. It's just a shame her mouth was bigger than her talent."
230	12	"7 Chefs Compete"	April 1, 2016	2.61[18]
Ashley was still upset over being nominated the previous night, leading Jared to comfort her, much to the disgust of Ariel, who compared the scene to a soap opera. Team challenge: The chefs were given the annual blind taste test with the ingredients infused into ice-cream. Instead of the dunk-tanks of the two previous years, Ramsay had the chefs stand in front of a cannon that would blast them with topping if their teammate incorrectly answered three times. Ariel firstly guessed two correctly out of four, whilst Frank got none, meaning Manda was blasted twice. Ashley went next and also guessed two correctly, whilst Jared only guessed one, meaning Dannie got blasted. Kristin and Manda went next, Kristin receiving the highest individual score of three and Manda scored two. Finally, Ariel went again as the blue team had one extra person against Dannie scoring three, whilst Dannie, like Frank, failed to score any points. The red team easily defeated the blue team 7–3 (not counting the three more that Ariel correctly guessed after it was too late for the Blue team to catch up). Reward/punishment: While the blue team prepares the foul-smelling durian fruit for a dessert to be served during tonight's service, the red team were rewarded with a shopping spree at Roland Kitchenware where each chef received $2,000 to spend. During the blue team's punishment, Frank constantly talked with sous chef Aaron, much to the chagrin of the rest of the blue team. Fortunately, Aaron, like the rest of the blue team, saw through Frank's attempt to suck up to him and brownnose him, and eventually shut Frank down entirely before ordering him to get back to work. Service: Olympic Silver medalist swimmer Haley Anderson and Meredith Baxter attended the service. The red team had an almost flawless performance, their only issues being Kristin under-portioning risotto and becoming overwhelmed on garnish (though even then she recovered), but strong performances by Ashley on fish and Ariel on meat kept the red kitchen running smoothly, and led them to winning service. The blue kitchen had a much rockier service. Frank had poor communication and served raw snapper and left the other chefs to clean up his mistakes. Dannie's poor communication skills also sent Frank astray, whilst Manda got overwhelmed with the fish, also. Jared had to thrice refire New York strip after sending them up first overcooked, then raw and then gashed as he tried to check the temperature by opening them up instead of using his fingers. Ramsay declared the red team the clear winners and asked the blue team to send two nominations. Elimination: After much arguing, Jared and Frank were nominated. Ramsay questioned each chef about what had happened to the three raw snappers, which Dannie claimed she had no responsibility over despite video footage showing otherwise. Ramsay then, to the other chefs' (especially Manda's) relief, eliminated Frank for his declining performances, lack of communication, and failure to take responsibility for his mistakes. Ramsay's comment: "Like all Marines, Frank was strong and very proud. Unfortunately for him, he's just not ready for the rank of head chef."
231	13	"6 Chefs Compete"	April 8, 2016	2.66[19]
Prior to the challenge, the teams had visits from Manda's brother, Jared's mother, Dannie's sister, Ariel's mother, Kristin's father, and one of Ashley's fathers. Team challenge: Each chef received a special gift from their loved ones, thinking they contained black jackets. However, upon opening, the boxes instead each contained a straitjacket. Ramsay then tasked the contestants to wear that jacket while helping their loved ones recreate his Branzino dish. Jared's mother cut herself during the challenge, so she couldn't plate all the vegetables. Despite Ashley's father being a cook and owning two restaurants, Kristin's and Dannie's dishes were the best from their respective teams, but Kristin and her dad ultimately won it for the Red team. Reward/punishment: The Red team spent the day at the spa. The Blue team gets to work cleaning up the dorms. Jared had a debate with Manda and Dannie on which gender was generally less tidy. Service: In addition to Steve Aoki and Katy Tiz, the chef's tables was featured once again with Cesar Millan and Lil' Jon sitting in the blue and red kitchen respectively. The red team once again had an almost flawless service, the only problem being Kristin serving nine scallops for an order instead of ten, though even then she quickly recovered, and Ashley occasionally forgetting to communicate. As a result, they got their black jackets, and celebrated whilst the blue team finished service. The blue team had a rocky service. Jared overseasoned pasta despite Dannie's warnings, and had a hair in his mash. Manda burnt a snapper and Dannie struggled to communicate on meat and took very long to recover from serving cold Wellingtons, refusing to