| “ | I have a lot of Italian heritage. I got an Italian flag tattooed on my chest. It's in my blood. | ” |
Bret Hauser was a contestant on Seasons 14 and 18 of Hell's Kitchen. On Season 14, he ranked in 11th place, and on Season 18, he ranked in 3rd place.
Season 14[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1401 - 18 Chefs Compete
When the chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, the doors were locked, and they noticed that Ramsay was on the roof, who told them to jump onto an air mattress to see if they were 100% committed. While Bret was more eager to jump after seeing Enrique and Ruth doing it, Ramsay revealed that it was not necessary as those two were stunt people, and asked the chefs to cook their signature dishes.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Bret was the last person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Monique. He served a bone-in veal chop saltimbocca over smashed fingerling potatoes, Ramsay deemed the dish rustic, but having charm, and he scored three points. The blue team won the challenge 31-28, and they were rewarded with a Hummer limousine ride to Saint Rocke, in Hermosa Beach, to meet William Shatner, and had a picture taken with him and Billy Sherwood.
During dinner service, Bret was on the meat station with Milly. He was not seen much but at one point there lamb was raw. He refused to go down like this as he felt the team is better than this. The blue team won the service.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1402 - 17 Chefs Compete
During the Crab Challenge, Bret was in a boat with Josh, Michael, and Randy during the first part, and was seen collecting six crabs. During the second part, he was paired with Michael, but due to the latter's slow performance, they only managed to get one of their attempts accepted, frustrating him. The blue team lost the challenge 7-10, and they were punished by prepping shrimp, clams, and lobster for a seafood special during the next service. During the punishment, he stated that he was not happy about their loss, as he hated losing.
During dinner service, Bret was on the garnish station with Nick. After a team meeting, he knew that they had to bounce back, and while he and Milly were reassigned to the fish station after two of their teammates were kicked out, their efforts were not enough, and Ramsay kicked the rest of the team not long after.
The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people. During deliberation, Bret was pissed that the blue team failed to meet his expectations, considered Cameron and Brendan, and told the former that he should go home if he could not cook scallops in front of Ramsay.
He was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1403 - 16 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Bret revealed that he knew Cameron would go home as he did not have the balls to stay, unlike Michael.
During the Alaskan Fish Challenge, Bret was paired with Brendan, and they were seen getting their trout pieces accepted. They were the first pair from the blue team to have their dishes judged, and they went up against Meghan and T. He made a trout emadene, it was praised for the crispiness of its skin, and he won the round for the team. When he found out Adam used Milly's rice, he was wondering what the latter was doing.
The blue team lost the challenge 1-3, and they were punished by taking part in seafood Delivery day, prepping the fish for the following service, and eat a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich. During the punishment, Bret refused to eat his sandwich as he was the only one who scored for the team, but Nick ordered him to eat it like a team member.
During dinner service, Bret was on the fish station with Josh. At one point, he acknowledged that if either he or Josh would have touched Michael's sizzling pan, they would have left the competition with a third-degree burn. Then, he said that Nick's raw pork was a major risk as it could make someone very sick, primarily a pregnant woman.
Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. During deliberation, Bret said that he would rather have an under-cooked piece of lamb than a piece of plastic in his salad, referring to Adam’s scallops incident, and knew that Michael was a disaster, Nick ruined their chance of completing service, and called Adam’s plastic incident absurd.
He was not nominated for elimination.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1404 - 15 Chefs Compete
While going back to the dorms, Bret was happy that Michael was gone as he felt the latter was the blue team’s weakest link, and mockingly told him to see him in Atlantic City as a prep cook. Later that night, he refused to play "Never have I ever", and went back to the dorms, refusing to embarrass his mother.
During the American Classics Challenge, Bret was paired with Nick on pizza, and refused to lose that challenge. While catching the footballs, despite boasting that he was a great wide receiver, he accidentally hit Mieka in the face. During the cooking, he refused to lose to a chicken and pineapple pizza, and said that his grandmother would roll in her grave if she saw that. He was the first person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and went up against Michelle. He made a rustic Italian pizza, it was praised for the salami and olive components and cooked a little nicer than Michelle’s, despite being criticized for having too much seasoning, and he won the round. The blue team lost the challenge after a tie breaker at 4, and he shouted profanity in anger, though Ramsay mocked him when he told the women there was so much pain he could take.
The blue team was punished by taking deliveries of 500 pounds of onions, and prepping them for the next service. Bret was furious that they lost another challenge, and growled that he would have won if it was an individual challenge. Despite Nick trying to calm him down, he was still fuming and said that he was about to have both an ulcer and a brain aneurysm. During the punishment, he said that his tears were from losing, threatened to chop his teammates if they were not as serious as he was, and planned on playing blues kitchen by himself. Then, he openly said some of the blue chefs liked losing challenges, but when the rest of the men called him out on the comment, it made them all calm down, and work through the rest of the punishment without any more animosity.
During the Family Night dinner service, Bret was on the appetizer station with Brendan. After Brendan served an under portioned risotto, he decided to take over his station. When he was finishing his risotto refire, and despite believing that he had it, Ramsay saw that he used recycled rice for the fresh portion. While he kicked himself for that careless mistake, he managed to get the third attempt accepted, and appetizers were leaving the blue kitchen. Later, he felt that he was becoming the leader for the team, and declared that playtime was over. However, when the blue team was forced to eat an overcooked salmon and New York striploin, he called it embarrassing. The blue team won the service.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1405 - 14 Chefs Compete
During the International Cheese Challenge, Bret went up against T, and their dish was a calzone. During the cooking, he announced what his calzone would be, but Nick found that annoying. With eight minutes left, he found out that his calzone was broken on the bottom due to using a thinner dough, so he decided to put his filling into another dough base, and his second attempt into the pizza oven. He was the last person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and presented his traditional calzone du prezzi with roasted peppers, heirloom tomatoes, and Pomodoro cheese. While Ramsay praised the filling for being delicious, it was criticized for having raw dough, and he lost the round to T.
