Alex Belew

 

“

You want to talk about the ultimate moment of validation for 24 years of hard work, tonight it happened.

”

Hometown/Residence	Murfreesboro, TN
Occupation	Former Restaurant Owner
Kitchen Experience	24 years
Culinary Education	The Art Institute of Tennessee - Nashville
Culinary Inspiration	Self-taught
Statistics
Signature Dish Challenge Score	5 out of 5
Blind Taste Test Score	0 out of 4
Challenges Won	4
Services Won	4
Times as BoW/Announcer	2
Times Nominated	1
Placement	Winner

Alex Belew was a contestant on Season 21 of Hell's Kitchen. He was the winner of that season and was awarded a Head Chef position at the Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Atlantic City, with a $250,000 salary.

Season 21

Episode 1/2

Main article: Episode 2101 - Let the Battle Begin

Main article: Episode 2102 - Just Wingin' It

The eighteen new chefs arrived in Los Angeles in two separate limos heading to Hell's Kitchen. The limos arrived at Hell's Kitchen, where Marino was waiting for them. When Alex saw Marino, he felt like he was looking at a fingering. Marino greeted the chefs and introduced them to their Sous Chefs Christina and Jason. When he saw Jason, he was excited as the former's Buttermilk and Bourbon was a well-known restaurant in Boston. They explained that there would be obstacles, but you could not let them get in your way. Later, Ramsay was on a monster truck and crashed into a car, shocking the contestants. Ramsay used it as an example of not letting anything get in your way. Ramsay explained like how the limos got them where they wanted to go, he wanted a chef to take him where he wanted to go. Ramsay was questioning whether to hire a chef in their 20s or a chef in their 40s and told them that this season would be a battle of the ages. Ramsay told the contestants to separate between a group of 20s and a group of 40s. Ramsay announced the Signature Dish Challenge and gave the chefs 45 minutes to cook their dishes.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Alex was confused why Nicole would use boxed pasta and canned tomatoes. He was the second contestant from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Ileana. He told Ramsay that he started cooking before it became huge in Nashville and opened his own restaurant in 2018. However, he was forced to close it during the Covid-19 Pandemic, which he deemed brutal. Still, Ramsay reminded him he was here now. He presented a spice-crusted salmon, Carolina gold rice glazed with lepo carrots, and a chorizo broth. Ramsay found the fish cooked beautifully and loved the balance of the starch, awarding him a perfect five. That made him proud, and he called it wild. When O'Shay revealed he made orange soda collard greens, he never thought about doing it before and never will.

The challenge ended up as a tie at 31 points each, and it was between him and Sakari. Although Ramsay said his dish had phenomenal precision, the blue team lost the challenge as Sakari's dish had the edge. They were punished with delivery day and cleaning both kitchens. When Alejandro said their bed time was 8:00 pm, he replied to not be afraid of falling off the boat. He said he didn't want to lose as it mentally affected them. When they were heading to bed, he felt like he couldn't get sleep because of Billy's mouth ware.

The following day, Ramsay asked Alex if anyone snored. He replied everyone did, especially Billy. During the Creative Chicken Wings Challenge, he presented his General Tso-styled chicken wings to Sous Chef Jason, deeming them a guilty pleasure. He was the second person from the blue team to make it to the top three, and he presented his General Tso confit wings. Ramsay loved how he elevated the Chinese dish and deemed his dish better than Zeus'. After surviving over Nicole, he won the challenge and was awarded the first Punishment Pass. Afterwards, Ramsay had him, and Alejandro taste their teammates' dishes to decide on the bottom two from their respective teams. Although he was not thrilled to hurt people's feelings, he refused to eat O'Shay's dish due to having pink chicken. He nominated Billy and O'Shay as the bottom two from the blue team. He said that Billy's wings were overcooked and had a confusing flavor profile, and he thought that O'Shay's plating was old school.

When the Sous Chefs went through the menu, Alex found them bouncing off from different dishes. During dinner service, he was at the appetizer station with Zeus and had his wings featured on the menu. He felt anxious but thought they had it, until Ramsay noticed Zeus' broken carbonara. That led him to accuse Zeus of having the shark bite his brain and say the dish looked like scrambled eggs and pasta. After Zeus failed on the refire, he compared the former to the Berlin Wall crumbling and began helping him on the third attempt. However, Ramsay told him to let Zeus cook it himself. Although he tried to give the blue team a pep talk after they were sent to the pantry room, they ended up getting kicked out of service, much to his humiliation. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he felt all their energy was nerves. When Billy called the blue team out for picking on him, he and Abe argued that it was the meat station's fault they got kicked out of service.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 3

Main article: Episode 2103 - Clawing Your Way to the Top

While returning to the dorms, Alex deemed the blue team a dumpster fire and told Brett he wanted Billy to leave that night. He did not like Billy's aggressive behavior.

When the chefs received skateboard safety gear from the Sous Chefs the following day, Alex claimed that the last time he wore a helmet was when he was seven. During the Whole Lobster Prep Challenge, he was the final person from the blue team to have their attempt judged, and it was accepted. The blue team lost the challenge 5-6, and they were punished by making seafood stock out of fish guts and separating the rice. Ramsay asked him if he would use his Punishment Pass and join the red team on their reward, but he decided to take the punishment and be with the blue team. During the punishment, he jokingly said he wanted to use his Punishment Pass, but Mindy told him it was too late. As the blue team went through the rice, he felt he was in ISS during detention.

Later that day, the blue team met up for a meeting. Alex believed their problem was being a team that was used to being Executive Chefs and running things, while the red team was used to being on the line. He wanted the blue team to focus and calm down, and Mindy did not want to lose and send someone home again. During prep, Billy tried to pump up the blue team and get through dinner service, but he was getting worried about the former.