explicitly state how long it would take. After service, Ramsay asked that both teams come together to decide who should be nominated from the blue team. Elimination: There was ample reason to nominate either Manda, Dannie, or Jared, as each made plenty of mistakes throughout that service and several others prior. Ariel and Kristin thought Jared was the best option, but he was ultimately spared. Instead, the team nominated Dannie for acting like she was a better chef and person than the others (just because she rightly did not want to get into senseless, unnecessary fights with everyone else), and Manda for being the chef they respected the least (despite her making the fewest errors in that service). After giving Jared a black jacket, Ramsay gave Manda the last black jacket and eliminated Dannie for her poor performance on meat and for being on a downward spiral since her move to the blue team, despite several warnings to step up. Ramsay's comment: "Dannie may be a boxer in her spare time, but her lack of fight tonight proved she just couldn't go the distance."
232	14	"5 Chefs Compete"	April 15, 2016	2.98[20]
After elimination, Ashley tells Jared "There's no way I was letting you go home". This suggests that Ashley did indeed talk Ariel and Kristin out of nominating Jared for the previous elimination, due to her need to protect him out of their friendship. However, the upcoming events of the episode would make her regret protecting him. Challenge: The final five meet Ramsay at Ánimo Venice Charter High School where he surprises them with high school photos of themselves, Jared's in particular surprised everyone as he's bald, and he had hair in his. They then had forty minutes to cook a unique dish to serve to the students. The final rankings were as follows: Jared, Ariel, Ashley, Kristin, and Manda. Reward/punishment: Jared won a VIP trip to Levi's Stadium to meet Dwight Clark and Guy McIntyre, and have dinner. He also chose Kristin to go with him, which irked Ashley, who had stuck up for him on numerous occasions. The others were forced to sort the school's trash from last week. Ashley and Jared argued over him taking Kristin out on the reward when he returned, but they reconciled after he apologized. Service: Ramsay gave the chefs the chance to be his sous chef while Aaron and Christina sat in the chef's table. Randy Couture and Neil Jackson were guests for this service. Ariel was strong as a sous chef, rejecting Jared's overcooked snapper. Jared also undercooked scallops and arctic char. Ashley followed, but was scolded by Ramsay for her lack of confidence and direction. Manda served raw New York strip twice, irking Ramsay. Jared, despite recovering as a sous chef, needed Kristin's help when returning to his station. By this point, even Ashley had begun to regret convincing Ariel and Kristin to spare Jared in the previous episode. Manda was vocal as a sous chef, but struggled to gain the respect of her team, causing them to miscommunicate. Kristin, lastly, was deemed a good sous chef by both Christina and Aaron, though this was overshadowed by Manda serving more raw New York strips. Ramsay ordered the contestants to apologize to the sous chefs while he took over cooking the last order, and called it the worst black jacket service in the history of the show before asking the team to nominate one chef for elimination. Elimination: The contestants initially leaned towards nominating Manda until she convinced them to nominate Jared. But Ramsay nominated Manda, anyway. He eliminated Manda for her worsening performances, but praised her for her determination and cheerfulness. Manda wished the other four chefs good luck on her tearful exit. He then eliminated Jared, much to everyone's shock, for not being as consistent as the other three chefs, but praised him for his cooking ability and commitment. This marked the second-ever all-female final three (and the second in a row), and also the first time since season 6 in which the finalists would be chosen from the final three rather than the final four. Ramsay's comment: "I can't deny Manda's passion nor Jared's commitment, but it was painfully obvious that they just couldn't measure up to my final three."
233	15	"3 Chefs Compete"	April 22, 2016	2.96[21]
Before the episode, Ashley and Kristin discuss their belief that they want to be the final two over Ariel, as her attitude has begun to annoy them. Team challenge: The chefs were greeted by a police escorted armored truck from Las Vegas, from which four men emerged with briefcases. The first briefcase revealed the $250,000 that would be awarded to the winner of Hell's Kitchen. In addition, each chef picked a briefcase containing a bone-in steak from BLT Steak, the restaurant for the head chef's job. They then have 40 minutes to cook their steak in addition to two sides with Ramsay and Ari Rosenson judging each steak dish. Ashley's filet was praised, but her peppers were undercooked. Ariel's New York striploin was also perfectly cooked, despite concerns