The blue team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by taking a delivery of a giant wheel of Parmesan cheese, breaking it down, and grating it for the following service. Bret was disgusted with himself over the raw crust, and back on the patio, he openly teared up for costing the victory for the blue team, while saying he had no shame about doing it as it showed he had the passion to win.
During prep, Bret said that he wanted to see the red team lose even more after the women arrogantly explained about their reward. During dinner service, he was on the fish station. After Adam sent a risotto that was stuck to the pan, he said that if the latter could not cook a proper risotto, he had no business being in Hell’s Kitchen. Later, he sent a soggy and overcooked salmon, and he took the blame for it. The blue team won the service.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1406 - 13 Chefs Compete
During the Firefighter Service Challenge, Bret was on the garnish station with Brendan. He was not seen at all, the blue team won the challenge, and he was excited that they were finally going to leave the restaurant. They were rewarded with a tour at the Malibu vineyard, which included a safari tour, and dinner. He was extremely pumped the blue team would finally eat some real food and drink some wine at the same time.
During dinner service, Bret served a special lollipop chicken wings appetizer table side. When the blue team struggled on the first ticket, he tried his best to distract Bree Turner’s table, even flirting with her. After Nick and Brendan were kicked out, he was relocated to the fish station. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people.
He was not nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1407 - 12 Chefs Compete
During the Greek Cuisine Challenge, Bret said that he would be more interested in the Greek dancers if there was some Miami booty music playing along. He went up against Michelle, and their dish was prawns, which made him confident in his skills. While smashing the plates, he was more confident when he got feta cheese. During Josh's turn, he was dismayed when the latter's dish looked like lamb blood soup. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged and presented his Greek styled grilled prawns. It was praised for being a wonderful dish and cooked beautifully, and he scored eight points. After Randy scored a perfect ten, he was ecstatic that the latter pulled it out. The blue team won the challenge 41-40, and they were rewarded with a go-karting experience at K-1 Speed, hosted by Miss California USA 2013 Maybelynn Capeluj.
During dinner service, Bret was on the appetizer station with Nick. He was not seen much, but when the blue team took over the red kitchen after the women were kicked out, he said that it was the first time they had to finish the red team’s service, and believed that the blue team was getting stronger every service.
The blue team won the service, and after elimination, Bret believed that if he could keep leading the blue team, he would have a shining chance at winning.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1408 - 11 Chefs Compete
During the Alcohol Challenge, Bret did not participate in the judging, and while he found it difficult not to present his dish, he allowed Josh to present his liquor dish as the latter was very confident in it. The blue team won the challenge 31-30, he rubbed in the fact that the women lost another challenge, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Moonlight Rollerway for a roller skate experience, and lunch at the Golden Road Brewery. During the reward, he said that they looked cute in their costumes, before falling over.
During prep, Bret told the men he wanted a nice clean service. Then, he went to the bathroom, but took a lot of time, worrying his teammates. In the bathroom, he started to feel immense pain and groaned, which Christine heard from the red kitchen. Then, Christine found him leaning against the wall in the back hallway, asked if he was okay, and he asked for a medic, before revealing that he was suffering from a severe flare up on a previously diagnosed slipped disc. When Adam and Sous Chef Andi went to look for him, he explained his condition and said that it happened when he was taking a shit. Then, Milly and Josh carried him back to the dorms, and Milly told him to take his time as they would back him up regardless. In the bedroom, he lied on the floor, Josh told him to holler if he needed anything, and he apologized for his condition.
Later, Ramsay went to see Bret in the dorms, he told Ramsay he had a slipped disc pinching on his sciatic nerve, and while Ramsay was disappointed by the news, he told him that despite doing bloody well in the competition, he could not continue competing, as it could lead to permanent damage to his back. After, Ramsay told him that his family would be very proud of him and that he needed to think only about himself, before shaking his hand goodbye and urging him to get better. During his exit interview, he was extremely upset about leaving like that but refused to stop what he did as he had a lot of support.
Ramsay gave no comment on Bret's departure, although he was mentioned in Adam's comment, and he did not receive the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.[8]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Win |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Win |
| Week 8 | Hospitalized |
Season 18[]
Episode 1/2[]
- Main article: Episode 1801 - Rookies vs. Veterans
- Main article: Episode 1802 - A Fond Farewell
Bret, along with the other veterans, was in disguise when they arrived at Hell's Kitchen, unknown to the rookies. When they arrived at Hell's Kitchen, they were welcomed by Marino and the Sous Chefs, and were given butternut squash risotto for lunch. He was the seventh veteran to reveal himself, and after, Ramsay asked him how his back was, recalling how he was forced to leave Season 14 due to a slipped disc. He told Ramsay that his back was better, and said that leaving because of his injury was disgusting to him.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Bret chose to go up against Chris, and during the cooking, he and Trev complained how they were looking forward to making their original signature dishes. He was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and presented his duck breast with mango-blackberry purée. It was praised for nailing the duck, and he scored 4 points. After Jen scored 2 points on her dish, he called it unacceptable.
The veterans lost the challenge after a tie at 29, and they were punished by prepping both kitchens for the following service, shelling sunflower seeds, and prepping the mushroom duxelles. While going back to the dorms, Bret blamed Jen for costing them the challenge as she was the only veteran that scored a two. During the punishment, he said that washing mushrooms were not a difficult chore to do after Jen was caught making the duxelle without washing the mushrooms, and later, he knew that the rookies were going to come back from their reward excited, before he and T mocked them cheering.
Later that night, Jen noticed that Bret had a Hell’s Kitchen tattoo on his arm, and when she asked him about the garlic and asparagus tattoos, he explained that they were in remembrance of his parents as they passed away five months apart in the past year, and deemed them his major inspiration for his passion, before leaving for bed.[9] The next day, he was shocked when Ramsay announced that he was taking the lobster risotto off the menu as it has been a staple menu item since the start of the series.
