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I'm such a wild tiger of a woman. YEAH, you know what I'm sayin'!

Declan Horgan was a contestant on Season 19 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 3rd place.

Season 19[]

Episode 1/2[]

Main article: Episode 1901 - Welcome To Vegas
Main article: Episode 1902 - Shrimply Spectacular

The eighteen new chefs arrived at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as Ramsay wanted them to see the first official Hell's Kitchen Restaurant. Marino greeted the chefs at the front doors and took them inside the restaurant. As the chefs drank champagne, they got to know each other. Eventually, Ramsay came in, starstrucking Declan. Ramsay explained that the Hell's Kitchen Restaurant was built on the show's eighteen-season legacy and revealed that it was one of the highest-grossing restaurants in America. Ramsay revealed that he brought them to the restaurant for inspiration because the winner of that season would become the Head Chef at the brand-new Hell's Kitchen Restaurant in Lake Tahoe. When Ramsay revealed the $250,000 cash prize in addition to the prized spot, he said he wanted to win so he could become a quarter millionaire. Ramsay admitted that they would not be competing in the real Hell's Kitchen restaurant due to the demand, so they would be going to Los Angeles to compete. The chefs returned to the bus to head to the airport, Marino handed out the tickets, and once arriving at the strip, they see a helicopter revving up, with Ramsay taking it and flying off. After some time, the chefs were called in for boarding, but as the chefs walked through the doors, they found themselves standing inside the restaurant. Then, Ramsay appeared in his chef jacket, revealed that for the first time in the show's history, Hell's Kitchen would take place in Las Vegas and had some performers do some shows for the chefs. While the chefs could not do any of the tricks they saw, they reaffirmed that they could indeed cook to Ramsay.

Before the Signature Dish Challenge, Declan said that his signature dish would be pan-fried cod but was forced to scrap it due to the changes. He went up against Nikki, they were the seventh pair to play for their ingredients, and they received New York striploin, corn, and couscous. During the cooking, he said he knew a lot of tricks despite being an old dog. He was the first person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, but before the latter tasted it, he revealed that he moved from Dublin to America four years ago and was an Executive Chef in Washington. Ramsay asked him what his nickname was, and the latter said it was Big D, much to everybody's humor. He made a pan-seared New York striploin with Israeli couscous, and it had a beautiful presentation, a perfect cook, and a strong flavor profile. So, Ramsay awarded him the first perfect five of the night. When Ramsay lectured to Kenneth about finishing his dish with only twenty minutes left, he agreed with the former.

The blue team won the challenge 28-27, and they were rewarded with dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak with Ramsay himself joining them and riding on the High Roller. During the reward, Ramsay pointed out that Declan was the first European contestant and wondered if all of this was real as he could not wait to tell his friends. On the High Roller, he started to bond with Adam due to being the best chefs on the blue team. When the men returned from their reward, he and Adam were the only ones not to go to bed right away as he felt that Kenneth and Eliott would leave first.[1]

Before the Creative Shrimp Challenge, Declan said he wanted to win because the Punishment Pass had a lot of power. During the cooking, he was confident due to being from Ireland, proclaiming that his dish was banging. He was called up as one of the top three dishes from the blue team. He was the fourth contestant to have his dish judged by Ramsay and made a pan-seared blue prawn shrimp with a coconut and pineapple salsa. Ramsay liked that the purée was silky, but while it was a good dish, he failed to dethrone Lauren and therefore lost the challenge.

During prep, Declan felt that the men had it. During dinner service, he was on the fish station with Adam. He and Josh had their appetizers accepted and said they had to keep their momentum going. When the problems on entrées continued to amount, he tried to keep his head down over the men's mess and compared Eliott's performance to E.T. being lost. After Peter and Drew were kicked out, he was reassigned to the meat station and got his attempt accepted, much to his relief. However, the order was not completed because Cody served soggy fries. The blue team lost the service and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.

He was not nominated for elimination.[2]

Episode 3[]

Main article: Episode 1903 - Hell Caesar!

Back at the dorms, Marc declared that they had to win the following day, but Declan retorted that they had to win every day. Annoyed by his retort, Marc argued that he knew that, but he accused the latter of suffering from a Napoleon complex. Marc continued to declare his earlier decree as he felt a monkey was riding a bicycle inside his head.

During the Caesar Salad Challenge, Declan was seen getting two of his attempts accepted, but after seeing his teammates' slow performance, he complained that it was not rocket science. The blue team lost the challenge 8-10, and they were punished by prepping and peeling Scotch quail eggs for Ramsay's Caesar salad dish as it would be featured in that night's service. After hearing the red team's reward, he said that heads would have to roll afterward, and during the punishment, he and Adam made a "that's what she said" joke in response to Drew breaking an egg due to his big hands. He was not happy that they must peel delicate eggs with their big sausage fingers while prepping for service afterward and called it hell. When Sous Chef Jason saw discarded eggs in the trash, he said that Marc was responsible for that. However, when Marc started to make excuses, he got annoyed.

