Billy Trudsoe

“

Yo, can I get a chicken wing?

”

Hometown/Residence	Melbourne, FL
Occupation	Head Chef
Kitchen Experience	-
Culinary Education	SUNY Adirondack
Statistics
Signature Dish Challenge Score	3 out of 5
Challenges Won	2
Services Won	1
Times Nominated	4
Placement	14th
Episode Eliminated/Withdrew	Til Chef Do Us Part

William "Billy" Trudsoe was a contestant on Season 21 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 14th place.

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 at 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 Billy arrived at Hell's Kitchen, he was excited and felt like he was born for this. Marino greeted the chefs and introduced them to their Sous Chefs Christina and Jason. They explained that there would be obstacles, but you could not let them get in your way. Later on, 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 questioned 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, he wondered how Zeus was still alive when he revealed that he was bitten in the head by a great white shark. He was the last person from the blue to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Sommer. He revealed he quit his job just to come to Hell's Kitchen. He also revealed that people call him B-True. He presented a chicken Francese with parmesan and basil. Ramsay praised the risotto for being cooked nicely but criticized it for being too lumpy and over-portioned, leaving him 3 points. When Sommer was saying everything is VIP, he questioned that meaning.

The blue team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 31, and they were punished with delivery day and cleaning both kitchens. During the punishment, Billy felt exhausted from everything and felt like it was a pain in the back and making him cry. When he asked Tara if she heard something, Tara didn't like the word heard, so she ignored it. When they went to bed, he put a tube to help him sleep, which bothered Alex.

The following day, when the server fell and dropped the wings, Billy asked the waiter if he was okay, but he also asked for a chicken wing. He didn't like how all those wings fell and felt like it was a waste. During the Creative Chicken Wing Challenge, he felt like his wings were going to win the challenge since he's "Be True" and he's going to bring the mad flavor. He presented Asian buffalo barbecue wings to Sous Chef Jason, which he was confident with since he knew the flavor profile. He lost the challenge as he was not called as part of the top three. He and O'Shay were named as the bottom two of the blue team from Alex. He was the third person to present his dish, though he thought his dish was good and believed Alex put him up for being a competitor. When asked how he cooked them, he said he baked them, fried them, and a little on the grill. Ramsay stated if he was going to cook something three times, he could have left the skin on it to protect it as the former expected better. He survived elimination after Ramsay told him and Dafne to rejoin their teams.

During prep, Billy was confused about who made the sriracha sauce. Charlene said Abe was and was concerned that she was working with him on the meat station as he looked for the lamb. During dinner service, he was at the meat station with Charlene. When Zeus finally sent an acceptable carbonara, he was relieved, but he did not know if the former could not handle the pressure. When they got to Gene Simmons' order, he was thrilled to be cooking for the latter. As he cooked the chicken, Zeus told him to let it rest. However, O'Shay walked up the salmon, and Ramsay demanded the meat entrées. He walked the proteins, but the Wellingtons were ice cold, and the chicken was pink. That led Ramsay to kick the blue team out of the kitchen.

The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Billy was embarrassed about what they served to Gene Simmons and felt there was no communication or energy. He singled out Charlene for being accountable for the chicken as he went to get the Wellingtons before the mishap started. Charlene admitted that she should have told someone to let the chicken rest, but he reminded her that she gave him to okay to walk it up. He refused to go home that night due to one mess up and felt he could have run meat alone.Mindy nominated him, but he felt there was no reason he should go up over Zeus and called the blue team out for picking on him. However, Alex and Abe argued that it was the meat station's fault they got kicked out of service. He argued that they started poorly on appetizers and told them not to blame him for everything.

Billy was the blue team's second nominee, with Charlene being the first. During his plea, he deemed it a horrible night but argued that he had the passion and wanted to win. When Ramsay asked him if he was better than what he saw that night, he said he was and asked for another chance. When Zeus nominated himself, he told the latter to go back in line. He survived elimination, and when being dismissed, he was excited that he was still there and that he was there to win and work for Chef Ramsay.

Episode 3

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

Back at the dorms, Billy loudly cheered for his safety, he promised to bottle his emotions. However, Tara told him to shut up, go to bed, and bring his A-game the following day. In the morning, he chatted with some of the women on the red team and said he was going to "B-True" all day. Sommer felt that the blue team disliked him due to his attitude, but she found it a good advantage for the red team to exploit.