During the Creative Risotto Challenge, Bret told Sous Chef Jocky about his asparagus and shrimp risotto, and how he cooked that dish five times a week, before believing that he could not lose that challenge as he lived for risotto. When he presented his dish to Sous Chef Jocky, he presented his tomato seafood rotto risotto, and had to explain to Sous Chef Jocky that rotto was broth in Italian. He was the final person from the veterans to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and presented his grilled shrimp and charred asparagus tip risotto with a seafood tomato broth. His dish was good enough to beat out Mia, he won the challenge, and got emotional as the win was for his parents, before knowing that he made them proud. His reward was having his risotto added onto the menu for the rest of the season, and received a punishment pass with him taking the entire case. Back at the dorms, his emotional boasting annoyed the rookies with some of them mocking him in their confessionals.
During dinner service, Bret was on the meat station with Ariel. During appetizers, he tasted T's risotto, and said that the dish he served to clients and his friends was going to be tasted by the world. When it was rejected, Ramsay told him to be near T for the first couple of orders as it was his dish. On entrées, he sent out a lamb that he already sliced when it was not his place, much to his dismay as it was cooked perfectly. After Ramsay and Sous Chef Jocky lectured him not to slice the lamb, he profusely apologized while sending up his refire, with Heather telling him to get over it. Despite that, his refire was accepted, and the veterans eventually won the service.[10]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1803 - Hell's Riders
Before the Marine Service Challenge, Bret knew how dedicated the marines were to their mission. He was on the fish station with Roe, he was not seen, and the veterans lost the challenge. They were punished by prepping squid for a calamari dish in that night’s service, but Ramsay offered him a chance to use his punishment pass so he could join the rookies on their reward. He decided to use it as he felt that the veterans would not lose again after that day. While Trev accused him of taking the first chance of leaving the veterans behind on their punishment, he argued that he earned the pass, and if Trev did not like it, then he should have made a better risotto. He joined the rookies in their reward to Paramount Ranch, and got to star in their own Western film. Before leaving, he told his teammates that he plans on figure out the tricks from the rookies.
During dinner service, Bret was on the fish station with Heather. After Jen was eliminated mid-service due to her poor attitude towards Ramsay, he asked what the former was thinking for yelling at Ramsay, but knew that they wanted her gone anyway. Both teams were named joint winners.[11]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1804 - Hell Freezes Over
Back at the dorms, Bret stated that he would have slit his own throat just for another chance.
Before the Winter Soup Challenge, Bret was the pusher for the veterans, he was the final veteran to slide down, and they won a ten-second head start. He was the final person from the veterans to have his dish judged and presented his crispy pancetta tomato soup with orzo. However, when Traci De Jardins asked him what kind of tomatoes he used for the dish, he revealed that he used canned tomatoes, much to the veterans, and Ramsay’s dismay. The dish was then criticized for tasting salty, a lack of the pancetta taste, and he scored three points.
The veterans lost the challenge 41-51, and they were punished by cleaning all 30 tons of the snow off the front entrance. Back at the dorms, Bret was disgusted that he let the veterans down, and profusely apologized to his teammates. However, Roe told him to let it go, but he said that he did not want to as he would criticize himself harder than what Ramsay could do to him. During the punishment, he decided to chuck some snow chinks into the dumpster instead of waiting for an open wheelbarrow but was deemed a roller coaster of emotions by Heather because of that.
During dinner service, Bret served a clam chowder appetizer tableside. At one point, he was chatting with the customers about his career, but that caused the blue kitchen to slow down, leading Ramsay to tell him to speed up. Both teams were named joint-losers and were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he considered Kevin and Trev due to the problems of meat that night.[12]
Bret was not nominated for elimination, and he, Kevin, and Trev were reassigned to the red team, switching out with Gizzy, Kanae, and Mia, as Ramsay decided to end the Rookies Vs. Veterans team format and bring back the battle of the sexes.
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1805 - Fish Out of Water
While going back to the dorms, Bret called the major team switch unexpected and was at a loss for words over the battle of the sexes being back on.
During the Seven Way Cooking Challenge, Bret received grilling as his cooking method, he was the first person from the red team to have his dish judged and went up against Gizzy. He made soy and sriracha marinated grilled halibut with grilled baby bok choy, it was criticized as the soy sauce drained the moisture out of the fish, making it dry, despite it being praised for having good flavors, and he lost that round to Gizzy. The red team lost the challenge 3-5, and they were punished by participating in composting day, which involved mixing all the waste that was accumulated in the 18 seasons of the show and mixing it with manure that would be arriving soon. During the punishment, he asked Motto if their situation reminded him about life on the farm.
During dinner service, Bret was on the meat station with Trev. At one point, he tried to communicate with Scotley, the latter was silent and unresponsive. Later, he sent up Wellington sauce that was ice cold, which proved to be the final straw for Ramsay as he kicked the red team out of service. While going back to the dorms, he took the blame for the cold sauce. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he believed that fish was the main problem for the red team, before considering Kevin and Scotley for elimination. However, he was considered for elimination by Motto and Chris for the cold sauce, but he asked if a cold sauce would have gotten them kicked out had there been no other mistakes. While the men agreed with that argument, Motto said that he was only giving his honest opinion, before accusing him of not walking the walk.
He was not nominated for elimination.[13]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1806 - Hot Potato
While going back to the dorms, Bret was shocked that Kevin was eliminated as the latter was a phenomenal chef, but also knew that it was one less person in his way for the grand prize.
