Brett Binninger-Schwartz was a contestant on Season 21 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 8th 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 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. Marino greeted the chefs and introduced them to their Sous Chefs Christina and Jason. They explained that there would be obstacles, but you can't 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, Brett noticed that Ileana's risotto was still undercooked, and she did not have the rest of her elements done. When Ileana asked him if he could check it, he told her it had not opened up yet. He was the first person from the red team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Zeus. When Zeus revealed that he snuck out of the hospital to finish service, he felt that the former was one of the crazies in Hell's Kitchen. Before he revealed his dish, he was asked about his hair. He stated his hair was strawberry shortcake and got it when he married his wife. He presented a roasted rack of lamb with chimichurri sauce on an arugula salad and with a brown buttered roasted cauliflower. Ramsay praised it for looking beautiful, lamb on point, cauliflower good, and chimichurri vibrate. Ramsay stated that it seemed like he's been cooking beyond his years, giving him four points. He thought that was the best culinary moment of his life and the second-best moment in general behind marrying his wife. When Vlad was slicing white truffle in his dish, he called him a bougie son of a gun.
The red team won the challenge after a tiebreaker at 31, and they were rewarded with a dinner cruise with Chef Ramsay. During the reward, Brett felt like the men always fail for weeks until they strategize. He couldn't believe that he was having not only a private dinner but having it with Chef Ramsay and had a hard time processing it.[1]
During the Creative Chicken Wing Challenge, Brett thought Ileana was the most nervous, frantic, and all over the place in the red team and was worried for the latter as he thought she might be going home. He made an unknown dish and lost the challenge as he was not called as part of the top three. He was disappointed that his dish was not picked, but he felt that Alejandro was a strong cook and gave him props.
During dinner service, Brett served Alejandro's Mediterranean wings in the dining room with Vlad. He was not seen much that night, and the red team won the service.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 2103 - Clawing Your Way to the Top
At the dorms, Alex told Brett that he wanted Billy to leave that night.
During the Whole Lobster Prep Challenge, Brett was the first chef from the blue team to have his attempt judged, and it was accepted. The red team won the challenge 6-5, and they were rewarded with driving European Sports Cars. As the red team returned to the dorms, he was glad they had a strong enough team to win despite some hiccups. Still, he wanted to address the failures before they ruined the team, and the red team sat down for a meeting. He pointed out that Alyssa brought out negative vibes whenever she was mad. During the reward, he admitted to being a competition freak during the race and ran through Vlad, sending the latter into last place.
During dinner service, Brett was at the meat station with Dafne. He was not seen much except for having his Wellingtons ready at the pass. The red team won the service. After elimination, the phone rang, and he answered it. Ramsay told him to have everyone back downstairs immediately. There, Ramsay announced that the battle of the sexes would begin the following day, and he, Alejandro, Sakari, and Vlad were reassigned to the blue team.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 2104 - Slipping Down to Hell
Back at the dorms, Brett was seen lifting Billy after hugging the latter.
During the Creative Sliders Challenge, Brett cooked the beef sliders alone due to the imbalance of team numbers. He felt the men buzzing, but he knew his biggest concern was Billy. His dish was chosen for judging by default. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Nicole. He made double-smash burgers with fried quail eggs in black truffle butter. The dish was deemed decadent, and he scored five points, much to his pleasure. The blue team won the challenge 16-14, and they were rewarded with a trip to Palm Springs.
Brett was at the garnish station and the sliders station during dinner service. He knew everything must go through him that night and tried to keep everyone in line. However, his sliders were raw, and he knew it was a big mistake. Ramsay ordered a refire on the ticket, and he feared he blew his chance at the Executive Chef position. Still, his refire was accepted, and the men’s appetizers were being sent out. Later, he knew Ramsay was looking for someone to take charge, and he answered a meat station question he was not supposed to answer. Ramsay scolded him for trying to micromanage Alex, and Sakari knew he should not get on Ramsay’s nerves like that. The blue team won the service.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 2105 - Breakfast 911
Brett was at the sandwich station during the Emergency Workers Breakfast Service Challenge. At one point, he was seen walking Alejandro's steaks to the pass. The blue team lost the challenge, and they were punished by participating in trash sorting day. During the punishment, he felt Abe and Alex took too long to build the compost bins.
During dinner service, Brett was at the fish station with Sakari. At one point, Vlad had him, and Abe feel his lamb. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate three people for elimination. During deliberation, he thought they should nominate meat and nominate the third person they felt was the weakest. Then, he voted for Abe.