When the chefs saw Tony Hawk do a set, Billy called the former the GOAT of skateboarding. During the Whole Lobster Prep Challenge, he was angry when O'Shay failed to score a point. He was the fourth person from the blue team to have his attempt judged, and he scored a point. The blue team lost the challenge 4-6, and they were punished by making seafood stock out of fish guts and separating the rice. During the punishment, he called the guts disgusting. When the red team returned from their reward, he said he would do anything to win the following service.

Before service began, Billy stated he was there to bust his ass for Ramsay and tried to pump up the blue team so they could get through dinner service. Still, Alex was getting worried about him. During dinner service, he was at the garnish station. When the blue team worked on their order, he tried rereading it to help Tara and Abe. However, he confused Tara as they had no risottos on order. Once the order was finished, Ramsay sternly told him that he did not want him copying him on orders as his job was to communicate with his team. The blue team lost the service and was asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he said that the service was worse than the previous one and did not understand why they could not come together. He saw the meat station, O'Shay and Nicole, as the apparent nominees, and Abe found no motivation or motion from them. O'Shay asked what they wanted him to do due to the temperature drops, but he told him to take things out fast. Still, O'Shay was frustrated that he was struggling with something he knew what to do and nominated him for messing up two nights in a row. He did not feel he deserved to be nominated, but Alex felt there was some disorganization on garnish. He did not feel that Alex's comment was necessary.

Billy was not nominated for elimination. After elimination, Ramsay called everyone downstairs and announced that the battle of the sexes would begin the following day. So, Billy 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

While returning to the dorms, Billy could not wait for tomorrow to happen as the men would come together. Then, Brett lifted him off the floor while hugging him.

When the chefs saw Ramsay standing next to a giant inflatable waterslide, Billy revealed to have a seasons pass to his local water park. During part one of the Creative Sliders Challenge, he asked the red team what they were thinking due to the mismatched ingredients chosen. During the cooking, he and Vlad worked on the lamb sliders, and he had a plan with pesto and grilling his brioche buns. However, his sliders caught on fire. His dish was taken out of judging as they looked dry, but he thought his presentation was better. When Vlad's sliders were poorly received, he got mad as he should have gone up instead. The blue team won the challenge 16-14, and they were rewarded with a trip to Palm Springs.

During dinner service, Billy was at the appetizer station with Sakari. When the blue team went to help the red team, he found the women burning down and asked what they were doing. The blue team won the service.

Episode 5

Main article: Episode 2105 - Breakfast 911

Back at the dorms, Billy confided in Abe that he felt Alex did not like him, but he did not care as he was not there to make friends. Abe knew that his attitude rubbed Alex the wrong way.

During the Emergency Workers Breakfast Service Challenge, Billy was at the appetizer station with Sakari. When Alejandro served a mid-well steak, he told the latter to get it right. The blue team lost the challenge, and they were punished by participating in trash sorting day. During the punishment, he said he would stay clear of fish after that day and had a piece of garbage fall into his crocs. Later, he told Alex to get in there and help them, but the latter got annoyed by his attitude again. On the other side, he got mad that Alex was taking the easy out on the punishment and mockingly called the latter Tim the Tool Man. After the punishment, Abe scolded him for running his mouth again, but he said he was not trying to burn bridges. Abe told him he was losing support from everyone due to his attitude, which he tried to brush off.

During dinner service, Billy was at the meat station with Vlad. Vlad directed him on meat, but he thought he knew meat more than the former did. In contrast, Vlad called him a ticking time bomb he must control. As the men walked their entrées, Ramsay saw that he and Vlad were missing a Wellington. Vlad walked the missing Wellington as he accused the former of giving him the wrong order, which he did. He accused Vlad of burning him as the order went out. On the following order, Ramsay told him to fire desserts. When Vlad presented a mid-well lamb, he felt the former could not handle meat alone.

The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate three people for elimination. During deliberation, Billy told the men that Vlad gave him the wrong amount for the Wellingtons, but the latter felt he would have been more comfortable on meat without him. As for the lamb, he said he was not involved with them as he was called to fire desserts and told Vlad to own up to his mistakes.

Billy was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Vlad as the first and Alejandro as the second. During his plea, he said he was a fighter who brought much energy to the team, but Ramsay asked him what happened to meat. He said they were fine until he went to desserts, but Vlad argued against that. Ramsay asked who was responsible for the overcooked lamb, and Vlad said he was. Still, he claimed that Vlad told him it was okay. He survived elimination. While being dismissed, he was thrilled to stay and said he would bounce back.

Episode 6

Back at the dorms, Abe and Billy vented their frustrations about Alex, as the former felt the latter did not think he belonged in the competition. He and Abe made a pact to stay together.

