How many episodes in 18 season: 16 episodes
Eight previous contestants return to battle against eight ambitious rookies for a chance at the grand prize; the rookie chefs prepare the best versions of their signature dishes within 45 minutes; the veterans must attempt to create the same dishes.
When Chef Ramsay announces that he is taking his risotto off of the Hell's Kitchen menu, the contestants are tasked with preparing their own risotto dish in the hopes of replacing the old one for the remainder of the season. Then, in preparation for the first dinner service of the competition, Chef Christina calls both teams down to the kitchen to demonstrate how to make the night's menu. While the veterans are prompt and attentive, the rookies drag their feet, making it clear that they still have a lot to learn. Find out which chefs survive another day.
The chefs are tasked with serving lunch to a room full of Marines and prepare dishes that represent the air (chicken parmesan), the land (NY Strip) and the sea (fish and chips). The first team to serve all of the Marines on their side of the dining room wins the challenge and is awarded a day at Paramount Ranch, where they will have the opportunity to star in their own western film. Later, the most dramatic dinner service ever ends with a shocking contestant walk-out.
The chefs are surprised with winter jackets and then must compete in a sled race for an advantage in the upcoming challenge, during which the two teams must prepare their best winter soups. The winning team is rewarded with a luxurious day and night in Palm Springs. After a troublesome dinner service, Chef Ramsay makes an extreme change in the teams.
The contestants are greeted by Grammy nominated pianist and composer, Stephan Moccio and Chef Ramsay explains that like a great musician, great chefs must be versatile in a wide variety of cooking styles. During the challenge, each team is tasked with cooking halibut 7 different ways for Michelin star chef David LeFevre. During the dinner services, both teams struggle with communication and supporting one another which ultimately results in a contestant's elimination. Tune-in to find out which front-running contestant is cut, creating a major wake-up call for the rest of the chefs.
Chef Ramsay introduces the chefs to a culinary legend known all over the world, Mr. Potato Head. For their challenge, the chefs must create a dish with the potato as the key component. Then, tensions rise and the pressure becomes unbearable for one of the chefs, leading to the most chaotic dinner service yet.
After a lesson on the importance of teamwork in the kitchen, Chef Ramsay reveals that for today's challenge, the chefs will be cooking five commonly served "staple" dishes. In true HELL'S KITCHEN style, the challenge comes with a twist - minutes into the challenge, each team will have to pick one member to leave the kitchen, and continue kicking a team member out until only one is left, relying on teamwork to make sure the remaining chef can finish all the dishes. That night, the teams are surprised when Chef Ramsay changes up the dining service.
The final 10 chefs are surprised when Chef Ramsay brings in his daughter, Tilly, to celebrate her Sweet 16. During the challenge, each chef is tasked with creating a worthy dish to be served at Tilly's party. The team that gets the most dishes on her menu wins the challenge. While the winners enjoy time at the Malibu mansion, a member of the losing team requires medical attention after the pressure becomes too much. Meanwhile, after a difficult dinner service, a fan-favorite veteran winds up on the chopping block.
Chef Ramsay challenges the nine remaining chefs to prepare authentic Chinese dishes and each chef must crack open fortune cookies to reveal their ingredients for the challenge. Ramsay invites renowned chef Shirley Chung to judge each dish and the winning team is rewarded with a VIP trip to Las Vegas! During dinner service, tensions rise as one team struggles to work together, resulting in a kitchen riddled with errors.
Both teams are down to four chefs each, as the competition continues to heat up. The dining room gets an Italian transformation for one of the most anticipated challenges of the season - the blind taste test. Hell's Kitchen then closes its doors to the public for a special charity dinner service, during which the two teams cook to honor supporters of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Waterkeeper Alliance, with a new five-course Italian menu. The night turns disastrous when Chef Ramsay must step in and finish cooking for one team before a dramatic elimination. Tune in to see one team begin to implode.
The competition heats up with only seven chefs left in the competition. During the challenge, guest judge and renowned pastry chef and chocolatier Valerie Gordon cracks down hard on both teams' take on dessert. The dinner service starts without a hitch, but one team's lack of communication causes pure chaos in the kitchen, resulting in a dramatic elimination. Tune in to see both teams battle it out for Chef Ramsay's approval.
Tension mounts when Chef Ramsay explains to the six remaining chefs that they will go through three extensive challenges to determine which five chefs receive a black jacket. Tune in to find out which chef will be sent home.
All hell breaks loose as the final five chefs struggle through a new challenge, leading to a bitter elimination that dramatically alters the dynamic of the group. As the remaining chefs reach the final stages of the competition, pressure is at an all-time high. Tune in to find out which chef will be sent home.
The final four chefs participate in a tableside challenge, preparing them for the showmanship that the Las Vegas Executive Chef position will require. After the guest judges vote, the winner of the challenge receives a luxurious day in Malibu and invites one of the other four chefs to join. Later on, the pressure returns when the chefs endure the showmanship challenge, which is plagued with rookie mistakes. Nobody can keep their heads above water and in the most shocking twist of the season, not one, but two chefs go home.
After a shocking elimination, the final two chefs receive unexpected help for their final menus. They share their highs and lows with Chef Ramsay over brunch and are surprised with a visit from their families. But, the fun is short-lived, as Chef Ramsay sends the teams back to Hell's Kitchen to learn the menus and plan for the biggest service of the finalists' lives, taking place at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Find out who has what it takes to win the life-changing grand prize: a position at the world's first Gordon Ramsay HELL'S KITCHEN Restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and 0,000.
Chef Ramsay sends the teams back to Hell's Kitchen to learn menus and plan for the biggest service of the finalists' lives, taking place at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Find out who has what it takes to win the life-changing grand prize: a position at the world's first Gordon Ramsay HELL'S KITCHEN Restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and 0,000.