He was not nominated for elimination.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 2106 - Til Chef Do Us Part
Before the Trenton and Macee Wedding Planning Challenge, a picture of Brett and his wife was shown. That made him tear up as he considered his wife his best friend. During the cooking, he cooked from his heart by cooking an oven-roasted chicken that would be deep-fried afterwards. He called it an honor to cook for Trenton and Macee. Near the end of the challenge, he realized he had left his chicken in the fryer and prayed it was not dry. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Alyssa. He was nervous that he overcooked his dish before presenting his mustard collard greens and twice-cooked chicken. It was praised for being Southern-based, and the couple went with his dish, making him feel great. 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.
During the Trenton and Macee Wedding Service, Brett was at the meat station with Alejandro. He knew the head table was important, but he walked up an ice-cold steak to the pass. On the refire, the chicken was pink, and it led Ramsay to kick the blue team out of the kitchen. Both teams were named joint losers, and Ramsay asked them to nominate two each. During deliberation, Sakari and Abe voted for him as a nominee as his raw chicken for getting them kicked out. However, he reminded Abe that he refired scallops too many times and how Cheyenne came to help them.
He was not nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 2107 - Wok This Way
Back at the dorms, Brett did not believe Abe's apology as he did not want the latter's attitude to sour the men's morale.
During the Dome Challenge, Brett grabbed pork tenderloin and vermicelli for his dish. He said it was every man for themselves as he wanted the first pick of the ingredients, only to find himself backed into a corner. He was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Cheyenne. He made a fried pork tenderloin with vermicelli pasta. It was deemed bland, and he lost that round to Cheyenne. The blue team lost the challenge 2-4, and they were punished by prepping beets for a beetroot risotto for a special that night. During the punishment, he brought up Abe's attitude towards Sommer.
During dinner service, Brett was at the meat station with Sakari. He walked the entrées to the pass, but the lamb was raw, and Ramsay told him to heat it in the pan. He knew Sakari had made that mistake, and he could tell the latter was disappointed. Still, he got the refire accepted. Although both teams were named joint-winners, Ramsay still asked them to nominate two each. During deliberation, he considered Sakari for the raw lamb. Still, Vlad pointed out that he took the lead on meat that night and felt he should take responsibility. Still, he brought up Abe's sluggish performance on garnish.
He was not nominated for elimination.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 2108 - Game On!
During the Game Meat Challenge, Brett was pumped about the game show aspect as he grew up watching game shows with his grandmother and felt he was trained for it. When he went up for Kitchen Sightmares, he hyped himself, only to fail at claiming an ingredient. When Sommer grabbed pomegranate, he did not mind as he did not want it. During the cooking, he paired up with Vlad on the venison. He felt he was in a corner with his mismatched ingredients and tried to make it taste not gross. Before the judging, his dish was chosen as it was deemed better than Vlad's. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Cheyenne. He made a seared venison loin with a charred pineapple Ju and fig and rum green beans. While the dish had a nicely cooked venison, Jon Shook felt the sides ruined the dish. He lost that round to Cheyenne, and the blue team lost the challenge 1-2. They were punished by pitting olives and making two pounds of olive tapenade and pesto. During the punishment, he called it brutal.
Because Brett had his dish judged earlier, he did not have to compete in the Cook For Your Life Challenge. While watching the live stream, he defended that Alex was cooking what he knew when Cheyenne questioned why the latter was using basic ingredients. When he saw Tara look for pans, he said she should not be asking these questions.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 2109 - Putting the Carne in Carnival
Back at the dorms, the men knew that a team switch would occur the next day as the women were down two chefs, and Brett hinted that he would join the red team if he could. The following day, Ramsay decided to reassign him to the red team despite the women wanting Alex. He was not upset as he worked better with women in the kitchen because strong women raised him.
During part one of the Creative Steak Challenge, Brett and Alejandro faced off in the jousting game for the New York Striploin round. He lost to Alejandro and had to cook five minutes after the former. During the cooking, he thought Ramsay sent him back to the red kitchen to establish himself as a leader and help the team without angering the women. He was the fourth person from the red team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and he presented his fajita-inspired steak. Despite having grainy rice, it had a great sear, but he lost that round to Alejandro. The red team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with an overnight trip to the Paradise Point hotel in San Diego, where they stayed in the Presidential suite and rode jet skis. That excited him as he never went to San Diego before. During the reward, he started questioning Tara due to not knowing much about her.
During the Steak Night dinner service, Brett was at the fish station. He knew he had much to prove and wanted to kick some butt. Ramsay told him to add salt to his scampi, which did not impress Tara as it was an easy dish. Still, he got his dish accepted. On entrées, he served his salmon on one order, but on the following order, he felt that Tara's lack of communication would doom the red team. His salmon was raw, but he got the refire accepted. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he admitted that the fish was a mess and was nominated by Sommer and Dafne. Then, he and Cheyenne accused Tara of not being heard that night.