During dinner service, Alex was at the fish station with Mindy. At one point, he was seen getting his scallops accepted. After the blue team got kicked out of service, he felt they could not pull their heads out of their butts to see straight and called it a nightmare. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he deemed that night a trainwreck and said he did not hear from either Nicole or O'Shay. Then, he felt there was some disorganization on garnish, but Billy did not feel that his comment was necessary.

Alex was not nominated for elimination. After elimination, he looked at the photos the red team took on their rewards. Suddenly, Ramsay called everyone back downstairs and announced that the battle of the sexes would start the following day. He said goodbye to Mindy, Nicole, and Tara and welcomed Alejandro, Brett, Sakari, and Vlad as new teammates.

Episode 4

Main article: Episode 2104 - Slipping Down to Hell

Back at the dorms, Alex felt that the entire blue team was on a high.

During part one of the Creative Sliders Challenge, Alex grabbed eggs for the beef sliders. After the men finished their selections, he believed they put their ingredients in smart places and did not think they could lose. The blue team lost the first part and had to start five minutes after the red team began. Still, he was not worried, as five minutes meant nothing if the women could not figure out their ingredients. During part two, he and Alejandro made the chicken sliders, but his dish was not chosen for judging. The blue team won the challenge 16-14, and they were rewarded with a trip to Palm Springs. During the reward, he jokingly commented that Sakari had nine children out of wedlock, but he was happy to bond with the men.

During dinner service, Alex was at the meat station with Abe. He prayed he did not fall victim to the meat station as with the others and had his lamb resting. He said the lamb needed four more minutes to rest and got it accepted. Thanks to him and Abe, the men only had two tickets left to work on. After the blue team completed their orders, Ramsay had them go into the red kitchen to help the red team. The blue team won the service.

Episode 5

Main article: Episode 2105 - Breakfast 911

During the Emergency Workers Breakfast Service Challenge, Alex was at the pancake station with Abe. At one point, Alejandro asked him for a second opinion on his steaks during a refire. On the blue team's final ticket, he thought they had it, but they lost the challenge. The blue team was punished by participating in trash sorting day. Ramsay asked him if he wanted to use his Punishment Pass, but he decided not to use them. During the punishment, he and Abe built the compost bins, but Brett felt they were taking too long. Billy told him to get in there and help them, but he got annoyed by his attitude again. On the other side, Billy got mad that he was taking the easy out on the punishment and mockingly called him Tim the Tool Man.

During dinner service, Alex was at the garnish station. He was not seen much, except for feeling that Abe came off combative when the latter rejected Alejandro's off to help. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate three people for elimination. During deliberation, he agreed with Sakari about nominating Alejandro as the latter struggled on steaks that morning. Then, he thought Abe’s attitude was a little combative, but the latter did not understand why he was considered for elimination. He thought Abe was abrasive to any criticism he got, but the latter accused him of having an ego.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 6

Main article: Episode 2106 - Til Chef Do Us Part

Before the Trenton and Macee Wedding Planning Challenge, Alex's wedding picture was seen and he sported a Beatles like haircut. During the cooking, he made a meat and potato dish in honor of Trenton and Macee's midwestern background. He cooked the beef entrée, was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Mindy and Cheyenne. He made a barbecue spiced rubbed hanger steak. Trenton and Macee loved it as they were fans of that cut, and he scored that round. The blue team won the challenge 4-2, and they were rewarded with a rage room experience at Rage Ground LA and lunch cooked by Suzanne Goin at Cara Cara. As the men went to get changed, he was happy to win as he could let loose his aggression. During the reward, he saw Brett take out too much rage on some of the items. At lunch, he felt they were a cohesive team, especially since Billy came through in the challenge.

During the Trenton and Macee Wedding Planning Challenge, Alex was at the appetizer station with Sakari. He was not seen that night and both teams were named joint losers. They were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he accused the fish station of putting them on a bad start, but Abe argued that the meat station's failures got them kicked out. Still, he and Vlad said the scallops doomed them from the start. He voted for Abe and Billy and said the former's outburst proved he was not a leader. However, Abe argued that he was and came down on him for being snooty.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 7

Main article: Episode 2107 - Wok This Way

During the Dome Challenge, Alex got chicken, baby bok choy, sausage, and coconut milk for his dish. He was the first person from the blue team to compete and went up against Dafne. He made a shredded chicken with baby bok choy, Chinese sausage, coconut milk and black vinegar mayo. It was praised for the mayonnaise component, but Stephanie Izard felt it overshadowed the chicken. Still, he scored that round for his creativity. The blue team lost the challenge 2-4, and they were punished by prepping beets for a beetroot risotto for a special that night. Ramsay asked him if he wanted to use their Punishment Pass, but he decided to stay with the men and grate beets. During the punishment, he said he refused to eat beets and would rather lick a tree instead. As the men talked about Abe's earlier outburst towards Sommer, he felt the former was too aggressive.

During dinner service, Alex was at the appetizer station with Alejandro. At one point, he said that getting Vlad to communicate was to get a baby turtle to come out. Although both teams were named joint winners, Ramsay still asked them to nominate two each. During deliberation, he knew they had a few bumps that night.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 8

Main article: Episode 2108 - Game On!

During the Game Meat Challenge, Alex felt confident going up for Spells Kitchen as he won the third-grade spelling bee and knew how to spell cat. He correctly spelt green beans and kept them for the men's venison. Upon seeing the mismatched ingredients for the venison, he was not confident as the two fruits did not go together with the meat. During the cooking, he paired up with Sakari on the boar, but his dish was not chosen for judging due to being undercooked.