During dinner service, Declan was on the appetizer station with Drew. At one point, he got embarrassed when he saw Drew's sagging pants, telling the latter to pull his pants up. When Marc started to get riled up over Cody's mistakes, he tried to calm him down as he knew they could bounce back. The blue team won the service, and while being dismissed, he was glad not to be part of the red team as he felt the cracks were starting to show and that they were going to start stabbing each other in the back.[3]

Episode 4[]

Main article: Episode 1904 - Wedding Bells In Hell

Before the Wedding Brunch Service Challenge, Declan was surprised to see a wedding happen. During the challenge, he was on both the mimosa station and the egg station. He felt that making the mimosas would be easy, but he moved slowly for Ramsay's liking, which Adam deemed a poor start for them. Fortunately, the men got their appetizers out. After Josh served a raw steak, he saw how blue it came out. He managed to plate up the eggs benedict on their final ticket, but unfortunately, the egg was overcooked, pissing Marc off as they were giving newlyweds hard-boiled eggs. The blue team lost the challenge, and as the men cleared down, he declared that he would take the lead of the blue kitchen from now on, but Marc snapped back at the former by reminding him about his overcooked egg. As he and Marc continued to argue, Peter and Cody tried to get them to stop, with the latter reminding them that they had couples watching them from the dining room.

The blue team was punished by making 1600 cupcakes for the wedding couples. Back at the dorms, Marc pulled Declan outside to the patio, and the former said that he refused to look up to him and take direction from him. However, he claimed that he could only hear barking from Marc's mouth and accused the latter of disrespecting him. During the punishment, he tried to reassure Josh that they were almost done with the punishment, but after the latter finished the purple cupcakes with pearls when they were already done, he got upset and called Josh a liability.

Before dinner service, Ramsay announced that Drew was still not feeling well and would not continue in the competition. With the prospect of having a woman join the blue team, Declan was hoping for a sexy woman like Mary Lou or Syann, but not Kori as he did not want a mother figure or even Lauren as he did not trust her. Instead, Ramsay moved Amber into the blue team, surprising both of them. Before service began, Amber asked him if she could move a few things around, but he said no as they had everything set up for how they wanted it to go. That got Amber emotional in response, but when he asked her what was wrong, she said she was upset because she was not used to losing, which offended him.

During dinner service, Declan was on the meat station with Amber. At one point, he warned Peter that the pans he dropped the scallops into were not hot enough and when the latter was not sure about the scallops he sent up, he asked Peter why he walked them despite that. On Sous Chef Jason's VIP order, he accused Marc of being all talk after the latter interrupted Ramsay and said he should either be a spokesman, a politician, or a car salesman instead of a chef. Afterwards, he told Peter to put his halibut on. Later, he said he would walk in two minutes and did not want to falter on Sous Chef Jason's VIP table. However, his steaks were undercooked, making Marc chuckle after recalling how he wanted to be their leader. Then, he asked Peter if the fish was ready, only for Ramsay to see that there was no halibut cooking. That frustrated him as he told Peter to be ready earlier, and a furious Ramsay warned the blue team that he would kick them out if any of them made a single mistake. Although he and Amber got their meat accepted, Peter's burned halibut got the blue team kicked out of service.

Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Declan was upset by their loss, but while Marc tried to talk with him, he was in no mood for that and warned the latter to stay away from him. The red team told Marc not to provoke him any further. Peter considered him and Marc for nomination due to their fighting and believed that the blue team would never gel with that going on, with Amber agreeing with that. Then, Cody compared him and Marc to two bulls clashing around and had no idea how the blue team will work with them around any longer.

Declan was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, he called Marc a joke and wanted the latter gone.[4]

Episode 5[]

Main article: Episode 1905 - Hell Starts Taking Its Toll

Before the Mexican Cuisine Challenge, Declan revealed that he did not have a lot of experience with Mexican food and decided to pair up with Cody due to the latter having more experience in Mexican cuisine. They were the final pair to collect ingredients for their chicken Chile Relleno, but the blue team lost the first part of the challenge and they received 40 minutes of cooking time. During the cooking, he allowed Cody to take the lead. They were the final pair from the blue team to have their dish judged and went up against the pair of Kori and Mary Lou. They made a braised chicken Chile Relleno, but Aarón Sanchez got frustrated as they did not make the batter in a more traditional route, comparing the coating to panko crust, and Mary Lou said it looked like a fried avocado. Ramsay reminded them that they were looking for authenticity and neither pair scored that round.

The blue team won the challenge after a tie at two each and they were rewarded with a spa day at the Voie, located at the Paris Hotel. Declan told Amber that Marc threw her under the bus before leaving for their reward, leading her to confront the latter. During the reward, he jokingly asked his masseuse for her number.