Brett was the red team's first nominee for elimination, with Tara as the second. They joined Vlad and Alejandro from the blue team. Ramsay accused him of being all over the place during his plea, but he felt he needed time to cook each protein. Still, Ramsay reminded him that he had been cooking salmon all week. He survived elimination. While being dismissed, he felt the red team was stronger with him and would bust his butt.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 2110 - Everyone's Taco'ing About It
Back at the dorms, Tara was offended that no one on the red team had her back in the Elimination Ceremony, but Brett argued that they did not think she could communicate well. Still, Tara did not believe them and left, as he felt the former had a poor attitude.
Brett cooked the fish tacos during the Creative Taco Challenge. During the cooking, he made a fennel slaw in the red kitchen for his fish tacos. He was the third chef from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Abe. He made a marinated Mahi Mahi taco with fennel slaw, but he lost that round to Abe. The red team won the challenge after a tie at three each, but Ramsay told him he was lucky the red team covered his butt again. They were rewarded with playing in Zorb balls, eating gourmet tacos, and brand-new Vitamixs. As the red team went up, he was happy that he was on the red team because even though he did not score any points, the women had his back. During the reward, he was amazed at Tara staying on her feet in the Zorb ball.
During the dinner service, Brett was at the fish station. On their first order, Sommer taught him how to poach the lobster tail and continued to lead him on fish as she told him to season the scallops. Cheyenne took notice and felt he was performing iffy, especially when there was no room to hide. Ramsay went up to the fish station to remind him of prepping scallops, and then, Sommer told him to take the skewers out of the lobster tails before going up to the pass. Still, the red team's appetizers were accepted. He walked his halibut to the pass on the red team's final order, but it was undercooked. He worked on the refire and got it accepted, clinching victory for the red team.
At elimination, Ramsay called Brett up from the red team and told him to give him his jacket. Ramsay saw that he struggled that night and that the women on the red team bailed him out. Still, Ramsay told him he was going to the blue team. While being dismissed, he was grateful that Ramsay did not give up on him, but he knew it was his last chance to make an impression.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 2111 - 21st Annual Blind Taste Test
While going back to the dorms, Brett felt like a ping pong ball due to the multiple transfers he went through and felt that nobody wanted him. Alex disagreed with that, but he felt low after Ramsay told him the women were carrying him on the red team. Still, he said he was taking in the criticism as Alex thought he was welcomed to his side as long as he performed well.
The following day, Ramsay gave the chefs Italian dishes Marino cooked. As he tasted the food, Brett was suspicious as anything good to come in the competition was a lie. That suspicion came true as the food was frozen, and Ramsay announced the Blind Taste Test. He was the third chef from the blue team to compete, and he went up against Sommer. He only got shrimp, which resulted in Alex getting two punishments. During Alejandro's turn, he was spared. The blue team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by baking hundreds of macaroons. During the punishment, he tried to give Alex and Sakari pointers on how to make it despite this being his first time.
Brett was in charge of the pan-seared scallops course during the Charity Night dinner service. He and Cheyenne agreed on six minutes, but he told the men to drop the scallops without warning Ramsay. That forced Ramsay to tell Cheyenne what was happening, making her mad that he had gone behind her. He quietly told the men to get the dish up in four and a half minutes, but none responded to them until prompted by Ramsay. Ramsay warned him to speak up, or he would take over. Alex told him to take control of his course as the men walked the scallops to the pass. While plating, he went silent again, to Ramsay's dismay. Alejandro knew he was letting the team lead him instead of the other way around. When the men had their dishes on the window, they had eleven instead of twelve. Ramsay was not pleased, and he admitted that he miscounted the plates. He got his scallops out, but he was disappointed, as any mistake would send him home. During the filet mignon course, Ramsay told him to lower his heat as the steaks would overcook, and he knew he would be done if he messed up on the steaks. As the women began plating, Ramsay and Alex turned to him for the steaks. Still, Alex got concerned about his lack of communication, and Ramsay warned him that he would chuck an overcooked steak at him if he messed this up. Also, he had no idea what steaks were good, forcing Alex to help him feel them.
After service, Ramsay named Sakari the "Best of the Best" for the blue team. During deliberation, Sakari told Brett he had passion, but he felt he second-guessed himself and slipped up in the past few services. In contrast, he thought Sakari was a weak chef and a weaker leader and thought the latter should be going home that night. Afterwards, Sommer told him she had no idea who to nominate and said it sucked to be in that position.
Brett was Sakari's first nominee for elimination, with Alejandro as the second. Tara and Dafne from the red team joined them. During his plea, he said he learned from his mistakes and had a loud voice. He was eliminated for having no voice on his course and for his declining performances. During his exit interview, he felt he grew greatly in Hell's Kitchen but knew he still had a lot to learn.