The blue team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by pitting olives and making two pounds of olive tapenade and pesto. Ramsay asked Alex if he would use his Punishment Pass, and he decided to use it. He said he would trade places with Tara as he felt the latter would be okay with this punishment. However, Tara was not happy with his decision and did not look forward to doing her fifth punishment. Upon hearing about Tara feeling left out, he felt guilty about his actions and tried to apologize to her. However, Tara rebuffed him. He joined the red team in their reward: a bowling trip at Lucky Strike Hollywood and lunch provided by Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook. He received a bowling jacket during the reward and played a few games at Lucky Strike. Cheyenne said it was fun to spend the reward with him as she considered him a cool dad figure.

Because Alex did not have his dish judged earlier, he was forced to compete in the Cook For Your Life Challenge alongside Alejandro, Ileana, Tara, and Vlad. He decided to cook a Tennessee summertime-inspired dish in the blue kitchen using carrots and okra. While Cheyenne was surprised that he was using basic ingredients, Brett argued that he was cooking what he knew. When Ramsay announced that they had ten minutes left, he was taken aback as he still had a raw piece of chicken. He began to baste the chicken and prayed that everything did its magic. With three minutes left, he put his chicken back in the pan. He was the fourth person to have his dish judged by Ramsay but felt his confidence was a 6.4 out of ten. He made a pan-roasted chicken breast with spiced carrot puree and grilled okra. It was deemed crispy with an exceptional puree, and Ramsay sent him back to the dorms as the third safe chef. As he went up to the dorms, he called it the most stressful moments of his life and nearly went to his knees on his way back to the dorms.

Episode 9

Main article: Episode 2109 - Putting the Carne in Carnival

At the dorms, Alex still felt stressed about the Cook For Your Life Challenge, unsure if he could do the following challenge tomorrow.

Before the Creative Steak Challenge, all of the red team wanted Alex on their side when asked by Ramsay. Instead, he said goodbye to Brett as the latter was reassigned. During part one, he went up against Sommer in the filet mignon round, and they played basketball. He lost to Sommer 8-10 and had to start five minutes after her. He admitted that Sommer was better than him at the game. During the cooking, he made a Mexican spiced filet to get out of his comfort zone and made a chorizo Berblanc sauce to make it stand out. However, he failed to plate it on time, much to his frustration. When Abe's ribeye came out overcooked, he felt it should have been thrown in the microwave due to the cooking. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and presented his Mexican rubbed filet with Tennessee-styled cream corn and grilled broccolini. It was deemed good, but Ramsay noted that it looked unfinished. He revealed that he had forgotten to plate his Berblanc at the pass and lost that round to Sommer.

The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by cleaning the dorms and prepping vegetables for Steak Night. During the punishment, he bet Sakari could not finish preparing all the carrots in an hour. Sakari took that bet and finished with a minute to spare. The following day, he begged his team to remind him to plate his sauce next time when the red team came back from their reward.

Alex was at the appetizer station with Abe during the Steak Night dinner service. He knew it was a new menu that night, and he did not want anything he made to be sent back. Sous Chef Jason warned him not to let the crab cakes go cold as he and Abe walked their dishes. However, his crab cakes were cold, and he was forced to do a refire. Still, he managed to get his refire accepted. After several mistakes that led to the blue team getting sent to the back pantry, he told the team to focus and helped Vlad feel the filets. Both teams were named joint losers and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he nominated Alejandro and Vlad, which Abe and Sakari agreed with.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 10

Main article: Episode 2110 - Everyone's Taco'ing About It

During the Creative Taco Challenge, Alex cooked the chicken tacos and worked on the blue team's steak tacos. While cooking, he asked someone to turn his tomatillos and felt rushed as he worked on two tacos. Still, he thought that was what a leader did. For his first taco, he was the first chef from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Sommer. He made a Nashville hot chicken breakfast taco. Danny Trejo liked it as a breakfast dish, as he felt his original dish was killer. So, he and Sommer tied. On his second taco, he went up against Cheyenne and presented the blue team's skirt steak tacos with charred avocado tomatillo crema. Trejo wished it tasted more like guacamole, and he lost that round to Cheyenne. The blue team lost the challenge after a tie at three each, and they were punished by prepping a hundred pounds of corn and making fresh tortillas for a taco special in that night's service. During the punishment, he compared their fourth straight loss to getting broken up.

During dinner service, Alex was at the garnish station. At one point, he announced two salmon for the first entrée order, but Abe was taken aback as he had not heard that earlier. Abe said he needed six minutes on the salmon, but he did not know what happened as he had announced the order earlier. When both teams worked on their final orders, he felt the blue team could finish strong. But due to Sakari's raw steak on their final ticket, they lost the service, and he disappointingly knew they had let victory slip away. They were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he told Sakari that he should have told them the steak was not ready. Still, he struggled with his nominations.

Alex was not nominated for elimination, and during the ceremony, he welcomed Brett back to the blue team after Ramsay reassigned the latter.

Episode 11

Main article: Episode 2111 - 21st Annual Blind Taste Test

Back at the dorms, Alex disagreed with Brett's claim that nobody wanted him. Still, he felt Brett was welcomed to his side as long as he performed well.

During the Blind Taste Test, Alex was the second chef from the blue team to compete, and he went up against Tara. He failed to score a single point, and Sakari suffered all three punishments. During Brett's turn, he got both sauce punishments. The blue team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by baking hundreds of macaroons. As the blue team went upstairs, he felt they lost because of the dumb mistakes they made and hoped they could get rid of the stupid. During the punishment, he got confused by the recipe as Brett tried to give him and Sakari pointers on how to make it despite this being his first time. He misprepped a batch, but he got a perfectly cooked top out of the oven.