Before the Potato Challenge, Bret commented that he had never seen a Mr. Potato Head toy in the last thirty years ago, and while collecting his ingredients, he compared the searching to finding lice in his daughter’s hair. After time was up, he was confident that the men would win. He was the final person from the red team to have his dish judged and went up against Roe. He made traditional gnocchi, it was praised for the texture and being hearty, and he scored a perfect 10. The red team eventually won the challenge after a tie at 40 each, and they were rewarded with a trip to Animal Tracks to meet some animals and ate lunch at Daniel Humm’s Nomad Food truck. During the reward, he started to jokingly flirt with a baboon.
Before service began, Bret noticed that Chris was missing, and after learning that the latter withdrawn from the competition, he wanted to win that night’s service for Chris. During the Steak Night dinner service, he was on the meat station with Trev. He was not seen that night, and the red team won the service.
After T's elimination, he expressed shock that the latter was sent home, that he would have bet his own life that she would make it to the black jackets, and with Kevin and T gone, it proved that nobody was safe.[14]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1807 - Last Chef Standing
During the Last Chef Standing Challenge, Bret was the first person from the red team to leave the kitchen, and felt confident that he could walk Trev through the veal dish as he could do the same with his daughter. Later, he was seen trying to communicate with Motto on the latter's shrimp & grits. When plating their dishes, he was unable to get the sauce plated before time was up. He was the second person from the red team to have his dish judged, went up against Ariel, and presented his veal scaloppini. It was criticized for lacking any color and tasting chewy, and he lost that round to Ariel. The red team lost the challenge 3-4, and they were punished by participating in delivery day, and shucking corn and peas.
Because Bret was the first person to leave the kitchen during the previous challenge, he was forced to participate in the Cook For Your Life Challenge along with Jose and Scotley from his team, and Gizzy, Roe, and Heather from the blue team. He knew that he had to prove himself in order to stay in the competition. During the cooking, he knew that they had full control over what they wanted to cook, and refused to see a red chef go home as he made a Frutti di Mare. He was the second person to have his dish judged by Ramsay, knew that it was his family on a plate, and presented his Frutti di Mare. Ramsay was amazed at the different types of seafood used and deemed his dish better than Roe’s as it was on a whole other level, making him the first chef deemed safe. On his way back to the dorms, he felt that his parents were proud of him, and made his presence known with tears of joy. While the other chefs were annoyed by his emotional celebration, he argued that it was what he was.[15]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1808 - One Hell of a Party
Back at the dorms, Bret accused Trev of not wanting Scotley due to the latter’s skills, but Trev argued that he did not want Scotley due to his attitude. Later that night, his loud behavior during dinner rubbed Mia the wrong way, even when it led to him giving a lecture on how northeastern people call things the shit and Mia believed that he was an idiot if he was not going to change his behavior.
Before the Tilly Sweet 16 Planning Challenge, Bret noticed that Ramsay’s hair never changed after seeing the latter's teenage picture. During the cooking, he decided to do a pasta dish as kids loved pasta. He was part of a team with Jose and Trev during the entree round and went up against Ariel, Heather, and Mia from the blue team. He made baked ziti, but while he was confident that Tilly would love it, it was criticized for being too heavy, and his dish was not added.
The red team lost the challenge 2-4, and they were punished by baking four-layered personal cakes for Tilly’s guest and setting up a mobile photo booth which included origami styled flowers. During the punishment, Bret asked if he could have a lifeline so he could ask his 10-year-old daughter for help, with Scotley coming to help him out. Then, he started to feel poor as he was sweating profusely and complained that his heart was beating hard. Due to Jose’s concern, the medic was called over to the patio, and he decided to call 911 for the paramedics. That dismayed him as he still remembered how he was forced out of Season 14 due to a back problem and wanted his problem to stop so he could continue in the competition. Despite the paramedics’ concern that he should go to the hospital, the symptoms went away, and he refused to leave. However, the paramedics had him sign a release form and urged him to call them if it happened again as he went back to the red kitchen to continue the punishment.
During the Tilly Sweet 16 dinner service, Bret was on the fish station with Motto. At one point, he felt that he experienced an anxiety attack earlier that day, was glad he did not leave again and wanted to make Tilly’s night a perfect one. However, he sent up a bowl of sweet potato fries that had burnt pieces in there, but despite that, he quickly got the refire accepted. He was not called into the blue kitchen to finish up the women's service, and the red team won the service. After elimination, he felt that the blue team’s bickering would be beneficial for the red team now and that the women were going to be divided.[16]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1809 - What Happens in Vegas
Back at the dorms, Bret warned Motto that Ariel was a gangster bitch who could cook.
During the Chinese Cuisine Challenge, Bret went up against Heather from the blue team, and he picked black cod as their protein. During the cooking, he annoyingly told Scotley and Trev to stop arguing. He was the second person from the red team to have his dish judged, and presented his pan-seared cod with Chinese five-spiced powdered ginger. It was praised for a very well-cooked cod, despite the miso butter not being important, and he scored that round over Heather. The red team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by baking fortune cookies, and stuffing the fortunes inside them, though he told the women to enjoy their night as he would be the one that was living at Las Vegas at the end. During the punishment, he complained that they have been at it for four hours.
During prep, Bret had to once again break up an argument between Scotley and Trev as they had to work as a team towards dinner service. During dinner service, he was on the garnish station. At one point, he got annoyed by Jose and Trev's bickering as he wanted it gone by now. After Scotley was struggling on slicing the Wellingtons, Ramsay asked him to show the former how to, although he was dumbfounded by that. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he was struggling whether to nominate Jose and Scotley, or Trev and Scotley for elimination, but reminded the latter how he screwed up on the Wellingtons, and that there was no reason for him to leave garnish to slice them for him.
Bret was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, he felt very embarrassed and said that he would go back to the person he was back in Season 14.[17]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1810 - Poor Trev
Back at the dorms, Bret and Kanae were seen cleaning the dorm's kitchen along with Bret, with the latter asking the latter how many kids he had. He replied that he had a daughter and a "step-daughter-ish". He wondered if he had more kids, while Trev sat looking confused. He proceeded to explain that back in the day, women would throw themselves at him. He was then seen with Jose, talking about how the former loved his girlfriend, and that the former loved his previous girlfriend too, but not really, with the former pulling a disgusted face.