Before the Trenton and Macee Wedding Planning Challenge, Billy's wedding photo was shown, revealing that it was his and his wife's second attempt. He made some corn salsa for the scallops during the cooking as he knew a happy wife meant a happy life. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Ileana. He made pan-seared diver scallops with sweet corn puree and pickled okra. They were praised for being cooked nicely and having the acidity of the okra complemented the corn. He scored that round, and he said that "B-True" came out swinging. The blue team won the challenge 6-4, and they were rewarded with a rage room experience at Rage Town LA and lunch cooked by Suzanne Goin at Cara Cara. When the blue team returned from their reward, Alyssa told him not to touch the cake.

During the Trenton and Macee Wedding Service, Billy was at the fish station with Abe. The men got their first order, but Abe did not let him sear the scallops despite it being his dish. He reluctantly allowed Abe to do it, but the latter's scallops were ice-cold, and Ramsay asked him why he was not cooking his dish. He was unhappy that Abe was limiting his contributions. When Abe's refire was overcooked, he decided to cook the scallops himself. He said he needed a minute and a half for the scallops and felt he had it. However, his scallops were raw, angering Ramsay as Trenton and Macee chose his dish to be on the menu. Sakari got annoyed by the inconsistent performances at the fish station while Abe tried to motivate him to get him focused. Then, Ramsay saw his overcooked refire and had him bring them to the front along with Cheyenne. Ramsay told Cheyenne to cook the scallops, embarrassing him as he knew how to cook scallops.

Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Billy said that Abe pushed him aside from the start, even though the latter argued that he had never worked fish before. Still, he said that Abe did not have it. He received votes from Sakari, Abe, Vlad, and Alex.

Billy was the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with Abe as the second. They joined Alyssa and Sommer from the red team. During his plea, he was embarrassed about his performance and wanted to bounce back. However, Abe threw him under the bus by calling him unreliable. Ramsay eliminated him for failing to cook his own dish and not backing up his talk. During his exit interview, Billy was unhappy to go home on his dish and felt Abe snaked him out that night.

Ramsay's comment: "It's so sad that on Trenton and Macee's wedding day, I have to say 'I don't' to both Billy and Alyssa."

Nomination History

Week 1	Nominated
	Nominated
Week 2	Safe
Week 3	Win
Week 4	Nominated
Week 5	Nominated

Post Hell's Kitchen

• After his appearance on the show, Billy was named Executive Chef at Basil & Wick's in North Creek, New York in December 2022.
• He is currently owner of Lizzy Keays in Warrensburg, New York since March 2024.

Trivia

• Along with Alex and Charlene (also from Season 21), he is the youngest contestant from the group of "40-Somethings", at the age 40.
• He is the first contestant to be nominated twice in Week 1 and survive.
• He is the second contestant to survive two nominations on the same day, following Mary (Season 11).
• He, along with Alyssa (also from Season 21), are the eleventh and twelfth contestants who were eliminated on the double elimination, following Barret, Amanda (both from Season 11), Manda, Jared (both from Season 15), Shaina, Matt, Kimberly, Paulie (all from Season 16), Charlene, and Zeus (both also from Season 21).
  • Billy is also the first male contestant to be the first person eliminated in a double elimination.

Quotes

• "Yo, can I get a chicken wing?"
• "What a waste of wings, man! I wasn't worried about the guy, I was worried about the chicken wings. Like, look at all those wings on the floor! I wanna eat those!"
• (After the blue team chooses to nominate him) "I'm fucking butthurt, bro!"
• (About O'Shay after failed on lobster challenge) "O'Shay, oh shit! Come on, bro. You're supposed to be a chef."
• (Mimicking Ramsay after complimenting his team) "Very nice, very nicely done, guys."
• (After being eliminated) "It's crazy that I went home because of my scallop dish, you know? My boy Abe kind of staked me out tonight. I told him multiple times that I wanted to take the leadership role. I thought Chef Ramsay would see through Abe's BS. It is what it is, and at the end of the day, you know, I know I'm a talented chef."

Gallery

• Chef
• Dishes

Billy in Blue Jacket

Billy's Confessional

Ileana, Dafne, Billy and O'Shay Nominated (Elimination Challenge)

Charlene and Billy Nominated

Billy, Vlad, and Alejandro Nominated

Sommer, Alyssa, Billy, and Abe Nominated

Billy Eliminated

Billy's Signature Dish

Billy's Chicken Wings Dish

Billy's Sliders Dish (Not Judged) and Vlad's Sliders Dish (Lamb)

Billy's Trenton and Macee's Wedding Scallop Appetizer

External links

• Billy Trudsoe on Instagram