| “ | Right now I'm stoked, dude. I have a awesome palate and I can smell shit from a mile away. | ” |
Brian Santos was a contestant on Season 13 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 6th place.
Season 13[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1301 - 18 Chefs Compete
While the chefs were on their way to Hell's Kitchen, the bus pulled over to Pacific’s Cinerama Theatre as Ramsay wanted to show them an inspirational video before going there. Santos was one of the eight chefs shown receiving their acceptance invitation. After Ramsay revealed the grand prize of the season, he asked the chefs to cook their signature dishes.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Santos was the last person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Kalen. He made a seared skate wing with nut brown butter, and he scored three points out of five for nailing the skate wing and having a bit of heat on the top. Despite that, the blue team lost the challenge 23-24, and they were punished by setting up the dorms for both teams, and carrying the red team's luggage when they would come back from their reward. During the punishment, he was not happy when JR decided to take a break, and ordered him to get back to work.
During prep, Santos gathered the men for a pep talk as he did not want to see any of them go home. During dinner service, he was on the garnish station. He was dismayed when JR sent raw scallops and said that their snowball was getting bigger and that It wouldn't stop once it started. After Ramsay revealed that JP's lobster tail was raw, he accused the fish station of sabotaging. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people.
He was not nominated for elimination.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1302 - 17 Chefs Compete
During the Geoduck Challenge, Santos was seen quickly finding the first geoduck during the first part, but when he saw Sterling struggle to find one, he compared him to a 10-pound dog digging. During the second part, he was paired with Sterling. Out of their four attempts, only their second and fourth were accepted as their first attempt was six grams short, and their third one was two grams short.
The blue team lost the challenge 14-15, and they were punished by cleaning all the sand outside the restaurant, prepping the remaining geoduck for the next service, and eating a boiled salt cod for lunch. During the punishment, Santos complained about the heat, and while eating lunch, he threw up after a few bites. Moments later, after watching Sterling and Bryant's argument, he told Bryant to calm down as Sterling was just being Sterling. He revealed that the blue team nicknamed the latter "volcano", due to his short temper.
During dinner service, Santos was at the dessert station. He was not seen much, but both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
He was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1303 - 16 Chefs Compete
During the Jacket Challenge, Santos was the first person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against La Tasha in the enchilada round. He lost the round to La Tasha as his chicken was dry, but despite that, the blue team won the challenge 6-4. They were rewarded with a trip to the Venice Beach boardwalk, a zip line experience, and lunch on top of the Erwin Hotel. He was happy that the monkey was off the men’s backs.
During dinner service, Santos was on the meat station with Aaron. He was annoyed when Frank did not send his halibut garnish after Bryant, and later, he was relocated to the garnish station after Frank was kicked out. The blue team won the service, and he felt that they did better without their dead weight holding them.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1304 - 15 Chefs Compete
During the Brunch Service Challenge, Santos was not seen much, except when he lead the men and got the appetizers out quickly. The blue team lost the challenge, and they were punished by grinding chorizo sausages for the next service. During the punishment, he blamed Bryant for the loss and called him the weakest link. He also felt that Sterling was not giving a shit over their situation, Bryant was being standoffish, and everybody else was being cocky. He also added that, with the exception of himself, Steve, and Aaron, the blue team sucked, and that unless they came to a realization, they were all going home.
Later that night, Santos, Aaron, and Steve labeled half of their teammates as dead weight and agreed to sabotage them in order to cause a repeat of their last service. During dinner service, he was on the fish station with Fernando. Despite cooking a perfect halibut, he was forced to start over because of JR's raw pork. Later, two of his salmon dishes were sent back from the Los Angeles Sparks for being overcooked. After Ramsay reminded him that two people from the Spark’s table were not eating, he sent his refire, but it turned out raw, and Ramsay ordered him to yell the meaning of VIP four times. He was kicked out of the kitchen, along with JR, Fernando, and Frank, and he was angry about being kicked out despite bouncing back. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people.
He was not nominated for elimination.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1305 - 14 Chefs Compete
When Ramsay announced that the next challenge was the Protein Identification Challenge, Santos got excited as he thought his palate was one of the best. Before the men started, he felt confident about the time to beat being 7:41 and asked if the women were fondling their proteins. He was paired with Fernando, and they competed twice. On their first turn, they landed on the turkey parmesan and managed to get it on their third attempt. On their second turn, they got the duck potstickers and managed to get it on their seventh attempt. The blue team won the challenge 7:07-7:41, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica.