When the blue team came back from their reward, Peter told Declan that he did not want to compete any longer as it was starting to wear on him, and he did not like the direction the blue team was going. However, he told Peter that if he quit now, he would be kicking himself in a couple of months and said they needed him to keep the blue team strong. During prep, he was helping Peter out so the latter would get refocused on the competition. During dinner service, Declan was on the dessert station. He was not seen that night, and while both teams were named joint winners, Ramsay asked them to nominate one each.

Declan was not nominated for elimination and while being dismissed, he was upset that Marc did not get swatted but decided to bite the bullet and work with the latter.[5]

Episode 6[]

Main article: Episode 1906 - Metal & Marina

Back at the dorms, Declan warned Marc that if he was arguing with them, then the blue team would not gel, but the latter said he wanted to work well with them.

Before the Modern Italian Cuisine Challenge, Declan was confused by the appearance of Spandex Nation in the dining room. He chose to compete against Mary Lou, claiming that Big D was coming, and their dish was chicken parmesan. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged and presented his cornmeal breaded chicken parmesan. It was criticized for tasting dry, and he scored three guitars.

The blue team won the challenge 33-28, and they were rewarded with riding in muscle cars with professional drivers and eating an Italian meal at the Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant. As they went back to the dorms, Declan said he was a speed freak back in Ireland. During the reward, he was salivating over the drive and told the driver Mike to go fucking mental on them, while Marc prayed that the two of them, and Josh would come out alright. As the trio went on their drive, he called it a ride of his life. At lunch, he was delighted by the size of their meal.

Before dinner service, Declan said he was a big fan of Penn and Teller, and after seeing their fake eye gouge trick, he called it his next party trick. During the Italian Night dinner service, he was on the appetizer station with Cody. After seeing Marc struggle to give Ramsay an update, he told the former and Josh to get their shit together. Later, he saw that Josh already cooked the orecchiette even when the latter said he needed six minutes, and he and Cody talked smack about Josh behind his back. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he felt that Josh made too many simple mistakes before comparing him to a deer in the headlights.

He was not nominated for elimination.[6]

Episode 7[]

Main article: Episode 1907 - A Pair Of Aces

During the Protein Identification Challenge, Declan went up twice due to the blue team being short a member. He was paired up with Amber on his first try, and they grabbed the bison and lobster dish. Due to Amber's shellfish allergy, he tasted the fish protein, but their first attempt, filet and king crab legs were incorrect. Their second attempt, bison and Dungeness crab, was half right, but he swapped out the bison meat for elk, which proved to be fully incorrect. Doing a full reset, Amber felt that he was scattered brained as he was grabbing proteins they already tried, and she decided to taste the shellfish despite her allergy. It worked as they got the right pairing on their fourth attempt. He was paired up with Adam on his second try, and they grabbed the squab and snapper tacos. They grabbed venison and halibut, but that was incorrect, and with three minutes left, he called it an endurance challenge as he was old with a bad knee. Their second attempt, goat and cod, was incorrect, along with ostrich and monkfish, while their quail and snapper pairing was half right. However, they brought back the snapper per most of the blue team's suggestion, and their next attempt, catfish and squab, was half right. They only had a minute to find the correct fish protein, and while Cody screamed at them to grab the snapper again, they grabbed monkfish instead, and it was incorrect. With that, time was up, and the blue team lost the challenge because they failed to beat the red team's 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

The blue team was punished by deshelling crab and prepping them for crab cakes for that night's service. Back at the dorms, Cody asked Declan to join him on the patio for a smoke, but Amber felt they did that to avoid her, especially since Cody does not smoke. Amber confronted him, Cody, and Adam for having a team meeting without her, but they argued that they were just having a smoke, and he told Amber not to listen to the red team because they are trying to manipulate her. During the punishment, he explained the crab's anatomy as they need the meat and told Amber to start trusting them as they had her back.

During prep, Declan wanted to win that night as there was nowhere to hide. During dinner service, he was on the garnish station. After Adam served poor scallops, he got frustrated as he wanted one service where they were on point. When Amber fussed over a potentially overcooked steak, he told her to stop fussing and serve it. The blue team won the service after finishing the red team's orders.[7]

Episode 8[]

Main article: Episode 1908 - Crapping Out in Hell

Back at the dorms, Declan could not vouch for Jordan's claims because he was not in the red kitchen that night.

During the Craps Challenge, Declan was dismayed when Adam picked carrots after a long thought. When Marc rolled a P, he used his Jedi mind trick to convince the former to pick pork, and it seemed to work. He rolled an H and picked honey. During the cooking, he felt that the blue team's ingredients were basic enough to make easy dishes. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and presented his honey mustard glazed pork chop. It was praised for having beautifully cooked pork, and he scored a perfect 5. When the score came to a 19 point tie and came down to Cody and Nikki's dishes, he was confident about his teammate's chances.