During the Charity Night dinner service, Alex told Brett to take control of his course when the latter went silent. He was in charge of the pan-roasted filet with shaved truffles, and Ramsay told him and Sommer to prepare their course in ten minutes. He delegated positions to the men as he refused to drop the ball on the entrée course. As the women began plating, he and Ramsay turned to Brett for the steaks. Still, he got concerned about Brett's lack of communication, and Ramsay warned the latter that he would chuck an overcooked steak at him if he messed this up. Also, Brett had no idea what steaks were good, forcing him to help him feel them. He and Sommer got their course out simultaneously, and both tables enjoyed their filet.

After service, Ramsay named Sakari as the "Best of the Best" for the blue team. During deliberation, Sakari felt that Alex needed to have more presence in his leadership, but he thought the former was not verbal himself.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 12

Main article: Episode 2112 - What in Hell's Kitchen?

Back at the dorms, Alex tried to reassure Dafne she could do it when the latter started to feel the stress of the competition get to her. The following day, the Sous Chefs had the chefs prepare a display for some guests Ramsay invited. Once everything was ready, everyone saw skydivers drop down from the sky and land on the purple carpet they laid out. Still, he had no idea what was happening. Ramsay introduced the chefs to the HK Fliers and revealed that they brought an important message to them. They turned around to show letters that spelt black jackets, exciting everyone as it meant the Black Jackets Challenge had arrived.

Alex made a butternut squash risotto with scallops during the first Black Jackets Challenge. He had never made the dish before, but he knew it would be a dish his wife would love. He was the second chef to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and he said he was a duck due to feeling anxious on the inside despite his calm outside. He made sea scallops with butternut squash risotto. They were praised for the spice component, but Ramsay warned him not to put too much butter in the risotto as it made it too rich. He did not feel well after that, as it meant he was at risk of losing a jacket. He lost the challenge to Sommer and Dafne and was forced to compete in the second challenge.

During the second Black Jackets Challenge, Alex got the Petrus menu and decided to cook the turbot with heirloom carrots, grapefruit fennel slaw, and vadouvan. However, he admitted that he had never cooked one before. He was the second chef to have his dish judged by Ramsay. He made an heirloom carrot vadouvan puree, raw fennel grapefruit salad, and a grapefruit Berblanc. Ramsay found the fennel bland, but the fish was cooked perfectly, and the puree was exceptional. Afterwards, he was ready to get his blue jacket off his back. After the judging, he was the fourth person to receive a black jacket, as Ramsay found the turbot cooked to perfection. He felt he was validated getting a black jacket and that he belonged in Hell’s Kitchen. After making it to the dorms, he was thrilled to survive as the group awaited the final black jacket chef.

During the final Black Jackets Challenge, Alex and Dafne hoped that either Sakari or Cheyenne would win a black jacket. Later, he was the final black jacket chef to do the blind judging. He deemed Sakari’s sauce too sweet and the pork bland but had no idea who made what, as the dishes looked identical. Still, he liked Cheyenne’s pork chop as it had more seasoning than Sakari’s despite being overcooked. Lastly, he found Tara’s dish to have the most well-rounded flavors and voted on the latter. After Cheyenne received the final black jacket, the final five celebrated with champagne and Ramsay gave them two plane tickets to go anywhere courtesy of Allegiant Airlines. He called it an honor to get a black jacket and promised to push forward.

Episode 13

Main article: Episode 2113 - The Fab Five Take Flight

After Ramsay dismissed the final five back to the dorms, Alex said he could not be happier with the people who deserved black jackets. Although he wished his competitors luck, he also told them they had job opportunities when he won the competition. Later that evening, everyone gathered in the dining room and began talking about the Covid-19 Pandemic. Sommer asked him what had happened to him as she recalled that he had a restaurant before coming to Hell’s Kitchen. He said he ran his restaurant for two years before the Pandemic, remembering how scary it was when he struggled to feed his family with a closed business. Also, he revealed that he sold it two days before leaving for Los Angeles.

During the King of the Hill Challenge, Alex picked flight number 12 and got San Francisco, California. Even though he had no idea what Californian cuisine was, he thought it would be easy. During the cooking, he was not thrilled when he got a live crab as he had never worked with one before, but Sous Chef Jason explained where the meat was. He felt lost as he threw his crab into the pot. Ten minutes left, he still had no idea what he would make with his crab, so he decided to make a salad. Then, Dafne saw the mess he made when trying to deshell the crab. He was the first chef to have his dish judged and knew there was a lot of pressure because it was the first black jacket challenge. Hoping he made something decent, he presented his Dungeness crab salad with grilled bok choy, poached grapes, and micro cilantro. Michael Cimarusti liked the refreshing components, and Ramsay liked how he nicely respected the ingredients. After he took his throne, Dafne was surprised that he managed to pull it off. Although he survived over Alejandro, he lost the challenge after Sommer dethroned him.

Alex was punished by taking in peppercorns, separating them by hand, grinding them, and prepping pistachios for that night’s services. As the chefs prepared for their punishment, he felt he was close to the record of the most punishments, as it was his ninth overall. Still, he felt like he was in good company. During the punishment, he and Dafne prepped the pistachios. Dafne realized she had been spoiled after he said it was his ninth punishment, and he admitted that the worst part of doing the punishments was missing out on the activities.