Before the Blind Taste Test, Bret hoped that it was an Italian themed challenge as the men would easily win after seeing the dining room turned into an Italian cafe. Then, Ramsay asked the chefs how they would envision their Italian meal, and he described starting with some classic pasta dishes. He was the third person from the red team to compete, and went up against Ariel. He correctly guessed garlic and coconut but failed to guess pistachio and jalapeño, resulting in Motto getting the spaghetti punishment. During Jose's turn, he did not receive and punishment. The red team lost the challenge 6-10, and they were punished by cleaning up the dining room ahead of a private dinner service for two charities, polish all their silverware, and make fresh gelato by hand. During the punishment, he blamed Trev for their loss, and later, he and Jose mercilessly teased him for his poor performance even mocking him for breaking the Gelato Machine.
During the Charity Night dinner service, Bret commented that Trev should know better as he cooked them in both seasons after the latter served a serving with inconsistent searing. When Ramsay discovered many wasted scallops on a tray and asked how they could fuck that much up, neither he nor Trev could know who was responsible as both were cooking them. He oversaw the branzino with fennel purée course, wanted everything cooked flawlessly and be the one at the top of the iceberg. He led the red team well and got his course out shortly after the blue team.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Bret immediately argued that he should not be nominated, even though Trev pinned the blame of the burnt scallops on him. Then, he reminded Jose that he should have cut into the veal to see what the state was. Despite them him, Jose and Motto were all annoyed that Trev was refusing to take responsibility for his mistakes.
Bret was not nominated for elimination, but when Ramsay asked for some clarification of Trev's beliefs over why he was nominated, he said that the men would be stronger without Trev. Both he and Motto were upset that Jose was eliminated instead of Trev as they felt the latter was dragging the team down.[18]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1811 - Devilish Desserts
While going back to the dorms, Bret called it nonsense that Trev called himself the most determined chef in the competition, as he himself bled determination. After, he told Trev that from now on, there was no more blaming others for mistakes. He also noted Motto as a doubtful contestant despite being a good cook, because Motto didn't had what it takes to make it to the next level, contrary to himself.
Before the Dessert Challenge, Bret was not interested in the ice dancing as he was from South Florida. During the cooking, he decided to make white chocolate orange cognac arancini balls, irritating Trev as the latter accused of sticking with Italian foods. When Valerie Gordon came in as a guest judge, he called her the creme of the creme of chocolatiers. After Motto's decent performance, he felt they got out of the gates strongly. He was the second person from the red team to have his dish judged, and went up against Mia. He made a white chocolate and vanilla arancini balls, but when Ramsay and Gordon cut one open, she said it was al dente, meaning it was raw in the middle. Despite the concept being good, it was a poor experience, and he scored only 2 points, much to his dismay.
The red team lost the challenge 11-14, and they were punished by taking in deliveries of 600 pounds of ice, and properly cutting them into ice cubes for service. During the punishment, when Trev disregarded Valerie Gordon's review as a personal opinion, he got angry by that as Gordon was a well-regarded pastry chef, and that any respect he had for Trev was gone.
During dinner service, Bret was on the fish station. After Trev sent up a raw Wellington, he got angry by that. Later, he sent up a dirty halibut due to cooking on a dirty pan, but when Trev argued that he never did a lamb before and that he forgot to put the crust on, he got irritated as the latter should have just said the latter. After Trev served an overcooked lamb, he accused the former of not taking responsibility, and left the confessional cam in anger. However, he sent up raw salmon meant for Malcolm Smith’s 5-month pregnant wife, and it was one of the two mistakes that got the red team kicked out of the kitchen.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate one person for elimination. During deliberation, Bret felt Trev should go home as the latter has outstayed his welcome, and believed the latter was crumbling mentally. After he and Trev bickered about who performed worse that night, he apologized to his parents through his tattoos, and felt there was a 50/50 percent chance of him going home.
At elimination, while Bret admitted to having a subpar performance that night, he felt that Trev was the weakest chef on the men for breaking down days ago, but the latter argued that he was a one-trick pony for cooking only Italian food. He was called down to the front with Trev, and during his plea, he said he cooked with his heart and that he has grown stronger every day. But, when Ramsay called his performance that night his worst yet, he argued it was subpar at best. He survived elimination, but Ramsay told him that while he received a lifeline, he wanted to see a lot more, and sent him back in line. While being dismissed, he decided to go against his promise to his daughter to play nice, as being nice was not going to cut it.[19]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 1812 - Break on Through
The next day, Ramsay asked Bret if was ready to bounce back before asking who he thought would move into the red team. While he believed that it would be Ariel as she was the best of the women so far, he instead welcomed Mia to the red team as a new teammate, although he believed that the latter would not become the leader next to himself.
During the first Black Jackets Challenge, Bret received pork chop, sunchokes, leeks, polenta, and whisky for his dish. During the cooking, he commented that if he did not leave Season 14 due to his back problems, he would have received a black jacket and possibly make it to the finale, before declaring that he was coming for it. After Heather's poor performance, he was relieved as it was one less person he had to deal with. He was the final person to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and presented his grilled pork chop, creamy polenta, and oven roasted sunchokes. However, Ramsay was confused by his comment about his dish looking “man sexy” as it looked anemic due to the colors, and while the pork chop sear was praised for looking good, along with the taste being spot on, Ramsay felt that the garnishes should have been reined in for the protein. He lost the challenge to Ariel and Mia, and was forced to compete in the second challenge.