During the Family Night dinner service, Santos was at the pizza station with Fernando. In the beginning, he allowed a kid to pour some cheese on her pizza, which slowed down the kitchen and was told to hurry up by Sterling. The blue team eventually won the service.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1306 - 13 Chefs Compete
During the Farm Animal Challenge, Santos was paired with Aaron for the first part, and they chose pork and grits. When Sterling joined them for the second part, he said that he wanted to show his teammates what he was able to do. His dish was not chosen, although he felt that his dish was better, and swore he would lose it if Sterling would cost the team the challenge. The blue team eventually won the challenge 28-25, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Santa Barbara wine country, to sample wine and eat lunch.
During dinner service, Santos was on the meat station. When he did not send a lamb entrée for the order, Ramsay asked him what he was doing, though he claimed that he heard only one lamb. When he revealed that his lamb needed three and a half more minutes, Ramsay pulled him and Steve to the pantry room, and he was ordered to wake up. Later, he did not answer Sterling's time request, until Ramsay prompted him to speak. Eventually, he and Steve were kicked out of the kitchen. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
He was not nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1307 - 12 Chefs Compete
After Katie's elimination, Santos said goodbye to Sterling, who was transferred to the red team.
During the Italian Cuisine Challenge, Santos chose to compete against La Tasha, and their dish was spaghetti alla carbonara. He was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged, but his spaghetti alla carbonara was criticized for being underwhelming, and he lost the round to La Tasha. Despite this, however, The blue team won the challenge 3-2 and were rewarded with a $3000 shopping spree at American Rag Cie for a new wardrobe, and lunch at Cecconi’s. During the reward, he was confused about what to buy as his wife was doing his wardrobe, so he asked Frank for some advice as the latter knew his clothes.
During the Italian Night dinner service, Santos was on the appetizer station with Steve. At one point, he expressed annoyance when Steve started slow and said that he was in la-la land. Later, he noticed that he did not hear any yelling in the red kitchen, making him believe that they got kicked out, and the only thing left to do was complete service. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
He was not nominated for elimination.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1308 - 11 Chefs Compete Part 1
After Ashley's elimination, Santos said goodbye to Frank, who was transferred to the red team, and welcomed Sade as a new teammate.
During the Dog Show Planning Challenge, Santos ignored Bryant's concern about his duck tasting burnt as he wanted it to be judged. He was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged and presented his duck a l’orange. It was criticized for having burnt potatoes, and he lost the round to Frank. The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by setting up the dining room for the next service, and washing and grooming the dogs that the American Kennel Club sent over.
During prep, Santos showed Sade where everything was in the blue kitchen, but she did not appreciate his cocky attitude. During the Dog Show dinner service, he was on the garnish station. Before serving food, he asked Sade not to make dog food, referring to how she accidentally made dog food during the previous challenge. After Ramsay praised the blue team for the best 40 minutes of any service so far, he asked if it was a dream. Later, he was annoyed when Steve kept calling his name without any times. On their last ticket of entrées, he sent greasy garnishes but bounced back. The blue team won the service.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1309 - 11 Chefs Compete Part 2
During the Craps Challenge, Santos rolled an M and chose Mache. His dish was not chosen for judging, and the blue team eventually lost the challenge. They were punished by taking part in Double Delivery day, including taking deliveries of ice, wine, and a 650 pounds halibut. During the punishment, he said that delivery day sucked.
During dinner service, Santos was on the appetizer station. He was not seen much, except when he said that they had it in the bag, and the blue team won the service by a mile. After Frank's elimination, he revealed that with nine chefs left, he could smell the black jackets.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1310 - 9 Chefs Compete
During the Indian Cuisine Challenge, Santos compared the tablet slide puzzle to food Tetris. His dish was not chosen for judging, and the blue team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 22. They were punished by prepping for the next service and cleaning the front entrance of the restaurant. During the punishment, he felt that Sade was being bossy and rude, before warning that if she did not check her attitude, she would go home.
During dinner service, Santos was on the appetizer station. He was not seen much but called the blue team's performance an absolute fucking shit show after Aaron's station caught fire, and Bryant and Sade were arguing. The blue team lost the service by a mile, and they were asked to nominate two people.