During dinner service, Alex was at the meat station. At one point, he got his first order accepted, and later, Ramsay told him, Dafne, and Cheyenne to be in sync as the latter kept giving out inconsistent timings. Cheyenne promised to be ready in four minutes, but he felt they were not in sync as the former had a fire erupt at her station. Ramsay accused Cheyenne of being out of control before pulling her aside, as he knew they could not afford to make hiccups. Although he got his Wellingtons accepted, Cheyenne served a raw salmon that led Ramsay to bring the final five to the back pantry for a scolding. He told Dafne to communicate with him, and he will help Cheyenne. As the final five went back to the kitchen, he stepped up and helped Cheyenne get the salmon refire accepted. On their next order, he stammered on four minutes, but Cheyenne kept yelling out three minutes, much to Dafne’s annoyance. While Dafne needed more time on garnish, he and Cheyenne claimed they were ready with their proteins. That annoyed Ramsay that they were waiting on garnish, but Dafne told him and Cheyenne to walk their proteins. However, Ramsay discovered that Cheyenne’s salmon was raw and his New York striploins were medium-well and rare respectively. That was the final straw as Ramsay kicked the final five out of the kitchen.

The final five were tasked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Alejandro and Alex knew Cheyenne had the most mistakes that night, but the latter nominated him and Dafne for nomination. Dafne nominated him and Cheyenne, and Alejandro reminded him of his one mistake that got them kicked out. However, he argued that his performance was a B plus and did not believe he deserved to be nominated. When Dafne tried to argue that she only had one mistake that night, he said that dumb mistakes could send her home.

Alex was not nominated for elimination. While being dismissed, he believed he had a shot at winning the competition.

Episode 14

Main article: Episode 2114 - Lights, Camera, Sabotage!

The following day, the final four came downstairs, where Ramsay announced it was picture day. Ramsay had the chefs line up and have their pictures taken by professional photographers. As Alex took his turn, he asked if he could get some Botox for his flabs. When Ramsay showed the chefs photos of some dishes, he said he wanted to eat one immediately. During the Presentation Challenge, he said he loved making pretty food on a plate, as his restaurant used to do that when it was open. During the cooking, he wanted to poach his bass as he was excited by the challenge. With three minutes left, he focused on executing his dish perfectly. He was the first person to have his dish judged and presented his seared and poached striped bass with fried skin and a parsnip uni butter sauce. Gerrad Hall called it a bite of heaven and thought the colors popped for him. It was deemed simple but beautiful in a striking way.

Alex lost the challenge to Dafne, but the latter chose him to come on her two-top lunch at Republique and a $5,000 shopping spree at American Rags reward. That made him happy as he had not been out of Hell’s Kitchen for the past seven weeks. During the reward, he felt great to see the sun but felt out of place as he had never shopped before and said he had worn the same clothes for six years. He found some child clothing, thanks to Dafne, and started picking out some clothing for his sons. The two enjoyed their meal at Republique as he believed they would be in the finals. He deemed Dafne his biggest competitor and felt that having lunch with his enemy was fine. In contrast, Dafne knew he was the one to beat since the beginning and felt slighted when he offered her a job if he won.

During prep, Alex went to get more pasta from the back, only to stumble into Dafne yelling at Ramsay. He got outside quickly before Ramsay pulled him into the back. Ramsay told him it was time to run the kitchen and asked him to show his assertiveness. Realizing that was why Dafne yelled at Ramsay earlier, he practiced his assertiveness in front of Ramsay. He struggled to get a word out, but he eventually got his assertiveness worked out. During dinner service, he was at the appetizer station. During Sommer's turn, he thought the former felt frantic on the pass as her voice was frantic. Then, he was slow on risotto due to a butter issue. So, Sommer told the waiter to send out an incomplete order and tried to push him for the risotto. Eventually, he got his risotto up to the pass, but Ramsay told him not to get confused. He was the third chef to run the pass and knew there was a lot of responsibility to run the pass. Sous Chef Christina gave him carbonara with fava beans instead of peas, but he caught that mistake along with a loose sauce. Ramsay praised him for that, and Sommer gave him the right carbonara. Then, Ramsay swapped Dafne’s scallops for halibut discs, but he caught the sabotage. He deemed it sneaky and called out the next order, as he knew it was critical to run the pass perfectly. His next test was a rack of venison instead of the ordered rack of lamb, but he failed to notice the sabotage until Ramsay told him. He said he knew it was wrong but felt like he was home at the pass as it reminded him of his old restaurant.

After service, Ramsay asked the final four to name one person that did not deserve to be in the finale. During deliberation, Alex thought Dafne needed to raise her voice, and he said he did not like how Sommer was dismissive to their questions. Sommer said she did not mean to act like that, but she argued she wanted to focus on appetizers. Still, he thought Sommer had a dismissive attitude on the line and added that Ramsay had the final say no matter who they voted for.

When the final four came downstairs, Ramsay asked them why they deserved to be in the finale. Alex felt he was persistent and consistent as everyone looked to him as a leader. He was the second person to make it to the finale as Ramsay felt the former was strong that night as he commanded respect. He admitted it felt like home after Ramsay said he ran it like he did his own restaurant. He was after Alejandro and was soon followed by Dafne. While being dismissed, he said there were only two people left to beat and wished his competitors luck.

Episode 15/16

Main article: Episode 2115 - A Finale for the Ages, Part 1

Main article: Episode 2116 - A Finale for the Ages, Part 2

After returning to the dorms, the final three were treated to champagne as Alex struggled to process everything that had happened earlier. Still, he knew his family would be proud of him as he said it was all for them. As the final three toasted to their milestone, he wished his competitor's luck.

Later that evening, Ramsay called the dorms and asked Alex to bring the trio back downstairs. On returning to the dining room, Ramsay explained that their final challenge was to design their own menu. After the final three received menu books, he called it a dream. Ramsay explained that each would receive a Sous Chef to help conceptualize their menu. Once the final three opened their books, they found out where they would meet their Sous Chef. He got the dorm kitchen and met up with Sous Chef Jason. He reviewed his Southern-themed menu and discussed his crawfish hush puppies item with Sous Chef Jason. Then, he discussed making a chicken two ways dish. Sous Chef Jason feared it would be boring, but he said he would make a Tennessee white sauce to go with the dish. Once the discussion was over, he was excited to cook the following day but planned on sleeping like a brick.