that she did too much. Kristin's was notably simpler, though her ribeye was cooked well and received much praise. While Rosenson was impressed with all three chefs' dishes, he ultimately selected Kristin's steak as the best. Reward/punishment: Ramsay took Kristin to CUT in Beverly Hills where she along with her parents were treated to a special dinner by Rosenson. Ashley and Ariel cleaned the truck and the motorbikes from the convoy, in addition to prepping the kitchen ahead of tonight's service. Service: Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia was a guest in the service. Like the previous service, each chef took turns in leading the kitchen, with the usual sabotages from Aaron, Christina, and Ramsay. Ariel is up first, and despite not recognizing carrot puree instead of butternut squash in a risotto, she was overall praised for her place on the hotplate, and was deemed a strong, if demanding leader. Kristin is up next, and has a good run as well. She spots Sous Chef Aaron sending up Wellingtons with no mushroom duxelle, but calls out capellini on the ticket despite it not being on the menu, though even then she recognized her mistake immediately. She also had communication problems with Ashley, who sent up an overcooked snapper, and though Kristin was reminded to be in control, Ashley still did not respond until Ramsay called her out on it. Ashley, however, struggled at the hot plate, failing to get a response from Ariel before being given an undercooked risotto. She nearly breaks down again, but Ramsay urges her to fight back. Ashley recovered to identify Chef Ramsay replacing black pepper puree with black garlic, but mistook a salmon that Sous Chef Christina sent up for arctic char. Ramsay praises the final three, though asks them to vote on who should be eliminated. Elimination: Ariel and Kristin both voted for Ashley, who voted for Ariel. Ramsay named Kristin and then Ariel as the final two, eliminating Ashley. Ramsay praised an emotional Ashley and allowed her to keep her jacket, though her photo was still burned. Ramsay's comment: "Ashley's a young chef with a very bright future. She earned her place in the final three, and I have no doubt that she'll be a great success."
234	16	"Winner Chosen"	April 29, 2016	3.13[22]
Ariel and Kristin checked into the Millennium Biltmore Hotel for a surprise visit from their families. They spent the night deciding on menu items for their final dinner service. The next day, they received advice from season 9 winner and BLT Steak Miami chef Paul Niedermann followed by a helicopter tour of Los Angeles with Ramsay where they flew to their final challenge. Challenge: The women have one hour to make three main entrées (one fish, one chicken, one beef entree), one cold appetizer and one hot appetizer on board the USS Iowa. Their dishes were scored from 1–10 by the top chefs. Kristin's beat Ariel 9-8 on the cold appetizer and chicken entree, but Ariel returned the favor on the hot appetizer and fish entree. The beef entree, which would therefore decide the challenge, was judged by Keith Treyball, president of BLT Steak. Kristin scored an 8, though Ariel scored a 7.5, meaning Kristin narrowly won the challenge by a score of 42–41.5. Reward: Kristin received first pick in drafting a team with the eight chefs eliminated prior to the final. Kristin picked Ashley, Frank, Joe and Chad, while Ariel picked Jackie, Manda and Dannie, and was left with Jared. Pre-service: Both teams ran through their menus. Kristin went through slowly and methodically whilst Ariel rushed through her menu, leaving her team confused. Service: Johnny Gill, Dave Stewart, Larenz Tate and the finalists' families were guests for the final dinner service. Both teams were strong but encountered problems. In the red kitchen, Joe under-seasoned coleslaw, but recovered quickly. Frank undercooked duck for Kristin's parents, and Chad served raw salmon, both requiring Ashley's help, while Kristin struggled to gain control after none of her team responded to her orders. In the blue kitchen, Manda nearly sent the wrong order on cold appetizers, but recovered quickly, Jackie had a strong performance despite cutting down fish sizes, and Dannie walked out of service after undercooking and then overcooking a pork chop, allowing Jackie to take over (marking the first time a returning chef walked out of a finalist's dinner service). Both teams finished service. Winner: After deliberating, Ramsay called both finalists into his office and had them step in front of a door each; Ariel's door opened, making her the fifteenth winner of Hell's Kitchen. However, he had words of encouragement for Kristin, and told her to not give up her dreams. Kristin took her defeat graciously. Ramsay's comment: "Right from the very beginning, Ariel let her presence be known. She was always outspoken but she backed up her confidence with her cooking. Creative, talented and unique, she is an out of the box thinker who will make a great head chef at BLT Steak."

