“ | I've been a dancer for most of my life. You know, body image and negative food images can go to dancers. So I ended up developing a healthy relationship with food and I've developed an eating disorder. | ” |
Emily Hersh was a contestant on Season 20 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 7th place.
Season 20[]
Episode 1/2[]
- Main article: Episode 2001 - Young Guns: Young Guns Come Out Shooting
- Main article: Episode 2002 - Young Guns: Temping the Meat
The eighteen Young Guns arrive at Las Vegas on a bus heading to Hell's Kitchen, and they drove past the real Hell's Kitchen restaurant. Emily was excited to see Ramsay as Josie revealed to have a crush on him since she was ten. The bus arrived at Hell's Kitchen, where Marino greeted the chefs. Marino explained that Ramsay created a museum to celebrate the past nineteen seasons in honor of the twentieth season. Giving the tour were Shakala and Sean, who led the chefs into the museum. As the chefs toured the museum, they saw photos of past contestants, hung jackets, the Hell's Kitchen Wall of Fame, and lines said from the past seasons. Then, they see video clips of moments from the show. The last stop was an exhibit of the doors used to reveal the winner of each season. Sean said that the final part of the tour was a documentary film about the show's history. However, the curtain pulled back to reveal an audience waiting for them and Ramsay on a stage behind them. Once on stage, Ramsay explained that the museum was meant to showcase the past, while the eighteen of them were the future. Ramsay added that the desire to become a chef was a dream for many young people, and food has evolved over the years since the show began. So, Ramsay announced that the season's winner would become his protégé and become the new Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Afterwards, Ramsay announced the Signature Dish Challenge and gave the chefs 45 minutes to cook their dishes.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Emily was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Steve. Ramsay asked her where her passion came from. She explained that she was a dancer for most of her life and struggled with body image and an eating disorder. While feeling bad for her, Ramsay pointed out how ironic that she was now working with food. She said that food saved her after she became a vegetarian and found a new passion in it. Ramsay asked her when was the last time she had a cheeseburger, and she admitted to eating chicken nuggets after drinking. Ramsay accused her of being a part-time vegetarian, but she argued that she was still full-time, even if she tasted the protein for reference. She made gluten-free cauliflower tacos, but Ramsay placed the lime garnish in the middle of the plate to make a smiley face due to the green salsa on the plate. That made everyone laugh, and she felt it represented her on a plate. Ramsay gave Steve a taco to taste, and the latter said he was a vegetarian on Thursdays. After tasting it, Ramsay felt the tortilla was too small for his liking but deemed it delicious regardless. So, she scored a three. After Keanu scored a four, she was happy to have her on the team.
The red team won the challenge 30-28. They were rewarded with dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak 2.0 and had three previous winners joining them: Season 17 Michelle, Season 18 Ariel, and Sous Chef Christina. During the reward, Emily took in the restaurant's décor as the women met with Michelle and Ariel, excited to talk with the three women. Later that night, she went to comfort Brynn when the latter had an anxiety attack. She reassured Brynn that everybody has those moments, and it was good for her to get it all out now so she could kill it tomorrow. Brynn showed her a picture of her as a baby, explaining that she was adopted from Cambodia and was grateful for her foster parents giving her a better life.[1]
During the Alcohol Challenge, Emily tried not to be brought down by the other chefs due to her vegetarianism. She lost the challenge as her dish was not picked as part of the Top Three. Brynn called her as part of the worst three in the red team, but she got upset with the former's decision after their heart-to-heart talk the previous night. She made an Asian-styled fried chicken with vodka sauce, but it looked dark, and the slaw tasted bland. Despite that, she was not nominated for elimination.
During prep, Emily was excited to receive Henkel Knives as they were more expensive than her rent and compared it to Cinderella getting her glass slipper. During the 300th dinner service, she was at the meat station with Megan. As they worked on their first entrée, her constant questions about meat made Megan nervous. After some hesitation, she sent up the proteins, and Ramsay accepted them. The red team won the service, and she was proud and relieved that they did it.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 2003 - Young Guns: Come Hell or High Water!
Back at the dorms, Emily told Payton that she teared up by how Ramsay dressed him down but was proud of him regardless. However, despite feeling bad for the men, she wanted to relax with the women as they dipped their feet into the hot tub. She wanted to compare foot sizes, though Victoria and Megan said their feet had cankles and bunions. Emily then revealed she had friends who sold pictures of their feet online, much to the disgust of Brynn, who decided to leave the hot tub. As the women talked about foot fetishes with Victoria revealing her sister got offered $50 for a toe suck, the men listened in on their conversation with interest. Keanu then said she heard of a man pouring maple syrup over one woman’s body, leading the two to comment on how weird men were.