The blue team won the challenge, and they were rewarded with high wire lessons with Absinthe and a special lunch at Nobu. During the reward, the blue team went into the tent, and all the colors of the inside had Declan compared it to being on LSD. After seeing the platform rise to the high wire, he was relieved, and during his turn, he compared the tense feeling of tight rope to having a penny clenched between his ass.

Later that day, Ramsay gave Cody the responsibility of interviewing the blue team and naming two nominees. Back at the dorms, Lauren talked with Declan about her chances as he did not want to be nominated because he busted his balls for this competition. He was not nominated by Cody and did not have to participate in the Cook For Your Life Challenge. While going back to the dorms, he called it a curveball, and he and Adam discussed Amber's chances and how she tended to tear up while under pressure. Later, he and Adam did not think Marc had a chance.[8]

Episode 9[]

Main article: Episode 1909 - Blind Taste Test

Back at the dorms, Declan checked on Amber as the latter was confused as to why Cody nominated her over Adam as she felt the latter did not take the idea of being a leader seriously. However, he told her to brush that feeling away and do what she came to do. The next day, both teams relaxed at the dorms, where Adam called him an Irish baker for wearing his bandana. Kori suggested that he wear one of Mary Lou's wigs, and the latter dug out her blonde wig for him to wear despite his protests. After putting on the wig for him, Mary Lou introduced him as Donna, or as Nikki said, Double D Donna. Afterwards, he played along with his Donna persona, much to the chef's amusement.

Before the Blind Taste Test, Declan mistook his almond milkshake for hazelnut. He was the first person from the blue team to compete and went up against Nikki. He was able to get all four guesses correct, chicken, carrots, pear, and cheddar cheese. As a result, he spared Marc from any punishments. During Adam's turn, he got both the ice cream and chocolate sauce dunk. The blue team won the challenge 10-8, and they were rewarded with a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon and an overnight stay at the Caesar Palace's private villa. After hearing that, he said that he had not seen all the country yet, and seeing the Grand Canyon in the helicopter was a first.

During the Steak Night dinner service, Declan was on the appetizer station with Amber. At one point, he said that although he was happy to be on the blue team, he felt that Marc was a glitch in their workflow and did not have his risotto ready when the latter sent up his lobster tail. After Adam walked up a burnt egg, he got angry as he asked why turkeys surrounded him while he tried to soar like an eagle. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he and Amber accused Marc of going down that night with the poor timings. Then, he agreed with Cody about nominating Adam as he felt the latter was an island that night and not answering Cody. When Adam argued that he was making a million things that night, he reminded him that everybody was doing the same.

Declan was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, he was not happy that they had to carry Marc again and called it a nightmare.[9]

Episode 10[]

Main article: Episode 1910 - There's Something About Marc

Back at the dorms, Declan wanted to talk that night out, but he and Amber ended up trying to calm down the argument between Marc and Cody.

The next day, Declan deemed Seth Grabel hot if he worked for Ramsay, and after seeing the former make a burger appear from a tray, he wished he could do that in services. During the Five Protein Burger Challenge, he cooked the chicken burger. He was the first person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Jordan. He presented his chargrilled Moroccan-styled chicken burger with black olives and goat cheese, it was criticized for a mushy texture and Laurent Tourondel not being a fan of the goat cheese mixed with the burger, and he lost that round to Jordan.

The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by prepping 500 pounds of potatoes for a pomme purée and drinking an all-burger milkshake. That upset Declan even though Ireland was considered the land of potatoes. During the punishment, he voiced his frustrations of the situation by sarcastically calling himself the potato fairy. During lunch, he drank his milkshake without thinking too hard about the taste and told Amber to drink hers. After that, the blue team went back to the potatoes as he wanted to get it over with.

Before dinner service, Ramsay asked both teams to decide on what station they wanted to run. Although Declan wanted Amber on meat as she was stronger there, he reluctantly let her be on fish as he did not want to cause her to get upset. He ran the meat station, and on appetizers, he discovered that Marc's flat top was off the entire time. On entrées, Ramsay pulled him and Nikki to the front so they could start working on the twelve tops entrées. Both agreed with eight minutes, but Ramsay warned him not to make the same mistakes appetizers made. Although he was confident about his skills on meat, he knew Amber was a better cook on that station but knew it would be a good opportunity to lead. He walked with the meat even though Cody said he needed two minutes on the garnish, but the lamb was raw and off by two minutes, with Amber accusing him of being in over his head. Although he said that it was not his day, he managed to get his refire accepted and sent to the other half of the twelve top. Later, he told Amber that his Wellington would be out in eight minutes, forcing her to fire a new piece of fish as Ramsay called it painful, while he felt she should not be here if she could not get it together. After getting kicked out of service, he reminded Amber that she should have been on meat that night and felt she was out for herself.