The following day, Sous Chef Jason called the dorms and asked Alex to come down to the patio for a message from Ramsay. Ramsay told the final three that he wanted the final three to relax for a day of wellness. Ramsay arranged for the final three a stay at a VIP hotel room with a group sound bath. Lastly, the final three had a VIP dinner reservation at the Castaway, with Ramsay joining them. The final three drove to their first event and had their group sound bath. He was uncomfortable with the idea, but he felt the vibrations go through his body and noticed Alejandro dozed off during the meditation. Still, he wondered what kind of voodoo magic the guru did to make him relax. Later, the final three arrived at Castaway for dinner as Ramsay awaited them. He knew something was going on as he recalled several finales where the latter tricked the finalists into going to venues and dropping the Final Menu Challenge onto them by surprise. Ramsay took the final three through the gates, and there was an empty courtyard, confusing him. Afterwards, Ramsay took them to the Starlight room, but he wanted it to end so his anxiety would end, as Hell's Kitchen was unpredictable. Again, the room was empty, and Alejandro asked if the bamboozling would end. Ramsay led the final three to where they were eating, and he decided to let his guard down and enjoy his meal. As the final three ate, Ramsay asked him how it felt to put himself out without fear of being targeted. He said he wanted to show his strengths early on and succeeded through the Signature Dish Challenge, the Dome Challenge, and the Whole Lobster Prep Challenge. Then, he said there were a few unforgettable moments, like his argument with Abe and the men enjoying their Palm Springs reward. Then, he questioned how Dafne had self-doubt as she won the second black jacket and the Presentation Challenge. After some time, Ramsay left the final three to enjoy their meal as he said he would have never believed that moment six months ago. Later that evening, the final three returned to Hell's Kitchen as he was ready to relax. When they entered the dining room, they were welcomed by a large crowd and the returning chefs. After the final three went to the main stage, Ramsay said this was their final challenge and welcomed the returning chefs back to Hell's Kitchen. When asked about their insights into the competition, he said this was a second chance after closing his restaurant. Ramsay told the final three that the stakes were high as the top two chefs of the Final Menu Challenge would be in the final dinner service and gave them one hour to cook their dishes.

During the Final Menu Challenge, Alex did a double dredge on his chicken as he called the number of dishes he had to cook daunting. Twenty minutes left, he had his proteins resting on the board and hoped they were enough to win. Six and a half minutes left, he scrapped his initial hush puppies dish as he did not like the batter and did another batch with more batter. After the refire, he was happy and prayed that his menu worked. On the cold appetizer round, he presented his red snapper crudo with puff quinoa and tangerine vinaigrette. It was praised for the acid hit, and he scored a perfect ten. When David Meyers came for the hot appetizer round, he knew the former would be a tough judge after recalling the Creative Sliders Challenge. He presented his prawn fritters with jalapeno and chives. They were deemed a fancy hush puppy, but Myers did not find the prawn flavor. He scored 8 points. On the chicken entrée round, he presented his chicken two ways dish with mayonnaise and a honey mustard dredged breast and a buttermilk brined and fried chicken with hot pepper jelly. While Stephani Izard found the dredged side to have great seasoning, she found the fried side lost and told him he could have gone with one or the other. He scored 8 points, and he did not feel comfortable. On the fish entrée round, he presented his Carolina Gold rice congee with miso-cured salmon. It had a sexy presentation, and Nancy Silverton said it was delicious. He scored a perfect ten but knew he and Alejandro were still tied, and it would come down to the wire. When Curtis Stone came for the beef entrée round, he knew the former was iconic and felt intimidated by him judging his dish. He presented his pan-seared New York striploin with farrotto, charred cabbage, and parmesan. It had an immaculate cook, and Stone liked the earthiness of the mushrooms. Although he doubted he would get a perfect ten, Stone gave him one for his risk of cooking farrow perfectly.

Alex won the challenge 46-46-45 and was named the second finalist, making him scream in excitement as it was the ultimate form of validation. Because he scored three perfect tens in the challenge, Ramsay allowed him the first pick of the teams. He picked Alejandro as his first, knowing the latter was a workhorse. Then, he picked Brett as his second and Cheyenne as his third. When left with either Tara or Abe, he called it a tough decision as he knew they were both talented cooks, but he recalled the drama they brought from the former's bitterness over him using the Punishment Pass on her and the argument he and the latter had. Ultimately, he picked Tara as his final chef.

Afterwards, the chefs returned to the dorms so Alex and Dafne could brief them on the menu. There, he reminded Vlad that he believed that he got three perfect tens over Dafne's menu when the former thought her menu was better. He could not believe that he was in the final two, recalling how he closed his restaurant two days before leaving for the competition and being in a state of depression, hoping for more in his life. He took Dafne aside for a private moment as both could not believe they made it to the finale as he considered himself a ding dong when he walked in, and the latter considered herself a hooligan. Both wished each other luck before going their separate ways. Later that evening, he gathered his team for a briefing on his menu. He told Cheyenne the temperatures he wanted for the meat and told Brett that the salmon was baked and poached. When he asked who would run the appetizer station, Tara volunteered as she had operated that station before. Then, he put Alejandro on garnish as he knew the latter had a powerful voice, but he felt there was a rift between him and Tara after the Punishment Pass incident. Still, he hoped that Tara could cook good food as the latter was confident about her abilities.