During the Whole Squid Prep Challenge, Emily got one attempt accepted, and near the end of the challenge, she brought up her second. It was accepted, and the red team won the challenge 16-14. They were rewarded with an off-road racing experience at Speed Vegas and eating lunch provided by BLT Steak.
During dinner service, Emily was at the garnish station. She pushed for communication, but a glitch happened when she called out a halibut on order, which Victoria did not think it was. She struggled to remember what was on order, so they decided to send up what they had up to the pass. However, Ramsay saw that and asked the women what was going on. Once everything was cleared up, Victoria said that communication was either do or die for the women, getting their first order out. The red team won the service.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 2004 - Young Guns: Young Guns Going Big
During the Paris Hotel Brunch Service Challenge, Emily was on the omelet station with Josie. As the women received their first order, she began cooking the omelet. However, Ramsay reminded the women that Megan’s steak took six minutes, while her omelet took two minutes. Later, the women waited on her omelet in the red kitchen, who claimed it was undercooked. Ramsay warned her and Josie not to sabotage their team and ordered them to get a grip. The red team won the challenge and was rewarded with a Caesars Entertainment’s Private Jet ride to see locales like the Paris Strip, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon. They also won a staycation at Planet Hollywood’s mega-suite. She was excited as it was the best reward they had. She said it would be hard to go back to coach after the private jet experience during the reward. At Planet Hollywood, she and Keanu danced in robes and were joined by Steve.
During dinner service, Emily was on the appetizer station with Josie. At one point, she acknowledged Victoria’s strength. Still, she was not happy that she was cooking alone after the latter ignored Brynn and Morgana. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she nominated Victoria and Brynn.
Emily was not nominated for elimination. After Alex's elimination, Ramsay reassigned her, Victoria, and Megan into the blue team in exchange for Sam and Payton. While being dismissed, she said she would miss the ladies but felt the men would welcome her and Megan with open arms before declaring herself a blue team girl.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 2005 - Young Guns: Stirring the Pot
During the Emoji Jacket Challenge, Kevin told Emily to make burgers and fries. She tried to give her new team some hope, but she was nervous about relying on someone else’s help. She was the final person from the blue team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Sam. Ramsay noticed something and had her read the recipe off Sam’s back. It turned out the onion was missing, and she revealed Kevin told her to put it into the sauce. Even though it had a good layer and tasted good, she lost that round. The blue team lost the challenge 2-4, and they were punished by cleaning the Eiffel Tower while wearing French maid outfits. During the punishment, she and Megan saw how dusty it was.
Emily was at the appetizer station with Trenton during dinner service. As the blue team worked on appetizers, she said she would help them win by being a team player and show Ramsay she could be his next head chef. Thanks to her help, the blue team sent out a stream of appetizers. She was later seen dancing to the beat in the confessionals as the blue team continued momentum. The blue team won the service.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 2006 - Young Guns: A Ramsay Birthday in Hell!
Before the Megan 21st Planning Challenge, a picture of Emily's high school showcase was shown, revealing that she had muscles. She made one of the blue team's three appetizers. She was the second person from the blue team to have her dish judged and went up against Brynn. She made roasted red pepper and corn fritters with tequila. While it had a nice balance, Megan thought it lacked the pepper component. She lost that round. The blue team won the challenge after a tie at three each. They were rewarded with a flow riding experience on the roof of Planet Hollywood and lunch proved by Café Hollywood. She was ready to get her surf on during the reward as the blue team each had a turn. During lunch, she felt refreshed before tonight's service.
During Megan's 21st dinner service, Emily was at the fish station with Trenton. She was not seen that night, but the blue team won the service.[6]
Episode 7[]
As the blue team waited for Trenton during his one-on-one with Ramsay, Emily said she wanted to talk with the latter. Later that night, she, Brynn, and Josie hanged out in the red bedroom. She told the two that she had an infected eye a few weeks ago and looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. She and Josie ended up hanging out more that night as the two goofed around.
The following day, the chefs received soccer uniforms that Emily hoped they got to keep. When Ramsay asked the blue team for a volunteer to join the red team, she and Victoria were the only ones interested in rejoining their old team. However, Ramsay denied their request as he wanted to give someone else a chance. So, she said goodbye to Antonio as the latter went to the red team.