The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Declan asked Amber why she wanted to be on fish, and the latter said she wanted to redeem herself on that station in the same way he needed to bounce back on meat. However, he said that it was not the night to do that when they have only four chefs left, and argued that he only had one lamb sent back, but Cody reminded him that he walked up the meat when he needed more time on garnish. Marc nominated him for elimination, but he accused him of bringing the entire team down that night.

Declan was not nominated for elimination, but when Ramsay asked him if Marc's complaints of being sabotaged were true, he said it was not as he felt the blue team helped the latter get set up that night.[10]

Episode 11[]

Main article: Episode 1911 - Sink or Swim

While going back to the dorms, Declan believed that with the cancer being removed from the blue team, that being Marc, he believed the trio could work together.

During the Spells Kitchen Challenge, Declan went up twice during part one. On his first attempt, he got cauliflower, and on his second attempt, he got fingerlings and pearl onions. Although he tried to tell Amber to get rid of the pineapple in favor of the avocado, the latter gave the red team the avocado, dismaying him as he felt she made a mistake. He cooked the veal chop, was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Jordan. He made a pan-roasted veal with roasted rustic potatoes, and it was criticized for leaving the skin on both the potatoes and the eggplant, it was praised for a delicious veal. So, he tied that round with Jordan.

The blue team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a pool day at the Link and an all-American barbecue lunch and received brand new Vitamix blenders. He declared he was doing a cannonball, and after finding his new Vitamix blender, he called it Christmas. During the reward, he said he loved barbecue and told Cody and Amber that he started cooking at the age of seventeen, saying that he started to get serious later in his life.

During the Charity Night dinner service, Declan was in charge of both the pan-seared scallops' course and the pan-roasted filet course due to the blue team being a member down. On his first course, he cooked the scallops alone to make sure they went out okay as Amber plated the purée. However, Ramsay did not understand why he was cooking alone, and Amber said that if she led that course, she would have had two cooking scallops and one person plating. He walked up the scallops, and even though the blue team's organization was messy, they got the course out. On his second course, he asked Amber to double-check his filets, but she felt she was doing all the work for him and asked why he could not check his own meat. Then, Ramsay saw that the filets were over seared, forcing them to refire a couple of portions and causing him to start taking more control of the course. Fortunately, his efforts succeeded, and the blue team sent out their fourth course. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, he nominated Amber for not checking the filets properly as he had asked.

He was not nominated for elimination.[11]

Episode 12[]

Main article: Episode 1912 - There's Magic In Hell?

While going back to the dorms, Declan said he would have preferred if Amber went home as he was sick of her complain about everything. Later, he and Cody went to bed and joked about spooning with each other. The next day, the chefs were up as Cody asked him if he played any instruments, only to say no. The Sous Chefs took the chefs out to see a VIP show of Criss Angel. The chefs saw Angel do his routine to their amazement, and afterwards, Ramsay said there was one more trick Angel had. Angel revealed a 360-spinning box and unveiled it to reveal four models in black jackets, confirming that it was time for the Black Jacket Challenge.

During the first Black Jackets Challenge, Taste It Now Make It, Declan used cauliflower and butternut squash for the purées, green apples and white turnip for the salad, and cod for his fish protein. When he saw Cody and Amber present their dishes, he saw that they were wrong as he knew it was cod based on the shape of the protein. When he had his dish judged, he felt his dish was a photocopy of Ramsay's original dish. Although he got both the fish and the purées correct, he did not get the salad correct. However, because he finished his dish with olive oil and shallots, he was awarded the second black jacket. He called his jacket his new baby, Mary Lou welcomed him to the lounge, and he said he was now in the elite club of the series.

While waiting for the other chefs, he asked Mary Lou who she thought would get a black jacket, and she felt that Kori was the most confident about her skills. Later that night, he was hoping it Nikki instead of Amber, but unfortunately for him, Amber walked in, but he did congratulate her regardless.[12]

Episode 13[]

Main article: Episode 1913 - It's Time!

Back at the dorms, Declan and Cody gave each other a celebratory hug.

During the 5 Dome Challenge, Declan called it interesting after hearing the rules. He grabbed chicken and basmati rice, and while he was the last person to grab something from the starch dome, he was happy with basmati rice as he could use it to create one of his favorite dishes, chump. He was the first person to have his dish judged and presented his oven-roasted chicken with butter baste and basmati rice chump. It was praised for being homey and all the ingredients having a purpose, and he sat in the winner's corner. After looking at Amber's dish, he deemed it a hot mess, and he survived over her. However, he was dethroned by Mary Lou and lost the challenge. He was punished by participating in recycling day, and during the punishment, he got annoyed by Amber's whining.