During the second Black Jackets Challenge, Bret was excited when Motto landed on eggplant as he cooked with that vegetable a lot to the point he had a tattoo of it on his arm. He spun for the wildcard, and landed on cauliflower. During the cooking, he wanted himself and Motto in the Black Jacket Lounge after the challenge, and while he started prepping the cauliflower and eggplant as he already had an idea of what to do with the two, he had to stop and think about what to do with the quail as he had not worked with it in a long time. He was the final person to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and presented his charred grilled quail with a cauliflower purée and chargrilled eggplant. Ramsay deemed the dish robust, was impressed that he nailed the quail, and that the purée was a smart move, but noted that eggplant did not match the high quality of the rest of the dish. He won the third black jacket, he proudly dedicated his milestone to his deceased parents, and joined Ariel and Mia at the lounge. They later welcomed Motto to the lounge. While he expected Kanae to join them, he was shocked when Heather came up instead.[20]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 1813 - An Episode of Firsts
Back at the dorms, Bret told Ariel that being in the black jackets meant a lot to him as he grew up as a product of his hometown, and revealed to the chefs that when he was 20 years old, a judge told that he would have been in jail for 30 years, and that being in Hell’s Kitchen meant the world to him. After hearing that, a touched Ariel called him a sentimental guy.
When Ramsay announced the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Bret got dismayed as he had ADD, and was not paying close attention to the eggs Benedict dish. He used prosciutto and Canadian bacon, and chives to recreate Ramsay's dish. Near the end of the challenge, he noticed that his Hollandaise sauce was broken. During the judging, Ramsay was disappointed that his sauce was broken as well, with him knowing that he would not win the challenge. He was disqualified from the challenge due to the broken sauce, and lost the challenge to both Ariel and Mia. He was punished by participating in dorm cleaning day. During the punishment, he compared them to Cinderella, even revealing to Motto that despite living in a one-bedroom apartment, he still pays somebody to clean up his mess. Later, Heather told him that she threw out Mia’s chia pudding for smelling bad, and warned him that while the latter was good in challenges, she failed to work as a team player come service.
During dinner service, Bret was on the meat station with Motto. At one point, he was confident that he was a beast on the meat station, asked Mia to walk the garnishes out on two minutes, but Heather told the two that she needed more time on her halibut after Mia wanted to go out now. Then, his New York striploin was raw, and Motto was annoyed that he was not letting him help him out and being vocal. Ramsay himself reminded him to talk with Motto on meat, and while the latter got the refire accepted, he momentarily delayed the order by being late on the steak sauce, leading Ramsay to remind him to have the sauce ready when the steak was ready. On their next order, he tried to communicate with Mia on timings for garnish, but the latter did not respond to him, with him calling her out for her deer in the headlights look. After Heather's salmon skin broke due to placing it on a cold pan, he deemed it a big no-no. Later, he was one of the three people that confused Motto on fish orders.
After service, Ramsay asked the final five to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Bret felt that Mia was the worst performer that night as he felt she could not be an Executive Chef, while adding on that his second choice was Heather. However, he was considered for elimination by the two, and argued that he had nothing sent back on him. Then, Mia felt that he was trying everything to stay in the competition, and accused him and Motto for not nominating each other as it meant they were covering each other’s asses. However, he argued against that, and when he asked Mia why he should be nominated, she reminded him how he had two steaks sent back as she herself had nothing come back. However, he reminded Mia that she froze up that night, leading to an argument over the latter’s attitude, along with him accusing her of not burning on the line compared to challenges.
Bret was not nominated for elimination, but reminded Mia how she failed to do some callbacks that night. When Ramsay asked him who he felt should go home that night, he said Mia for struggling at dinner services despite being strong in challenges. While being dismissed, he knew he had a 25% chance to win.[21]
Episode 14[]
- Main article: Episode 1814 - What's Your Motto?
While going back to the dorms, Mia accused Bret of looking only for himself and saying anything to keep himself in the competition. Then, Mia told him not to form an opinion of herself just based on second hand conversations as it was their first service together, but he still considered her the weakest chef of the final four, and said that she was better off going back to her private chef life. When Ramsay called the chefs down for some pancakes, he wondered if the former was a robot due to not going home for some sleep.
During the Tableside Challenge, he made a shrimp scampi with cavatelli. During round 2, Michael Fiorelli noticed that Bret had a Hell’s Kitchen tattoo on his arm, and he listed off all the tattoos all over his body, before commenting that he had a shot to win this challenge. He lost the challenge to Ariel, but was chosen to come with her on the reward. They went to Malibu which included a horseback ride, and a personal massage. While going back to the dorms, he thanked Ariel, and said that he needed a massage badly. During the reward, he was a little nervous being on a horse, and during the massage, he tried to make it sexy time.
During dinner service, Bret was on the appetizer station. He was the first person to run the pass, and after he called out his first ticket, he boasted that it was his kitchen now, and that he would not let anything trip him up. His first quality test came as Sous Chef Christina sent him a carbonara with spaghetti instead of tagliatelle, but he managed to catch it immediately and knew that how much running the pass was important to Ramsay. He also rejected Ariel's scallops, as he told her that the scallops are no good and to get a harder sear on them. Then, Sous Chef Christina sent up his risotto that contained orzo instead of rice, but he did not taste it before plating it, irritating Ramsay. Despite that, Ramsay deemed his performance not bad, and told him to keep his head up. Later, Ariel rejected his carbonara for looking like scrambled eggs, and then, he sent up an overly garlicky risotto, and when Ramsay demanded who made it, he said that Motto started on it and he himself finished it. After Ramsay yelled that it was not their best, he got his refire accepted, but his carbonara was rejected for looking broken.
After service, Ramsay asked the final four to nominate one person that did not deserve to be in the finals. During deliberation, Bret was considered by Mia for staying in his comfort zone. However, he said that he could outcook the shit out of Mia, and accused meat of lagging that night, but Mia said that all of her meat was perfect, before reminding him how he had appetizers being sent back. When Motto announced his decision to self-nominate himself, he was shocked and called it a curveball.