During the International Cuisine Challenge, Emily picked Thai Cuisine. During part one, she struggled to get her ball into her net. When Josie revealed that she did not taste her dish, she whispered it was a novice mistake. She was the fourth person from the blue team to have her dish judged and went up against Brynn. She made a sweet potato curry with chicken. It was praised for having many flavors, and Michael Cimarusti was impressed with the curry. She won that round over Brynn. The blue team lost the challenge 2-4. They were punished by prepping the dining room for that night’s service, including ironing the tablecloths, polishing the silverware, and polishing the glasses. She jokingly called Antonio a traitor during the punishment as the red team walked out for their reward.
During dinner service, Emily was at the appetizer station with Megan. As the blue team received their first order, she felt great because she did appetizers before and had faith in Kevin. When Kevin struggled on the lobster tail, she tried to calm him down. After Kevin's mid-service elimination, she was reassigned to fish. She knew they could not afford any more mistakes and did not want to get kicked out. Both teams were named joint winners.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 2008 - Young Guns: A Devilish Challenge
Before the Relay Challenge, Emily was the first chef to dance on the dance floor. On the final round, she called it chaos in the blue kitchen. On the New York Striploin round, she failed to slice the steak properly, and Ramsay compared it to dog food. The blue team lost the challenge 1-3, and they were punished by participating in Recycling Day, which included sorting through the trash.
Later that day, the chefs were back at the dorms relaxing. Emily and Josie had a flirtatious conversation and told Sam that it was how vegetarians talked to each other when the latter asked if they needed a room. Ramsay held one-on-one meetings with the chefs, and she was the second one to have her meeting. Ramsay told her that she had an infectious energy and asked where that came from. She said it came from her mother as she never gave up, and Ramsay urged her to keep the attitude up as she had the same energy Sous Chef Christina had in Season 10. Meeting Josie at the patio, she was relieved to see that she was not eliminated as the two embraced. She called the interview amazing as she called it crazy for Ramsay to believe in her.
Later that evening, Ramsay announced the Cook For Your Life Challenge and Emily was forced to compete. She went up against Sam, Keanu, Victoria, and Josie. When she went back to change, she thought she was ranked lower due to her vegetarianism, but she had a fire lit due to being underestimated. During the cooking, she decided to grill her pork chops like her dad would and wanted to have Ramsay taste the same Brussel sprouts her father loved. Four minutes left, she decided to taste her pork as she wanted it to be perfect. She was the third person to have her dish judged by Ramsay. She hoped her dish showed her hard work. When she presented her grilled pork chop with fried sweet potatoes and bourbon apple compound butter, she realized that she forgot to plate the Brussel sprouts. Regardless, Ramsay judged her dish on what was on the plate and deemed it a good dish. While she lost out to Josie, she won over Keanu and became the third chef sent to safety. She was happy to survive and reunited with Josie, who was glad to see her.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 2009 - Young Guns: A Game Show From Hell
During the Spells Kitchen Challenge, Emily went up twice in part one and competed against Antonio in both those times. In her first attempt, she got quinoa and kept it for the blue team's sea bass. In her second attempt, she got competitive and grabbed Swiss chard for the blue team's veal chop. Then, she claimed sweet potato, swapped it for the rutabaga for the sea bass dish and gave it to the red team's veal chop. Afterwards, she thought she bested Antonio. She cooked the sea bass with Victoria during the cooking, thought her and the latter's dishes were creative, and felt confident. They were the second pair from the blue team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against the pair of Brynn and Kiya. She made pan-seared sea bass with quinoa salad and turnip puree, it was seasoned beautifully, and she scored a point.
The blue team won the challenge 6-3, and they were rewarded with a private hot tub from Drai's Beach Club at the Cromwell Hotel. During the reward, Emily saw the entire Vegas strip and felt like a millionaire.
During the Charity Night dinner service, Emily was in charge of the pan-seared scallops course. She led the pan-seared scallop course with no issues with some rave reviews from the table. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she said she had three potential nominees, the first being Trenton due to the filet mignon course. Later, she struggled to pick someone based on the mistakes made that night.
She was not nominated for elimination.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 2010 - Young Guns: More Than a Sticky Situation
During the Blind Taste Test, Emily was the fourth person from the blue team to compete and went up against Josie. She got pineapple, asparagus and potatoes. This saved Megan from any punishments. During the final round, she was spared from the punishments as the challenge ended prematurely. The blue team won the challenge 9-6, and they were rewarded with a party bus drive to the Brooklyn Bowling alley. During the reward, she called the party bus a merger of three cars. While bowling, she hit multiple gutter balls, admitting that she was terrible at bowling.