Controversy

Following his exit at the end of episode 12, Frank, an active-duty Marine chef, stated his dislike for female chefs during his plea and claimed he never allowed any to work under him, saying "The blue team never had any drama until the females came aboard and that's when the ship sunk. And that's exactly why I get fucking female Marines and I send them back wherever the fuck they came from." Following his comments, Marine public affairs representative Bryan Nygaard stated Frank's comments regarding female Marines "are not consistent with the Marine Corps' values of honor, courage and commitment," and he would "notify my chain of command as well as Sergeant Cala's chain of command to ensure that corrective action is being taken."[23] Several days later, Frank was removed from his position with the Commandants' staff and transferred to the Enlisted Aide Program.[24]

Ratings

The fifteenth-season premiere of Hell's Kitchen premiered to an audience of 3.43 million, 660,000 lower than last season's premiere, and down 10,000 from season 14's finale.

U.S. Nielsen ratings

No.	Episode	Original air date	Timeslot (EST)	Rating/share 18–49	U.S. viewers (millions)	DVR 18–49	DVR viewers (millions)	Total 18–49	Total viewers (millions)	Source(s)
1	"18 Chefs Compete"	January 15, 2016	Friday 9:00 p.m.	1.1/4	3.41	0.6	1.52	1.7	4.93	[7][25]
2	"17 Chefs Compete"	January 22, 2016		1.3/4	3.61	N/A	1.49	N/A	5.11	[8][26]
3	"16 Chefs Compete"	January 27, 2016	Wednesday 9:00 p.m.	1.4/4	4.16	0.6	N/A	2.0	N/A	[9][27]
4	"15 Chefs Compete"	February 3, 2016		1.5/5	4.60	0.6	N/A	2.1	N/A	[10][28]
5	"14 Chefs Compete"	February 10, 2016		1.3/4	4.40	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	[11]
6	"12 Chefs Compete"	February 17, 2016		1.2/4	3.97	0.7	N/A	1.9	N/A	[12][29]
7	"11 Chefs Compete"	February 24, 2016		1.3/4	4.23	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	[13]
8	"10 Chefs Compete"	March 2, 2016		1.0/3	3.38	0.7	N/A	1.7	N/A	[14][30]
9	"10 Chefs Again"	March 9, 2016		1.2/4	3.76	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	[15]
10	"9 Chefs Compete"	March 16, 2016		1.1/4	3.57	N/A	1.44	N/A	5.01	[16][31]
11	"8 Chefs Compete"	March 23, 2016		1.2/4	3.54	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	[17]
12	"7 Chefs Compete"	April 1, 2016	Friday 9:00 p.m.	0.8/3	2.61	0.6	1.59	1.4	4.20	[18][32]
13	"6 Chefs Compete"	April 8, 2016		0.8/3	2.66	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	[19]
14	"5 Chefs Compete"	April 15, 2016		0.9/3	2.98	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	[20]
15	"3 Chefs Compete"	April 22, 2016		0.9/3	2.96	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	[21]
16	"Winner Chosen"	April 29, 2016		1.0/4	3.13	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	[22]

References

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23. Hope Hodge Seck. "Marines Reviewing Sexist Comments by Commandant's Chef on Reality Show". Military.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
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