“Hell’s Kitchen” season 20 ended on September 13, 2021 and this got us wondering whatever happened to the contestants who won the first 19 seasons of “Hell Kitchen.” We did some digging and discovered that some of them are still working for Gordon Ramsay while others are now running their own restaurants or catering companies.
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Season 1: Michael Wray
Image Credit: FOX This Fort Collins, Colorado resident was 27 when he won the first season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on Aug. 1, 2005. He opted to work with Ramsay in London but later declined to become head chef at the exclusive Standard hotel in Los Angeles. He subsequently moved to Arizona where he ran Skull and Cleavers, a knife company, and taught cooking. After battling an addiction to pain pills, he now has plans to run a food truck business
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Season 2: Heather West
Image Credit: FOX This Port Jefferson, New York resident was 25 when she won the second season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on Aug. 14, 2006. For her prize, she chose to be the senior chef at the Terra Rossa restaurant at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She has since returned to Long Island, working as the head chef at three restaurants: Monteray, Jellyfish and, most recently, Schafers in her hometown. She now runs the non-profit East End Play Dates.
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Season 3: Rahman ‘Rock’ Harper
Image Credit: FOX This Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia resident was 30 when he won the third season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on Aug. 13, 2007. He chose to work at the Terra Verde restaurant in the Green Valley Ranch casino in Henderson, Nevada for one year. Since leaving there, he has worked as an executive chef at Ben’s Next Door in the nation’s capital, taught a course at Stanford, written the bestselling “44 Things Parents Should Know about Healthy Cooking for Kids” and now owns and operates Queen Mother’s in Arlington VA.
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Season 4: Christina Machamer
Image Credit: FOX This St. Louis, Missouri resident was 25 when won the fourth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on July 8, 2008. As the first student to win, her prize was downgraded from executive to senior chef. For the past decade, she has worked in California first at London in West Hollywood and then at Bouchon Bistro in Yountville. After training to be sommelier at the Culinary Institute in Greystone, she worked at B Cellars Vineyards & Winery and the Caldwell Vineyard in Napa before opening Napa Valley Experiences.
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Season 5: Danny Veltri
Image Credit: FOX This Edgewater, Florida resident was only 23 when he won the fifth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on May 14, 2009. As with Machamer, he prize was downgraded and he took up a position as a sous chef at the Fornelletto in the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After leaving there, he began his own company, Back From Hell Catering, and worked at the Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill in the Sunshine state before launching Salt Life Food Shack, which has 3 locations in Florida.
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Season 6: Dave Levey
Image Credit: FOX This San Diego, California resident was 32 when he won the sixth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on October 13, 2009. He worked at Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia for several months. Since then, he has worked at restaurants in his home state of New Jersey.
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Season 7: Holli Ugalde
Image Credit: FOX This San Bernardino, California resident was 24 when she won the seventh season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on August 10, 2010. When it was not possible for her to work in London’s Savoy Grill, she moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she was the executive chef at B Ocean’s. She now runs the SENS Wellness lifestyle program and markets products made on her farm.
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Season 8: Nona Sivley
Image Credit: FOX worked as the head Chef position at LA Market in Los Angeles, California for three year. Since then she has opened her own restaurant, Pork and Beans, in Las Vegas, Nevada and launched the Fizzy Peach catering company and grocery store in Norcross, GA.
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Season 9: Paul Niedermann
Image Credit: FOX This Davie, Florida resident was 27 when he won the ninth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on September 19, 2011. After working for the BLT Group, including a stint at BLT Steak in New York City, New York, he returned to the Sunshine State, working first at Hudson at Waterway East and then SALT7 in Delray Beach, Florida.
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Season 10: Christina Wilson
Image Credit: FOX This Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident was 32 when she won the tenth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on September 10, 2012. She worked in Las Vegas, first as the head chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak in the Paris Casino and then as executive at Gordon Ramsay BurGR in the Planet Hollywood Casino before becoming Culinary Director for Gordon Ramsay North America.
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Season 11: Ja’Nel Witt
Image Credit: FOX This Houston, Texas resident was 31 when she won the eleventh season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on July 25, 2013. When it was not possible for her to work at the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, she returned to Texas, working first as the executive chef at Corner Table in Houston and then Sammy’s Steakhouse in Richmond.
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Season 12: Scott Commings
Image Credit: FOX This Woodstock, Illinois resident was 36 when he won the twelfth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on July 24, 2014. He worked as head chef at the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada before becoming executive chef at Freedom Beat at the Downtown Grand Hotel in Sin City.
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Season 13: La Tasha Mccutchen
Image Credit: FOX This Winter Haven, Florida resident was 33 when she won the thirteenth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on December 17, 2014. She worked as head chef at the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City, New Jersey for one year and is now a private chef.
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Season 14: Meghan Gill
Image Credit: FOX This Roanoke, Virginia resident was 28 when she won the fourteenth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on June 9, 2015. She took over as head chef at the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City, New Jersey before becoming executive chef for the Dormie Network of golf clubs.
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Season 15: Ariel Malone
Image Credit: FOX This Hackensack, New Jersey resident was 26 when she won the fifteenth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on April 29, 2016. She worked as head chef at BLT Steak in Bally’s Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada until the beginning of 2017 and is now pursuing a private chef.
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Season 16: Kimberly-Ann Ryan
Image Credit: FOX This Traverse City, Michigan resident was 29 when she won the sixteenth season of “Hell’s Kitchen” on February 2, 2017. She worked as head chef at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in The Venetian Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada before returning to her hometown to run The Cook’s House.
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Season 17: Michelle Tribble
Image Credit: FOX This Dallas, Texas native was only 24 when she took the title in the first all-star edition of the the show on Feb. 2, 2018. She worked as the head chef at the new Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada but was laid off during the pandemic.
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Season 18: Ariel Contreras-Fox
Image Credit: FOX This Brooklyn, New York native was 35 when she won this edition of the show that pitted veterans like her against rookies on February 8, 2019. She was executive chef at Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas but returned to home to work for the Del Frisco restaurant group and be a judge on “Beat Bobby Flay.”
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Season 19: Kori Sutton
Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox This Los Angeles native was 37 when she won season 19 on April 22, 2021. She is working as head chef at Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant in Lake Tahoe.