During prep, Declan and Cody felt uneasy about cooking in the red kitchen. During dinner service, he was on the appetizer station with Kori. At one point, he had faith in his abilities, only for his crab cake to be cold in the center, forcing a refire as Ember Moon became restless. Fortunately, he got the refire accepted. When Amber struggled on fish, he was one of the three chefs that went over to help, and he could not believe that Amber was not backing up her talk and going down like a ton of bricks.

After service, Ramsay asked the final five to name two nominees for elimination. During deliberation, Amber nominated Declan for lack of leadership and being underwhelming, and Mary Lou asked about his temper. He admitted that he has been polite throughout the competition, except with Marc after the Wedding Brunch Service Challenge, but even though he did not want to count it because the latter was gone, the rest considered it counted. However, he reminded them that he was the one who scored perfectly in both the Signature Dish Challenge and the Blind Taste Test and was the second recipient of a black jacket, but Cody knew there was no excuse for the former's anger problems. Then, he nominated Amber.

Declan was named the first nominee for elimination, with Amber as the second, but when he said it was based on vote tallying, Ramsay wondered if everyone was getting too friendly. During his plea, he believed that he has been consistent with his leadership skills from the start and had the fight of a tiger that fight through everything. Despite Amber bringing up his anger issues, he survived elimination. While being dismissed, he declared that he was not going home as he had the fighting spirit of Ireland.[13]

Episode 14[]

Main article: Episode 1914 - Snuggling with the Enemy

Back at the dorms, Declan knew that Cody had his eyes on Mary Lou since the beginning, comparing him to a dog in heat.

During the 40 Nightclub Portions Challenge, Declan got smitten by a blonde in a black dress as he called her a Viking woman, leading Sous Chef Jason to warn him to keep his focus on the food. He made a mini fish and chips dish, and while serving his dish, he explained it to the patrons. He lost the challenge as his dish only received a 23% approval. He and Mary Lou were punished by participating in spring cleaning day in the dorms. During the punishment, Mary Lou liked having him around for company, and after Kori and Cody came back from the reward, they gave him an Al-Clad pan.

During dinner service, Declan was on the garnish station. After Mary Lou failed to identify the tapenade instead of duxelle, he asked how she could miss that. He was the third person to run the pass and called out the order with dominance as he wanted to separate himself from the pack. However, he failed to notice that Ramsay swapped the braised fennel for braised endive until the latter told him to feel it. Frustrated that he missed that, he began to sweat to Kori's annoyance while Adam Carolla joked about putting his sweat into a martini glass. He received a tuna tartare for his next test when it was supposed to be beef, but that time, he caught it and felt he was back in the game. Afterwards, he caught Sous Chef Christina putting courgettes into the carbonara instead of peas, and Mary Lou noticed that he bounced back after his stumble.

After service, Ramsay asked the final four to name one person they wanted to go up against in the finale. During deliberation, Declan knew that all decisions would have to be cutthroat from now on as anything could happen and felt there were two failures on meat that night, meaning Cody and Kori. Then, he admitted that Cody just called out the orders with nothing else.

At elimination, Declan wanted to go up against Cody for his consistency while feeling he had been vocal all the way. After Cody's elimination, he was named the first finalist, followed by Kori and Mary. While being dismissed, Ramsay asked what the family would say about him being in the final three, and he believed they would be incredibly happy as he was proud as a pig in shit.[14]

Episode 15/16[]

Main article: Episode 1915 - What Happens in Vegas...
Main article: Episode 1916 - Hitting the Jackpot

While going back to the dorms, Declan felt that going back to the dorms now felt like walking on the yellow brick road instead of the walk of shame as it normally had been. When the final three entered the dorms, they saw cookware and champagne waiting for them. As the final three celebrated their milestone, he felt it was well deserved after all the hell they went through. Later that night, Ramsay called the final three downstairs to announce that they would each be partnered with a Sous Chef to work on their menu. He picked the ace of diamonds, pairing him with Michelle, and he was fine with that since she beated fifteen All-Stars to win her season. While working on the menu, Michelle commented that he could have a chance to break the six-season streak of women winning the competition, and he listed off some dishes he wanted to make. He wanted to make a lump crab salad for his cold starter as it was one of the first dishes he learned to make and wanted to make an Americana version of a roasted filet of beef, something Michelle liked hearing. After finishing his menu, he warned the women to watch out for himself and Michelle.