Santos was not nominated for elimination, and when announcing the nominees, he told Ramsay about Bryant's temper in the dorms. However, Ramsay reminded him that he did not care about what happened in the dorms. After Aaron's departure, he considered the latter's decision to bow out when there were nine chefs left a big stupid one.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1311 - 8 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Santos said that the blue team had to work together, and told Sade that the three strongest chefs on the blue team were the three remaining men.
During the Blind Taste Test, Santos was the first person from the blue team to compete and went up against Roe. He did not score any points, resulting in Bryant getting dunked twice. That same thing happened to him on Fernando's turn. The blue team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 4, and they were punished by cleaning the dorms. During the punishment, he and Sade noticed that it was her seventh consecutive punishment, and later, he got annoyed with his teammates telling him how to clean the floors, when he felt they were not on their hands and knees with him.
During the closed VIP dinner service, Santos was in charge of the seared tuna course. However, he told Bryant to do most of the cooking for him, and when he went to describe the course, he gave a very long explanation until Ramsay pulled him back. Despite his slow performance, the blue team got their plates ready. On Sade's course, he felt that they were fucked after most of the salmon was overcooked. On Bryant's course, he did not pay attention to the latter's directions and was seen shredding the steak instead of slicing it.
Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. During deliberation, Santos was considered by Fernando and Sade as both of them were lost by his leadership, but he felt that he did not deserve to be nominated, and stated that if he would survive, he would come back stronger. Then, he considered Sade for burning their initial salmon.
Santos was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Fernando being the first, and they joined Roe and Sterling from the red team. He survived elimination and warned Bryant that he better watch out.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 1312 - 7 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Santos was told by Sade that they had to communicate as there were only three of them left.
During the Amuse Bouche Challenge, Santos said that he felt like a kid in a candy shop, and grabbed a lot of ingredients to add flavor. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged and presented his fennel crusted ahi tuna with artichoke heart and dragon fruit infused with pomegranate juice, with Bryant and Sade being annoyed that he used every ingredient available. While it was criticized for having too many components, it was praised for being balanced, and he scored 7 points. The blue team won the challenge 23-16, and they were rewarded with a helicopter trip to Catalina Island, and eating at the Blue Water Grill. During the reward, he acknowledged that the day could not get any better.
During dinner service, Santos was on the fish station. On Louis Diamond Phillips' order, he sent raw and greasy scallops, Ramsay lamented that it was too good to be true, and Sade was upset that it happened when they were on a roll. Then, Ramsay pulled him to the pantry room, accused him of cooking out of control, and ordered him to wake up. Despite that, his refire was accepted.
When both teams were lined up, Santos hugged Sterling goodbye, as the latter was eliminated on-the-spot. Then, both teams were asked to nominate one person each. During deliberation, he was considered by Sade and Bryant based on his overall performance, and while he felt that his scallops were not the only mistake in the blue kitchen, he decided not to argue about it and wanted to prove to Ramsay why he should stay.
Santos was the blue team's nominee for elimination, and he joined Roe from the red team. During his plea, he said that he had the passion and drive to become the head chef Ramsay wanted. He survived elimination when he received the first black jacket, and declared that the boxing match was beginning at the moment.[12]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 1313 - 6 Chefs Compete
During the Presentation Challenge, Santos decided to use every spice available to make his dish pop. He was one of the three chefs that had their dish tasted and presented his hickory-smoked steak with dry-rubbed mustard. While it was praised for being fabulous and having a nicely cooked steak, he lost the challenge to Roe. He was punished by cleaning both kitchens, taking deliveries of 200-pound beef shoulders, breaking it down, and portioning it. During the punishment, he felt that he should have won the challenge, and was confused about how Roe won with a dual steak dish.
When Roe came back from her reward and showed pictures of her billboard, Santos was not impressed. During dinner service, he served as a floater. Despite considering La Tasha's overcooked scallops a rookie mistake, he sent Caesar salads that had black shit on them due to over seasoning them with pepper, and Ramsay reminded him that he was supposed to be helping, not hurting. Later, he warned Roe about her steak being undercooked but was ignored. Then, Ramsay called him out for running around doing nothing, and Bryant accused him of having a broken wing. Then, he got yelled at by Roe for trying to help her and got berated by Ramsay for running around like a blue ass fly.