During dinner service, Emily was at the fish station. At one point, she was late on the garnish. Then, she forgot the mashed garnish to go with the order, making Megan deem her disorganized and unfocused. Trenton chided her for forgetting the garnish, but the latter got it accepted. Both teams were named joint winners, and Megan was named "Best of the Best" for the blue team. During deliberation, she and Megan chatted about her disorganization. She said she had the determination and the attitude to succeed, but she was nervous that Megan could nominate her.
Emily was not nominated for elimination. While being dismissed, she was sad to see Josie go home as they became close friends.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 2011 - Young Guns: Swiping Right
Back at the dorms, Emily told Steve that she knew he was not going home over Josie and was happy he was still here. Later, she and Megan reassured Steve that he is a strong chef despite a rough night. The following day, she mentioned how their age is innovative because they had a different outlook on life.
During the Protein Match App Challenge, Emily cooked the pork chop and went up against Antonio. During part one, she picked granny apples and bacon. During the cooking, she grabbed porcini mushrooms for her blind date ingredient. She was the third person from the blue team to have her dish judged and presented her pork chop with porcini mushrooms and a smoky parsnip puree. It was praised for the pork cook but criticized for the lack of mushrooms, and she lost that round to Antonio. The blue team won the challenge after a tie at two each. They were rewarded with a spa day at the Qua & Bath Spa on the Vegas strip and received Vitamix blenders.
During the Steak Night dinner service, Emily was at the meat station. The blue team was firing entrées as she and Steve communicated on timings. She said it was the first time leading steaks on a line and said the stakes were high. However, she did not sear them until Ramsay pointed it out, and Steve feared his salmon would be ruined as it would take longer than six minutes for a proper sear. She brought up her entrées, but the steak was undercooked. Ramsay reminded them that a steak takes longer to cook than a salmon and order the two to be in sync. Later, Steve looked to her on the refire as he knew Ramsay was giving them a second chance and did not want to ruin it. So, Steve had Megan help her on the steaks, and she knew she could not afford another mistake. The refire was accepted, and she was relieved. The blue team won the service.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 2012 - Young Guns: All Hell Breaks Loose
When the Black Jackets Challenge was announced, Emily was excited as she made it far to see one. During the first challenge, she received shrimp, parsnip, spinach, eggplant, and sun-dried tomatoes for her dish. She was excited because she loved cooking with eggplant. During the cooking, she said her dream was to get a black jacket as she fought for everything in her life. She was willing to be the last one standing to get one. She was the fifth person to have her dish judged and felt confident about her dish as she was used to cooking proteins by now. She made a mint sage bermanite poached shrimp with Baba Anoosh puree. While it had working flavors, the shrimp was overcooked. She knew it was not a good review, but she refused to give up now. She lost the challenge to Trenton and Brynn and had to compete in the second challenge.
During the second Black Jackets Challenge, Emily rolled an H and picked heirloom tomatoes. She decided to make sushi and elevate it during the cooking so Ramsay would be okay with raw bluefin tuna. However, the sushi did not roll properly, forcing Emily to do something different as she felt helpless. She was the first person to have her dish judged by Ramsay. She walked up disappointed as she revealed her tuna rice salad with spicy mayo and truffle oil. Even though the seasoning was on point, Ramsay said it looked a mess and told her it was not worthy of a black jacket. Emily was embarrassed to send up a plate of mush to Ramsay and said she never wanted to do that again. She lost the challenge to Megan and Kiya and had to compete in the final challenge.
Before the final Black Jackets Challenge, Emily received a video message from her parents and her sister. Seeing that made her happy as she could not have cooked without her parents. During the cooking, Megan saw how stressed Emily looked as she said her nerves her high. Still, she was reminded of her family's likes after seeing the video. Brynn and Megan saw that she picked a T-bone steak to impress Ramsay, but both doubted that she cooked one before. She told Sous Chef Jason that she wanted to honor her father as he was a grill master, but the latter said that the steaks she picked were not ribeyes. Instead, they were porterhouse. Still, she wanted to use them as it would have been what her father used. She was the second person to have her dish judged by Ramsay. She felt she made a superstar of a dish and thought she had a chance to win because Ramsay loved steak. She explained that her father sparked her interest in cooking and said he was a grill master. So, she made a grilled porterhouse with Brussel sprouts and blue cheese and bacon mashed. The sprouts were delicious, but Ramsay noted how difficult cooking a porterhouse was because it had a New York strip and a filet. It showed as the filet was overcooked while the strip was cooked beautifully. Still, Ramsay understood what she tried to do and called it a good dish.