The next day, Declan went up to Ramsay's office, where the latter told him that while he tried to fly up his parents to see him, he was informed by the team that they were off on vacation. That dismayed him as has not seen them for two years since he moved to America, but Ramsay revealed that he rerouted their vacation to come to Las Vegas and see him. As he reunited with his parents, he felt that they were seeing him with all the hard work was worth it. As he caught up with his parents, he told them about the helicopter reward and the guest judges he got to meet in the challenges. After the visit, Ramsay took the final three on a tour of Las Vegas to see the five spots he discovered, starting with the villa in Caesars Palace. He felt he could get used to that and commented that having support from Ramsay was brilliant. On their second stop, they met with Ramsay in the bottom of a garage, but he knew that something was up. Ramsay explained that he was introduced to an underground tunnel to reach different restaurants and showed them the prop ship of the Titanic. After having the final three sit down, the platform below them began to rise, and they found themselves on a stage in front of a crowd of people. After introducing them to the crowd, Ramsay said this was their final challenge and the one that determined who would make it to the final two and compete in the final dinner service.

During the Final Menu Challenge, Ramsay reminded Declan not to over-season his food like he always does, and while he knew the pressure was one, he wanted to move like lightning. He said that his five dishes were the aces up his sleeve and called it a mad dash to the end. Before the dishes were judged, Ramsay asked the final three how they felt about their dishes, and he thought he elevated all the flavors. On the cold starter round, he made a crab tion with avocado and blood orange fluid gel, but he got nervous when Michelle Bernstein revealed that the first dish she ever created was a crab avocado tion. Although she deemed the gel a little funky, she liked the avocado and the freshness of the crab, and he scored 9 points. On the hot starter round, he made a pan-fried polenta cake with parmesan and tomato sauce, but while it was praised for the flavors, it was criticized for a dense cake, and he scored 8 points. On the seafood entrée round, he called Susan Feniger a mad artist upon first look. He made an upscale fish and chips, and they were very much enjoyed by Feniger, who was more focused on eating the dish rather than critiquing it but called it delicious as Ramsay took the plate away. He scored 8 points and began to feel nervous. During the chicken entrée round, he made a corn fried chicken supreme with bacon succotash, it was praised for an aggressive seasoning, and he scored a perfect 10. On the red meat entrée round, he made a pan-roasted filet with pomme fondant and king oyster mushrooms, and Wolfgang Puck praised it for a beautiful cook and being well executed. After seeing Kori and Mary Lou's scores, he hoped he got a K.O. Unfortunately, he scored 7 points, and he lost the challenge 42-45-45, therefore eliminating him from the competition. After Puck left, Ramsay asked the crowd to give him a round of applause for making it as far as he did because he made both his parents and his country of Ireland proud. While he was heartbroken he did not make it to the finale, he said that he did his best for Ramsay and was proud of what he accomplished.

After Declan walked off the stage, he was joined by the seven returning chefs for the final dinner service. He was Kori's first pick because he was a no-bullshit kind of guy and was followed by Jordan, Adam, and Marc.[15] Returning to Hell's Kitchen, as Kori went over the menu, Marc kept making quips to his annoyance as he could not stand it. Afterward, Kori gave out station assignments, putting him on appetizers. Before service began, he was determined to see Kori as the winner and make Ramsay proud of them.

During dinner service, Declan was on the appetizer station. He admitted to being jealous that he was not running the pass, but he was happy for Kori and wanted to do his best. While Marc responded to his call out, Adam stood around and said nothing, leading him to accuse the latter of being overconfident and spacey. While he got his risotto up to the pass, Adam was late with the shrimp and was missing the shrimp heads. On the first entrée order, one of the filets Jordan served was rare, frustrating him and Marc. After Jordan continued to struggle, Kori told him to help the former with meat, and he refused to let her down. Fortunately, his attempt was accepted. As both teams cleared down, Kori told him that she owed him drinking for saving her ass as he felt it was her victory. Kori eventually won the finals over Mary Lou.[16]

Nomination History[]

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

Season 23[]

Main article: Episode 2309 - Lonely in the Kitchen

Declan appeared with his wife, as one of the past Hell's Kitchen contestants dining, along with Nikki and Tara from Season 21 and their spouses. He was cheering for the blue team, then he shook his head when Ramsay called the red team to the hot plate.[17]

Post Hell's Kitchen[]

  • After his appearance on the show, Declan offers cookery classes in person and virtually worldwide.
  • In March 2022, he became Culinary Director and Executive Chef at Rebellion Bourbon Bar + Kitchen in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
  • In February 28, 2023, he competed against Adam (also from Season 19) on Food Network's Superchef Grudge Match.
  • In December 2023, he became a United States citizen.
  • On April 14, 2024, he competed on Food Network's 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, but was eliminated with Marc in the first episode.