Ramsay's comment: "Attention to detail is vital in a fine dining kitchen. When Brett couldn’t even count 12 plates correctly, I knew I couldn’t count on him."[11]
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
Brett was one of the seven chefs that returned for the final dinner service. He watched the Final Menu Challenge with the others. He was Alex's second pick for his team, after Alejandro, and was followed by Cheyenne and Tara.[12] When Alex went over the menu, the former told him that the salmon was baked and poached. However, he was unsure about Tara running appetizers due to her crumbling under pressure.
During prep, Brett overcooked the salmon and cooked a refire. During dinner service, he was at the fish station. As the blue team worked on the first order of appetizers, he fired the fritters. Then, he felt that Tara was too nervous for the timings, only for himself to serve raw fritters, much to Ramsay and Sous Chef Jason's dismay. Alex refused to lose to a hush puppy and called him to show him his mistake. Ramsay reminded him that the hush puppies were the easiest menu item, and he felt terrible as he did not want to let Alex down. He got his refire accepted. On entrées, Alex was unhappy that he was not performing to his standards, and Alejandro walked up his fried chicken. It was raw, and he knew he should have spoken up about the chicken. Afterwards, he was slow on the refire. Alex eventually won the finale over Dafne.[13]
Nomination History[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Week 2 | Win |
| Week 3 | Win |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Safe |
| Week 6 | Win |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Nominated |
| Week 9 | Win |
| Week 10 | Nominated |
Trivia[]
- He is the fourth contestant to participate in two different team switches, following Autumn (Season 7), Trev (Season 8), and Mia (Season 18).
- He is the third contestant who had three different stints during the team phase (on their respective original team twice and on the opposite team once), and winning the challenge in each stint at least once, following Autumn (Season 7) and Trev (Season 8).
- He is the first and only contestant so far to switch teams three times.
- He is the seventeenth male contestant who switched teams without making it to the black jackets, following Robert (Season 6), Scott (Season 7), Anton (Season 12), Frank, Sterling (both from Season 13), Hassan, Chad (both from Season 15), Matt, Andrew (both from Season 16), Josh (Season 17), Kevin, Trev (both from Season 18), Payton, Sam, Antonio (all from Season 20), and Vlad (also from Season 21).
- He is the eighth contestant to be eliminated after their first night with a new team, following Melissa (Season 3), Melissa (Season 8), Nedra (Season 11), Sandra (Season 12), Josh (Season 17), Kevin (Season 18), and Nicole (also from Season 21).
- He is the sixth contestant to be eliminated after a joint victory, following Shayna (Season 4), Zach (Season 11), Sterling (Season 13), Josie (Season 20), and Mindy (also from Season 21).
Quotes[]
- (After hearing Zeus's shark story) "Every season on Hell's Kitchen, a few crazies slip in, and I think Zeus is one of those guys."
- "I didn't want the pomegranate anyways, Sommer."
- (After joining the Red Team) "I do think that, uh, Chef chose me to kind of go over there and establish myself as a leader. Take charge and do what I can to help the team...without pissing off all the ladies because they're all very strong independent women."
- (After being eliminated) "I came into Hell's Kitchen insecure about my ability as a chef, but this whole experience has been a dream come true. I think I've grown so much as a chef, as a human being, as a leader. I’m leaving Hell's Kitchen knowing that I’m a talented chef, but I also am being reminded that I have a lot to learn."
Gallery[]
.png "Brett's Confessional (Red Jacket).png (393 KB)")
.png "Brett's Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (439 KB)")
.png "Brett's Confessional (Returning Chef).png (366 KB)")
.png "Brett's Sliders Dish (Beef).png (328 KB)")
.png "Brett's Dome-Wok Dish (Pork Tenderloin).png (169 KB)")
.png "Brett's Game Meat Dish (Venison).png (301 KB)")
.png "Brett's Creative Steak Dish (New York Striploin).png (791 KB)")
.png "Brett's Taco Dish (Fish).png (831 KB)")
External links[]
Brett Binninger-Schwartz on Instagram
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen: Battle of the Ages |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Jay Santos (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| 40-Somethings |
| Alex Belew • Tara Ciannella • Nicole Gomez • Zeus Gordiany • Mindy Livengood • O'Shay Lolley • Abe Sanchez • Charlene Sherman • Billy Trudsoe |
| 20-Somethings |
| Brett Binninger-Schwartz • Vlad Briantsev • Ileana D'Silva • Dafne Mejia • Alejandro Najar • Cheyenne Nichols • Alyssa Osinga • Sommer Sellers • Sakari Smithwick |