After Motto's departure, Ramsay asked the final three why they deserved to be in the finals. Bret said that he was a focused and determined individual and felt he was ready for Vegas. After Ariel was named the first finalist, Ramsay reminded him how he came into the competition strong with his risotto dish, but before the former could announce who the second finalist was, the episode ended as a cliffhanger.[22]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 1815 - A Rollercoaster Ride
- Main article: Episode 1816 - The Grand Finale
Continuing from the previous episode, Bret was eliminated after Mia was named the second finalist. Before leaving, Ramsay praised him for being the most passionate chefs in the show’s history, knew that his parents would be very proud of his accomplishments, and told him to keep his jacket. During his exit interview, he received a retrospective montage of his time in the competition. Ramsay gave no comment on his elimination, and he did not receive the picture burning sequence.
Bret was one of the eight chefs who returned for the final dinner service. He was Ariel's second pick, after Kanae, and was followed by Motto and Scotley. After, he said Ariel made a smart move picking him.[23] Back at the dorms, he felt the confidence from Ariel, and wanted to help her win that season.
During prep, Bret commented that many champions were already the winners before they even stepped into the ring. During dinner service, he was on the meat station. At one point, Ariel wanted him to focus on meat as he had a big responsibility, and while he wanted to be in the finale, he wanted to see Ariel win as she is a phenomenal chef. Unfortunately, his wagyu steak was cold, but despite feeling down by that, he got the refire accepted. Later, his chicken had burnt skin, with Scotley telling him to put his big boy pants on. After two minutes have passed, his refire was raw, and when a pissed Ramsay ordered him to wake up, he yelled he was awake. However, Ariel told him to take the raw chicken back to the oven as she had no more time for mistakes, and soon after, his third attempt was accepted. Ariel eventually won the finals over Mia with Bret cheering continuously.[24]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Win |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Win |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Nominated |
| Week 7 | Win |
| Week 8 | Safe |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Week 10 | Nominated |
| Week 11 | Safe |
| Week 12 | Safe |
| Week 13 | Eliminated |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After his first appearance on the show, Bret became an Executive Chef at Pizza Craft Artisan Pizzeria.
- He was a guest chef at several locations and he currently offers private chef experiences.
- After his second appearance on the show, he returned to being a Private Chef.
- On November 29, 2018, he was arrested in Florida for drug trafficking charges.[25] He would later be featured in an article on lifestyle magazine Palm Beach Cannabis.
Trivia[]
- He is the third contestant to hold the record for the second least nominations who participated in two seasons, with two, and is tied with Ashley (Seasons 15 and 17) and Kevin (Seasons 6 and 18).
- He has the second highest placement jump from his previous season ranking (11th to 3rd), following Jason (Seasons 9 and 12).
- He is the second Italian and Jewish contestant of Hell's Kitchen, after Will (Season 9).
Season 14[]
- He is the fourth contestant who withdrew from the competition because of an injury, and the second who was forced to, following Steve (Season 13). Coincidentally, they both ranked in 11th place.
- He is the fourth contestant to rank 11th place as a result of withdrew from the competition, following Larry (Season 2), Vanessa (Season 4), and Steve (Season 13).
- He was the last contestant to this date who withdrew from the competition until Chris (Season 18) withdrew. He is also the last contestant to withdraw due to injury.
- He is the fourth contestant to completely avoid nomination throughout his run without making it to the black jackets, following Jim (Season 6), Salvatore (Season 7), and Gina (Season 9). He is also the first in this rare occurrence to withdraw.
Season 18[]
- He is the second returning chef who made it to black jackets without doing so in his original season, following Jason (Season 12).
- He is the sixth contestant who went further in the competition on his second run, following Jason (Season 12), Robyn, Nick, Michelle, and Benjamin (all from Season 17).
- He is the eighth male contestant who switched teams and made it to black jackets, following Michael (Season 1), Matt (Season 4), Giovanni (Season 5), Benjamin (Season 7), Trev (Season 8), Scott (Season 12), and Josh (Season 14).
- He is also the third contestant, and second male, to make it into the black jackets after competing in the Cook For Your Life Challenge, following Milly and Robyn (both from Season 17).
- He is the twentieth contestant to be picked as a guest for a prize during the black jackets, following Michael (Season 1), Virginia (Season 2), Jen (Season 3), Corey (Season 4), Robert (Season 5), Jay, Holli (both from Season 7), Gail, Russell (both from Season 8), Elise, Tommy (both from Season 9), Justin (Season 10), Cyndi (Season 11), Jason (Season 12), Sade (Season 13), T (Season 14), Kristin (Season 15), Heidi (Season 16), and Nick (Season 17).
- He is the seventeenth contestant and the sixth male contestant to keep 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), and Motto (also from Season 18).
- He is the third contestant who came back after a medical exit, following Robert (Seasons 5 and 6) and Jason (Seasons 9 and 12).
- He is the fourth contestant to switch teams that ranked in third place, following Benjamin (Season 7), Melanie (Season 12), and Sade (Season 13).
- He is the fourteenth contestant to only ever be nominated specifically by Ramsay, and never by his team, following Ralph (Season 1), Gabe (Season 2), Vinnie (Season 3), Amanda, Elizabeth (both from Season 9), Justin (Season 10), Michael (Season 11), Ralph (Season 12), Milly (Season 14), Vanessa (Season 15), Johnny (Season 16), Ashley, and Van (both from Season 17).
- He is the last contestant to this date to ranked 3rd place who received the retrospective montage after being eliminated.
- He is the eighth contestant that received more nominations during their second run on the show, following Jason (Season 12), Giovanni, Dana, Milly (all from Season 17), Kevin, T, and Heather (all also from Season 18).
- He is the only returning chef in this season that did not receive a black jacket in their original season.