When the chefs were lined up, Bryant was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, Santos was reminded by Bryant about the overly peppered Caesar salads, but he argued that the meat station had more problems. Then, he said that he should have been told what to do as he was a floater, but while Sade pointed out that he was standing around, he felt that Roe was the weakest link.
Santos was Bryant's second nominee for elimination, with Roe being the first. During his plea, Ramsay noticed that it was his third consecutive nomination, and Roe claimed that if anybody other than him would have helped her on meat, it would have been better as he did not do what she told him. While Ramsay asked him if it was true, he said that it was not, and argued that he was the strongest on the team, but Ramsay reminded him that he did more talking than cooking. In the end, he was eliminated for not contributing a lot during service and underwhelming performances. During his exit interview, he felt that Ramsay sent the wrong person home, claimed that he gave everything, and did not receive a retrospective montage of his run.
Ramsay's comment: "Santos dodged a bullet in the last two nominations, but tonight, there was nowhere to hide." [13]
Episode 16[]
- Main article: Episode 1316 - Winner Chosen
Santos was one of the eight chefs who returned for the final dinner service. Despite arrogantly believing that he would be the first pick overall, he was Bryant's third pick, after Jennifer and Sterling, and before Frank, which pissed him off.
During dinner service, Santos was on the fish station. He was not seen much, except when he told Frank to calm down, despite knowing that he was stupid. Bryant eventually lost the finals to La Tasha.[14]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Win |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Win |
| Week 10 | Safe |
| Week 11 | Nominated |
| Week 12 | Nominated |
| Week 13 | Nominated |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After his appearance on the show, Santos became an Executive Chef at Luxury Suites, TD Garden, Boston University.
- He is currently Senior Campus Executive Chef at Erickson Living.
- He has also appeared on Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship and on an episode of Beat Bobby Flay, where he lost to the latter in the second round.
Trivia[]
- He is the second black jacket contestant who did not receive a retrospective montage of his run after elimination, following Josh (Season 3).
- He is the sixth contestant whose show name was his surname, following Dewberry (Season 1), Petrozza (Season 4), Curtis (Season 8), DeMarco and Gabriel (Season 12). He is also the second black jacket contestant with this detail.
Quotes[]
- "This is just Sterling being Sterling."
- "VERY IMPORTANT PERSON, CHEF!"
- (To JP and JR) "You're sabotaging us! Thank you for the fucking snowball! (while holding the middle finger) Assholes!"
- "Right now I'm stoked, dude. I have a awesome palate and I can smell shit from a mile away."
- "Elk? Who in the fuck has eaten elk, really?!
- "I love handling meat, I handle my meat like it's nobody's business."
- (About Aaron after quit) "Oh man, just the bow out when you're down to nine. How do you do that? Aaron dude, can we just say, BIG STUPID?!"
- (When receiving the 200-pound beef) "Are you fucking kidding me?! This looks like a Fred Flintstone brontosaurus right here, holy shit!"
- (After being eliminated) "I feel Chef Ramsay made a horrible decision. I give everything I have every day, and to go out the way I did, I'm pissed off right now. But being in Hell's Kitchen, I've learned so much. I got a black jacket, so... Very proud of myself."
Gallery[]
.png "Santos' Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (254 KB)")
.png "Roe and Santos Nominated (Episode 12).png (289 KB)")
.png "Santos' Confessional (Black Jacket).png (277 KB)")
.png "Roe and Santos Nominated (Episode 13).png (298 KB)")
.png "La Tasha and Santos' Jacket Dishes (Enchiladas).png (152 KB)")
.png "Santos' Italian Dish (Spaghetti alla Carbonara).png (229 KB)")
.png "Santos' Indian Dish (Not Judged).png (347 KB)")
External links[]
Brian Santos on Instagram
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen Season 13 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • James Avery (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Frank Bilotti • Fernando Cruz • Sade Dancy • JP DeDominicis • Roe DiLeo • Bryant Gallaher • Denine Giordano • Aaron Lhamon • La Tasha McCutchen • Katie McKeown • Kalen Morgenstern • JR Robinson • Steve Rosenthal • Jennifer Salhoff • Brian Santos • Ashley Sherman • Janai Simpson • Sterling Wright |