How Gordon Ramsay has faked out contestants on Hell's Kitchen

When it comes to reality TV, there will be times when a host decides to have fun with contestants at the expense of their nerves. Gordon Ramsay is undoubtedly a host who loves to mess with his contestants on his cooking show Hell’s Kitchen, and in the last 15 years of his show, he’s found many creative ways to do it. So, it would be fun to remember the best times when Hell’s Kitchen contestants and the audience got faked out.

Season 5: Fake Out Elimination for Black Jackets

The first time I remember a fake-out happening in Hell’s Kitchen history was in the tenth episode of season 5. The remaining six chefs are still overcome with the shock of Carol's elimination. When the remaining chefs woke up the following day, Ramsay asked both teams: Who is the weakest chef in both teams? Paula answered that Andrea was the weakest chef on the red team, while Danny said Ben was the lowest on the blue team.

When Ramsay asked Ben and Andrea to step forward, the lights dimmed, indicating that a surprise elimination was about to happen. Andrea and Ben make their pleas, suggesting they are both strong leaders who believe they can improve. However, Ramsay picked both to take off their jackets, making the other four chefs and probably everyone at home think they were both going home. However, Ramsay then exclaimed that they were part of the final six and would get their black jackets, relieving both Ben and Andrea and exciting the other four chefs.

Season 8: Melissa Elimination Fake Out

This fake-out is very small, but it is a fake-out, nonetheless. Everyone knows how terrible season 8 was cast-wise, and one of those chefs to go early was Executive Chef Melissa Doney from Albany, NY. Melissa had a few terrible services, but the fifth service she had before the next episode was her worst one yet.

In that service, Melissa overcooked every steak the women had on order that night, which was a total of 23 steaks. That should’ve sent her home during the elimination ceremony for which she was nominated. However, Ramsay sent senior home executive chef Emily Kutchins home for messing up eggs on the appetizer.

The following morning, Ramsay, unhappy with what Melissa did, called Melissa forward. Ramsay explained to Melissa that he wasn’t feeling the bounce back for Melissa and was saying Melissa was in over her head. Ramsay then decided and asked for her jacket. Fellow teammate, prep chef Sabrina Brimhall, Melissa’s enemy in the first five episodes, was excited, thinking she was going home. As she said goodbye to her teammates, Ramsay said Melissa would be moved to the Blue Team. Melissa was happy she wasn’t eliminated. However, the move did not make her any better, as she was eliminated from the following service after ruining a ton of scallops.

Finale No Door Fakeout

When you are in the Hell’s Kitchen finale as one of the best chefs that season, the entire day is mostly about being serious. There are some fun moments, but most of the day, it’s trying to ensure you have an excellent service. Afterward, you would probably be nervous about finding out if you won Hell’s Kitchen or not. But while you’re with your brigade, Chef Ramsay would say he isn’t doing what he would do the tradition of having the two doors, and the one that opens wins Hell’s Kitchen.  Ramsay would then drum up the drama and announce the winner right then and there, only to be a bait-and-switch with a joke answer that messes with your heart. This scenario happened three times in the history of the season finale in Hell’s Kitchen.

It started in season 10 with Christina and Justin, where the joke response was Tavon, the first boot that season, who became so famous that he became a memorable part of the show. They brought the fake out back nine seasons later, for season 19, with Mary Lou and Kori, by saying the winner would be a woman. Then, the following season, he brought it back one more time for Young Guns, which already had a famous fake out with the head chefs’ jackets given to Trenton and Megan, disguised as drugs. The joke response he gave those two were under 25.

We don’t know where the next fake-out will come from, but let’s hope it will be interesting.