- He is the only returning chef from Season 14 who had not made it to black jackets in their first run.
- He is the first contestant in the show's history to receive the punishment pass, which was introduced that season.
Quotes[]
- "I like to win, but I really fucking hate to lose."
- "Myself and Josh on the fish station could have had to leave Hell's Kitchen because of a third-degree burn, like 'taking skin from your ass to put it on your hand' type shit."
- (About Nick sending raw pork) "Undercooked pork is dangerous, you know. You can jeopardize somebody's life, especially a pregnant woman with a fetus."
- "Michael is a disaster. Nick, we would've finished dinner service if it wasn't for that lamb. With Adam, that piece of plastic was absurd. You know, at the end of the day, you're only as strong as your weakest link."
- (About Adam's sticky risotto being rejected) "Adam better tighten the fuck up. If you can't cook the risotto, you have no reason being in Hell's Kitchen"
- (After Michael being eliminated) "Michael, he didn't belong here. He was our weakest person in the kitchen. Peace, deuces, Michael. Come see me in Atlantic City. I'll give you a job prep cooking."
- "These tears in my eyes, they're not for onions, they're for losing."
- "...I'll try and deliver some sexy food to these sexy ladies with my sexy 6'5" Italian Jew ass. But I can only flirt with these ladies so much before they start getting anxious for the rest of their food. Where the fuck are my scallops?"
- "Playtime over, dawg. No more Mr. Nice Guy and shit."
- (After Randy scored two 5/5's) "Country bumpkin-ass Randy killin' it, that's what the fuck I'm talking about."
- "I have a phenomenal chance of winning this fucking competition!"
- (Upon injuring his back in the bathroom) "(Starts moaning) (Groans) Ohhh, shit. (Groans loudly) WWWWHHHYYY? (Groans loudly) WWWWHHHYYY? (Continues groaning while walking out of the bathroom)"
- Christine: "You okay?" Bret: "Yeah, I need medic from the back of the kitchen." Christine: "Medic!"
- "I had a severe flare-up of my disk that is already slipped, which puts me in excruciating pain."
- (To Adam in the back about his injury) "I have slipped disks and a pinching nerves, and I just was taking a shit, and something happened."
- (After being forced to withdraw) "You know, it's my life, it my passion, but I'm worried about the present and the near future, you know? At this point in time, this is the end. I got a lot of support. That's why I'm not gonna fucking stop doing what I'm doing here."
Gallery[]
_in_Blue_Jacket.png "Bret (14) in Blue Jacket.png (313 KB)")
%27s_Confessional.png "Bret (14)'s Confessional.png (364 KB)")
%27s_Signature_Dish.png "Bret (S14)'s Signature Dish.png (402 KB)")
%27s_Alaskan_Fish_Dish_(Trout).png "Bret (S14)'s Alaskan Fish Dish (Trout).png (335 KB)")
_and_Michelle_(S14)%27s_American_Classics_Dishes_(Pizza).png "Bret (S14) and Michelle (S14)'s American Classics Dishes (Pizza).png (201 KB)")
%27s_International_Cheese_Dish_(Calzone).png "Bret (S14)'s International Cheese Dish (Calzone).png (224 KB)")
%27s_Greek_Dish.png "Bret (S14)'s Greek Dish.png (148 KB)")
_in_Blue_Jacket.png "Bret (S18) in Blue Jacket.png (1.3 MB)")
%27s_Confessional_(Blue_Jacket).png "Bret (S18)'s Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (1.39 MB)")
_with_the_Punishment_Pass.png "Bret (S18) with the Punishment Pass.png (1.21 MB)")
_in_Red_Jacket.png "Bret (S18) in Red Jacket.png (1.87 MB)")
%27s_Confessional_(Red_Jacket).png "Bret (S18)'s Confessional (Red Jacket).png (1.65 MB)")
_in_Blind_Taste_Test.png "Bret (S18) in Blind Taste Test.png (1.34 MB)")
_and_Bret_(S18)_Nominated.png "Trev (S18) and Bret (S18) Nominated.png (1.35 MB)")
_in_Black_Jacket.png "Bret (S18) in Black Jacket.png (1.85 MB)")
%27s_Confessional_(Black_Jacket).png "Bret (S18)'s Confessional (Black Jacket).png (1.4 MB)")
_Eliminated.png "Bret (S18) Eliminated.png (1.12 MB)")
%27s_Confessional_(Returning_Chef).png "Bret (S18)'s Confessional (Returning Chef).png (1.27 MB)")
%27s_Signature_Dish.png "Bret (S18)'s Signature Dish.png (1.74 MB)")
%27s_Risotto_Dish.png "Bret (S18)'s Risotto Dish.png (1.23 MB)")
%27s_Winter_Soup.png "Bret (S18)'s Winter Soup.png (1.03 MB)")
%27s_Halibut_Dish.png "Bret (S18)'s Halibut Dish.png (1.56 MB)")
%27s_Potato_Dish.png "Bret (S18)'s Potato Dish.png (1.73 MB)")
%27s_Tilly_16th_Birthday_Entr%C3%A9e.png "Bret (S18)'s Tilly 16th Birthday Entrée.png (1.09 MB)")
%27s_Chinese_Cuisine_Dish_(Black_Cod).png "Bret (S18)'s Chinese Cuisine Dish (Black Cod).png (922 KB)")
%27s_Dessert_Dish.png "Bret (S18)'s Dessert Dish.png (972 KB)")
%27s_Black_Jacket_Dish_(Round_1).png "Bret (S18)'s Black Jacket Dish (Round 1).png (736 KB)")
%27s_Black_Jacket_Dish_(Round_2).png "Bret (S18)'s Black Jacket Dish (Round 2).png (1.12 MB)")
%27s_Tableside_Dish.png "Bret (S18)'s Tableside Dish.png (926 KB)")
External links[]
Bret Hauser on Instagram
References[]
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