Once the judging was finished, Ramsay announced that the first eliminated chef was Emily. Before leaving, Ramsay told her she was one of the best learners in the competition and the most positive chef. Ramsay told her she had a wise head on her shoulders, and her genius side was beginning to show. During her exit interview, she said she wanted a black jacket but called her experience wonderful as her future looked bright.
Ramsay gave no comment on Emily's elimination, and she did not receive the coat hanging and picture burning sequence.[12]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 2015 - Young Guns: What the Hell
- Main article: Episode 2016 - Young Guns: Two Young Guns Shoot It Out
During the recap for Episode 16, Emily received the portrait burning sequence for the first time since her elimination.
Emily was one of the seven chefs that returned for the final dinner service. She watched the Final Menu Challenge alongside the others. During the challenge, she was scared for Megan as she wanted the latter in the top two. She was Megan's third pick, after Steve and Victoria and was followed by Josie.[13] Back at the dorms, she saw Megan as a humble leader and knew the latter was worried she would come off bossy.
During dinner service, Emily was at the garnish station. She was not seen much, except for noticing that Megan was stepping up as a mini–Sous Chef Christina. After service ended, she believed that Megan was becoming a leader and was proud of being under her leadership that night. Megan eventually lost the finale to Trenton. During the celebration, she and Josie complimented Megan.[14]
Nomination History[]
Week 1 | Nominated |
---|---|
Win | |
Week 2 | Win |
Week 3 | Safe |
Week 4 | Win |
Week 5 | Win |
Week 6 | Win |
Week 7 | Nominated |
Week 8 | Safe |
Week 9 | Win |
Week 10 | Win |
Week 11 | Eliminated |
Season 21[]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 2106 - Til Chef Do Us Part
In Episode 6, Emily made a cameo appearance as one of Trenton and Macee's wedding guests with Victoria.[15]
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Emily works as a chef at Jardín at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens which has excellent reviews. She also gives cooking classes and demonstrations, online and in person.
Trivia[]
- She is the second vegetarian contestant to compete, following Wendy (Season 1).
- She and Megan are the fourth and fifth contestants to survive the entire team phase without losing a single service to the opposing team, as the only instances where they lost a dinner service were joint losses, following Ed, Jason, and Jay (all from Season 7). They are also the only two to do so in two different teams.
- She is the thirteenth female contestant to switch teams and not make it into the black jackets, following Melissa (Season 3), Lacey (Season 5), Melissa (Season 8), Natalie (Season 9), Roshni (Season 10), Nedra (Season 11), Sandra (Season 12), Dannie (Season 15), Shaina, Wendy (both from Season 16), Gizzy, Kanae (both from Season 18), and Victoria (also from Season 20).
- She holds the record for the most dinner service wins without making it into the black jackets, with seven.
Quotes[]
- "I've been a dancer for most of my life. You know, body image and negative food images can go to dancers. So I ended up developing a healthy relationship with food and I've developed an eating disorder."
- (Josie and Emily singing) Emily: "New day, new day is gonna be a great day." Josie: "Not gonna set up for elimination." Emily: "He's (Ramsay) gonna tell someone else to fuck off." (both laughing)
- (About Antonio) "Now I see his little coffee stance. It brings out the competitive edge in me."
- (About her bad performance at bowling) "I'm really really bad at bowling. People call me gutter girl. (laugh)"
- (After being eliminated) "Oh, I really did want that black jacket. That is a disappointment, but, you know, this experience has just meant the world to me. I will remember this for the rest of my life. I think my future is so bright that I don't need that black jacket. I'm gonna do something worthwhile on my own.
Gallery[]
External links[]
Emily Hersh on Instagram
References[]
Hell's Kitchen: Young Guns |
---|
Staff |
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Jay Santos (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
Contestants |
Kevin Argueta • Josie Clemens • Payton Cooper • Sam Garman • Trenton Garvey • Brynn Gibson • Megan Gill • Steve Glenn • Ava Harren • Emily Hersh • Keanu Hogan • Matthew Francis Johnson • Alex Lenik • Antonio Ruiz • Jay Smith • Victoria Sonora • Morgana Vesey • Kiya Wilhelm |