Trivia[]

  • Before his appearance on the show, he previously was on another cooking competition show as he appeared in two episodes of "Guy's Grocery Games", hosted by celebrity chef Guy Fieri.
  • At 42 years of age, he is the oldest of the season.
  • He is the second Irish contestant in the history of the show, following Trev (Seasons 8 and 18), and the second European-born contestant, following Salvatore (Season 7)
  • He is the third contestant from Washington D.C., following Tavon (Season 10) and JR (Season 13).
  • He is the fifth contestant and third male to achieve a perfect score of 4 out of 4 during the Blind Taste Test, following Justin (Season 10), Milly (Season 14), Wendy (Season 16), and Mia (Season 18). He is also the second contestant and first male to achieve a perfect score on both the Blind Taste Test and the new format of the Signature Dish Challenge, following Mia (Season 18).
  • He is the twentieth contestant and eighth male who kept his jacket after elimination, following Ji (Season 5), Ariel (Season 6), Jillian (Season 8), Elise (Season 9), Dana (Season 10), Jon (Season 11), Melanie (Season 12), Sterling (Season 13), Ashley (Season 15), Heidi (Season 16), Elise, Jennifer, Robyn, Milly, Nick (all from Season 17), Motto, Bret (both from Season 18), Nikki, and Cody (both also from Season 19).
  • He is the fifth black jacket contestant who did not receive a retrospective montage of his run after being eliminated, following Josh (Season 3), Santos, Jennifer (both from Season 13), and Nick (Season 17). He is also the second contestant who is in 3rd place to do so.
  • He is the second contestant and second male who was announced as a finalist but didn't make it to the final two, following Nick (Season 17).
  • He is the only member of that season's black jacket team to have never worn a red jacket at some point.

Quotes[]

  • (Telling Ramsay his nickname at work) "It's Big D!"
  • (About Eliott) "Eliott's like E.T., you're lost in space. Eliott!!"
  • (To Drew) "Drew, fix your jacket, pull up your pants!"
  • (About Drew's slightly visible buttchecks) "Drew, pull up your pants! I see the crack of dawn coming out the back of his ass! It's a full moon!"
  • (About Marc) "All I'm hearing is, 'Blah blah blah blah, I am here to win, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.' You barking at me is like a little chihuahua barking at a big grizzly bear. Sit down."
  • (Responding to Marc's attempt to alleviate tension) "Well then fucking lead, follow, or fuck off!!!"
  • (While wearing one of Mary Lou's wigs, as "Double D Donna") "Whatever I cook, it's gonna be awesome. Whatever I put on the plate, it's the greatest. Deep down, we all know Donna's the best. I'm such a wild tiger of a woman. YEAH, you know what I'm sayin'!"
  • (About the Craps challenge) "Immediately my Jedi mind trick kicks in, and I start saying 'Marc, pork! Pork! Pork!'"
  • (After Marc burned an egg) "My blood boils, why do I have to be standing around these turkeys when I'm trying to soar like an eagle?!"
  • (After being eliminated) "I am heartbroken, but this was an opportunity of a lifetime. Chef Ramsay, I've done my best for you. It's such an honor to work for you. I left being proud of myself and the job I did."

Gallery[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. (October 21, 2020). "Episode 1901 - Welcome To Vegas". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 1.
  2. (October 22, 2020). "Episode 1902 - Shrimply Spectacular". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 2.
  3. (October 28, 2020). "Episode 1903 - Hell Caesar!". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 3.
  4. (November 4, 2020). "Episode 1904 - Wedding Bells In Hell". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 4.
  5. (November 5, 2020). "Episode 1905 - Hell Starts Taking Its Toll". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 5.
  6. (November 12, 2020). "Episode 1906 - Metal & Marina". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 6.
  7. (November 13, 2020). "Episode 1907 - A Pair Of Aces". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 7.
  8. (November 20, 2020). "Episode 1908 - Crapping Out in Hell". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 8.
  9. (November 21, 2020). "Episode 1909 - Blind Taste Test". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 9.
  10. (November 27, 2020). "Episode 1910 - There's Something About Marc". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 10.
  11. (November 28, 2020). "Episode 1911 - Sink or Swim". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 11.
  12. (December 2, 2020). "Episode 1912 - There's Magic In Hell?". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 12.
  13. (December 3, 2020). "Episode 1913 - It's Time!". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 13.
  14. (December 9, 2020). "Episode 1914 - Snuggling with the Enemy". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 14.
  15. (December 10, 2020). "Episode 1915 - What Happens in Vegas...". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 15.
  16. (December 17, 2020). "Episode 1916 - Hitting the Jackpot". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 19. Episode 16.
  17. (November 21, 2024). "Episode 2309 - Lonely in the Kitchen". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 23. Episode 9.
Hell's Kitchen Season 19
Staff
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Jay Santos (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel)
Contestants
Cody CandelarioMary Lou DavisFabiola FuentesNikki HannaDeclan HorganAmber LancasterLauren LawlessPeter MartinezKenneth McDuffieJosh OakleyAdam PawlakMarc QuinonesBrittani RatcliffEliott SanchezJordan SavellKori SuttonDrew TingleySyann Williams
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