The following day, the chefs got dressed and went downstairs to prep for the final dinner service. During prep, Sous Chef Jason told Alex that Ramsay wanted to see him in his office, making him wonder what was happening. There, he recalled how he discussed this with his family, and then, his wife and mother greeted him. Soon, he got video messages from his sons, making him emotional for their support. As he spent time with his wife and mother, he felt ignited to win it for his family. Later that day, he was moments away from having his demo dishes ready for Ramsay's review. Brett overcooked the salmon and cooked a refire, while he knew there was a lot of pressure to get the menu right. Sous Chef Jason did not like the salad plate as it looked too simple, and he got anxious as they had nothing ready for Ramsay. Still, he and his team prepared the dishes for Ramsay's review. Ramsay thought the prawn fritters were not cooked enough, but he liked how he changed his chicken dish to a single dredge after the Final Menu Challenge. Then, Ramsay told him that the herb-crusted lamb was too rare for his liking, but he liked his salad with lump crab. Before service began, Ramsay took him and Dafne back to his office for a final meeting. Ramsay said that he started the season with a Battle of the Ages, and now he had a twenty-nine-year-old and a forty-year-old in the finals. Ramsay reminded them that it was their final test, and to get them in the right mindset, he gave them their head chef jackets to wear. Once they received them, he said getting one meant more than the black jacket, and the two changed into their new jackets. Ramsay told them there were no second chances and sent them outside, where the diners, including their loved ones, awaited them. When Ramsay introduced the finalists to the guests, he said his menu was Southern themed. Afterwards, Ramsay wished the finalist luck as the final dinner service began.

During dinner service, Alex called out his first order, and Alejandro knew he must be great for him to win. Brett fired the fritters, and when Tara kept calling out one minute on her risotto, the former felt the latter was too nervous for timings. While Tara knew the appetizer station would be a hard hitter, she wanted to get out of the gates strongly and win it for him. Tara's appetizer was accepted, but Brett's fritters were raw, much to Ramsay and Sous Chef Jason's dismay. He refused to lose to a hush puppy and called Brett to show him his mistake. He felt assertive, but he refused to get meaner as Ramsay reminded Brett that the hush puppies were the easiest menu item. Brett felt terrible as he did not want to let him down, and the former got his refire accepted. As he got his first order out, he knew they must correct the mistakes. On entrées, Cheyenne wanted to see him win with her comeback performance after she had a miserable night on the first black jackets service. Cheyenne called out three minutes for her meat, but he was unhappy that Brett was not performing to his standards. Alejandro walked up Brett's fried chicken, but it was raw. Then, Brett was slow on the refire, and one of Cheyenne's steaks was raw. That surprised him as he knew Cheyenne accomplished a lot at her young age, and the former felt sick for letting him down. Afterwards, Ramsay pulled him and Dafne to the center of the pass and warned them that they were drowning on their meat stations. Ramsay ordered them to get their stations on the same page. He admitted he did not want to be aggressive as some people did not respond to that type of mood, and he planned on leading by encouragement. Cheyenne's refire was accepted, and the blue kitchen had momentum. As he reached his final ticket, Tara hoped they did their best on the final ticket and wanted to see him win. Eventually, the finalists served their final orders, and the night ended on a positive night. As the chefs cleared down, Alejandro believed he made a perfect team and was confident that he would win.

After the chefs lined up, Ramsay thanked the returning chefs for helping Alex and Dafne that night before dismissing them. Then, Ramsay told the duo that they made his job hard and sent them back to the dorms as he decided on the winner. As the finalists returned to the dorms, he said that night did not go as planned, but he said the customer feedback was encouraging. He told Dafne that Brett messed up on the hush puppies and how Sous Chef Jason warned him that he would lose on that dish. Still, Dafne knew that their lives would change no matter what, and they were both winners. The two recalled everything they went through, from him doing most of the punishments, their highs and lows on the challenges, and the dinner services they went through.

Later that evening, Ramsay called the dorms and asked the finalists to head to his office. As the two made it to the office, Ramsay apologized for keeping them waiting but said he was proud of how far they had come. Ramsay told Alex that he had an iron will as he never wavered in services or punishments, as that showed his children what hard work was. Although Ramsay would be happy to call both of them his head chef, there could only be one winner, and he had them stand in front of their doors. As they waited, he knew his entire future was in this moment. After Ramsay counted down from three, the finalists turned their door handles, but only his door opened. He was crowned the winner of Hell's Kitchen and won the Executive Chef position at the Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Atlantic City with a salary of $250,000. He was stunned that he won and called it a wild journey that came to fruition. As the celebrations began, he said he was told that cooking was a terrible career choice, but he felt that winning the competition was the best moment of his life, aside from marrying his wife and having his two sons. After he felt like he was on top of the world, Ramsay told him that he still had one job left to do and gave him his portrait to hang on the Wall of Fame. He felt that having his wife and mother witness his victory was amazing and said the opportunities he would give to his children were priceless.

Ramsay's comment: "From the start, Alex emerged a leader, not only amongst the 40-year-olds, but also the 20-year-olds. His cooking and his passion pushed him to the front of the pack, making him the ideal choice to be my next head chef."

Nomination History

Week 1	BoB
	Safe
Week 2	Safe
Week 3	Win
Week 4	Safe
Week 5	Safe
Week 6	Win
Week 7	Nominated
Week 8	Safe
Week 9	Safe
Week 10	Win
Week 11	Safe
Week 12	Safe
Week 13	Safe
Week 14	Safe
Week 15	Winner

Post Hell's Kitchen

• After his appearance on the show, Alex took up his position as Head Chef at the Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Atlantic City, but he is part-time chef instead partly due to family reasons.
• He released a single called Fallout on July 20, 2023.

Trivia

• He is the seventh contestant from the state of Tennessee, following Carol (Season 5), Jonathon (Season 9), Kimmie (Season 10), Sterling (Season 13), Randy (Season 14), and Sherkenna (Season 15).
• Along with Billy and Charlene (also from Season 21), he is the youngest contestant from the "40-Somethings" at the age of 40.
• He is the fifth contestant to earn a punishment pass, following Bret (Season 18), Syann (Season 19), Steve, and Brynn (both from Season 20). He is the first winner to wield one.
• He is the only contestant from the "40-Somethings" group to earn a black jacket.
• He is the seventh contestant and fourth male contestant, who made it to black jackets after competing in the Cook For Your Life Challenge, following Milly, Robyn (both from Season 17), Bret, Heather (both from Season 18), Amber (Season 19), and Alejandro (also from Season 21). He is the second one to make it to the finals, following Alejandro (also from Season 21) and the first to do so to win the competition afterwards.
• He is the twenty-sixth contestant to be picked as a guest for a prize during the black jackets, following Michael (Season 1), Virginia (Season 2), Jen (Season 3), Corey (Season 4), Robert (Season 5), Jay, Holli (both from Season 7), Gail, Russell (both from Season 8), Elise, Tommy (both from Season 9), Justin (Season 10), Cyndi (Season 11), Jason (Season 12), Sade (Season 13), T (Season 14), Kristin (Season 15), Heidi (Season 16), Nick (Season 17), Bret (Season 18), Kori, Cody (both from Season 19), Steve, Megan (both from Season 20), and Sommer (also from Season 21). He is also the fourth winner with this detail.
• He is the eighteenth contestant never to be nominated by his team, following Ralph (Season 1), Gabe (Season 2), Vinnie (Season 3), Amanda, Elizabeth (both from Season 9), Justin (Season 10), Michael (Season 11), Ralph (Season 12), Milly (Season 14), Vanessa (Season 15), Johnny (Season 16), Ashley, Van (both from Season 17), Bret (Season 18), Fabiola (Season 19), Trenton (Season 20), and Zeus (also from Season 21).
• At age 40, he is the oldest winner of Hell's Kitchen.
• He is the only winner to date whose sole nomination was from an Elimination Challenge.
• He is the second finalist who got a 0 out of the maximum score in the Blind Taste Test, following Jason (Season 12). He is the first winner to do so.
• He is the third winner and the first male winner to score a perfect 5 on the new format of the Signature Dish Challenge, following Meghan (Season 14) and Ryan (Season 16).
• He participated in the tenth different-gender finals of Hell's Kitchen.
• He is the twenty-first winner and eighth male winner of Hell's Kitchen, following Michael (Season 1), Rock (Season 3), Danny (Season 5), Dave (Season 6), Paul (Season 9), Scott (Season 12), and Trenton (Season 20).
• He is the fourth male contestant to win in a different-gender finale, following Rock (Season 3), Danny (Season 5), and Trenton (Season 20).
• He is the seventh winner and the third male winner to be nominated by Ramsay, following Christina (Season 4), Nona (Season 8), Ja'Nel (Season 11), Scott (Season 12), Michelle (Season 17), and Trenton (Season 20).
• He is the fifth winner who was not awarded their promised position, following Dave (Season 6), Holli (Season 7), and Ja'Nel (Season 11), and Scott (Season 12).
• He is the only member of that season's black jacket team to have never worn a red jacket at some point.
• He is the third contestant at the age 40 and over to make it to the finals, following Petrozza (Season 4) and Benjamin (Season 17). He is the only one who did so and won.

Quotes

• "Right now the blue team is a mess. Have you ever heard the term dumpster fire?"
• (Before being judged in Cook For Your Life) "On the confidence meter on a scale from 1 to 10, I'm about a 6.4. As Bon Jovi would say, 'I'm living on a prayer.'"
• (After seeing Danny Trejo) "That's not a taco. That's a Trejo!"
• (Before being test by Ramsay for running the pass) "That was weird. That was... I didn't know what the hell was going on. That was a very awkward moment for me."
• (After being named the winner) "I just won Hell's Kitchen! (laughs) What? This journey has been wild. I mean, ups, downs, hella punishments, feeling beat down. To see it come to fruition, it's unreal. You want to talk about the ultimate moment of validation for 24 years of hard work, tonight it happened."

Gallery

• Chef
• Dishes

Alex in Blue Jacket

Alex's Confessional

Alex with the Punishment Pass

Tara, Ileana, Alex, Alejandro, and Vlad Nominated in Cook For Your Life Challenge

Alex in Blind Taste Test

Alex in Black Jacket

Alex's Confessional (Black Jacket)

Alex in Head Chefs Jacket

Alex's Confessional (Head Chef Jacket)

Alex after being named winner

Alex's Signature Dish (Episode 1)

Alex's Chicken Wings Dish (Episode 2)

Alex's Trenton and Macee's Wedding Beef Entrée (Episode 6)

Alex's Dome-Wok Dish (Chicken) (Episode 7)

Alex's Cook For Your Life Dish (Episode 8)

Alex's Creative Steak Dish (Filet Mignon) (Episode 9)

Alex's First Taco Dish (Chicken) (Episode 10)

Alex's Second Taco Dish (Beef) (Blue Team Collective)

Alex's Black Jacket Dish (Round 1) (Episode 12)

Alex's Black Jacket Dish (Round 2) (Episode 12)

Alex's King of The Hill Dish (San Francisco) (Episode 13)

Alex's Seafood Dish Presentation (Episode 14)

Alex's Final Menu Dish (Cold Appetizer) (Episode 15)

Alex's Final Menu Dish (Hot Appetizer) (Episode 15)

Alex's Final Menu Dish (Chicken Entrée) (Episode 15)

Alex's Final Menu Dish (Seafood Entrée) (Episode 15)

Alex's Final Menu Dish (Beef Entrée) (Episode 15)

External links

• Alex Belew on Instagram
• Alex Belew on YouTube
• Website