| “ | I mean who doesn't wanna play with a tiger, right? | ” |
Kristin Barone was a contestant on Season 15 of Hell's Kitchen. She was the runner-up of that season.
Season 15[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1501 - 18 Chefs Compete
When the chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, they found out that they had to go to Las Vegas immediately. After participating in a parade, the chefs met Ramsay at the BLT Steak, which was the prize-winning restaurant, and they were asked to cook their signature dishes there.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Kristin was the seventh person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Alan. Before tasting her dish, Ramsay asked her where her food inspiration came, and she revealed that she got into cooking due to being under house arrest, much to his shock. She made a grilled pork tenderloin with fried Brussel sprouts and garlic aioli, and while Ramsay said that the presentation looked a mess, he found the dish delicious, and she scored 3 points. The red team lost the challenge 22-24, and they were punished by peeling 50 pounds of shrimp and making 1000 pounds of truffle mashed potatoes at Sterling Buffet.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the appetizer station with Vanessa. At one point, she accused Vanessa of spacing out after the latter sent up a broken roasted squash, before stating that if she could not cook, she should go home. The red team eventually won the service, and she compared it to the heavens opening for them.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1502 - 17 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Kristin called the opening night intense, and that she did not want to go through another service like that ever again, which Jackie and Ashley agreed with. Then, she told Vanessa that they could not lose focus anymore.
During the Dumplings Challenge, Kristin was in a three-man team with Manda and Meese. While Ramsay expected the team to produce strong results, most of their baskets had raw dumplings, and only two were accepted. The red team won the challenge 13-12, and they were rewarded with a helicopter trip to Geoffrey’s in Malibu for a seafood lunch with Ramsay.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the meat station with Dannie. She was not seen much, except for giving Sherkenna instructions on the arctic char. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate three people for elimination. During deliberation, she recalled Ashley's cold flat top incident.
She was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1503 - 16 Chefs Compete
During the Jacket Challenge, Kristin found out that her dish was spanakopita, but she got concerned as she never made one before. When 7 minutes were remaining, she had Meese read the recipe again as she was not certain her spanakopita looked correct, and it turned out that Meese failed to read out that she had to lay out the pastry into strips first. She was angry at Meese for failing to communicate with her and was forced to start over. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Hassan. However, Ramsay was shocked that she only had one spanakopita on her plate, called the presentation fucking disgusting due to it being soggy, and she declared that she epically bombed liked the Titanic. She lost that round to Hassan, and she sarcastically thanked Meese.
The red team lost the challenge 3-5, and they were punished by taking in a delivery of 100 pounds of sea bass, prepping it for the following service, zesting lemons, and eating a fish head soup for lunch. Back at the dorms, Kristin was still angry that Meese did not even attempt to help her on the recipe, asked the red team if everybody knew the proper way to make spanakopita, and the team said that they did.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the dessert station. At one point, she compared Vanessa’s fuck up to a circus. Later, Ramsay called out the order for entrées, but when he asked her to call it back, she struggled to do it. Then, Ramsay accused her of taking it as a joke and had Sous Chef Christina write the order on her back. Because of it, she was able to call back the order properly. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she was upset that the red team wasted their chance at redemption and believed that they had two jokes on their team that needed to go home.
She was not nominated for elimination.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1504 - 15 Chefs Compete
During the Duck Challenge, Kristin was in a canoe with Jared and grabbed purple sweet potatoes. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged and went up against Jared. She made a pan-seared duck breast with leek and celery root purée, and purple sweet potato chips, and while the chips were praised for tasting great, the duck itself was criticized for being overcooked, having a greasy coating, and she scored three points. The red team was punished by prepping ducks for the following service. During the punishment, she compared the dead ducks to a voodoo shed.
During prep, Kristin was not impressed that Jackie named their prep list "The Fucking List", and knew that disrespect like that would not fly anywhere. During their break, she reminded Jackie that Sous Chef Christina was their boss, and suggested that she get back in her good graces, before apologizing to any chef she rolled her eyes to. Before service began, she was excited that Kris Jenner was dining at the red kitchen, and called her Oprah huge. During dinner service, she was at the fish station with Ariel. She was not seen much, but when Meese served poorly presented mashed potatoes, she angrily yelled that they sucked.
The red team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Kristin wondered if she could take another night with Jackie, especially when Sous Chef Christina called the latter the cancer of the red team. When Jackie voiced out how pathetic the red team was, she argued that the latter screwed up a couple of tables, and told Jackie that she has been embarrassing the team all day.
Kristin was not nominated for elimination, and after Meese's elimination, she welcomed Hassan as a new teammate. While being dismissed, she welcomed Hassan to hell as the red team was crazy.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1505 - 14 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorm, Kristin agreed with Hassan that they had to get positive for the next challenge and service.
During the Holiday Platter Challenge, Kristin was paired up with Jackie on the Fourth of July platter. During the cooking, she felt that the Fourth of July dishes were simple enough, and knew that elevating them would not be that difficult. However, she stated that her difficulty was with her partner Jackie, who was confused about what to do. They were the first pair from the red team to have their platter judged and went up against Joe and Frank. After Jackie's burger failed to score due to it being raw, she got annoyed. She made grilled corn with jalapeno aioli, it was praised for its nice kick, and managed to score a point. The red team won the challenge 5-4, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Santa Barbara Sunstone Valley for wine blending lessons, and lunch. During the reward, she got dismayed when Dannie openly announced her dislike of Hassan and said that the hateration was back.
During the Family Night dinner service, Kristin was on the appetizer station with Manda. She was not seen that night, both teams were named joint-losers, and were asked to name two each. During deliberation, she called Dannie delusional after the latter claimed she was the strongest chef on the red team. Then, she was considered by Dannie for elimination for being non-responsive on orders, even though she argued that it only happened once. Then, she felt that she could see herself in the Head Chef position at BLT Steak, and if she had to choose, she wanted Jackie in her place, much to the latter’s annoyance.
After Alan's elimination, Kristin said that they did not vote for the nominees, and even though she was called the weakest chef by Dannie and Jackie, she claimed that it was a mess. Despite that, she was named the red team's second nominee for elimination, with Manda as the first. During her plea, she called herself a strong chef, and that she took the criticism Ramsay and Sous Chef Christina gave her. But, when Ramsay asked her why the red team deemed her the weakest chef, she believed that it was competition. She survived elimination, and later, said goodbye to Manda as the latter was reassigned to the blue team. While being dismissed, she called it absolute shit that she was nominated, and felt that it was personal for her teammates.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1506 - 12 Chefs Compete
During the Shopping Cart Challenge, Kristin said that Jackie's poor halibut looked like it was thrown on a rod and grilled on a car. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and presented her halibut with almond and brown butter sauce. While it was criticized for having crunchy beets, she received 4 points as the dish was flawless aside from those flaws. The red team won the challenge after a tie a 22, and they were rewarded with a day in stunt planes.
During dinner service, Kristin served an octopus Romanesco appetizer tableside. At one point, she decided to help Jackie out when the latter was struggling on garnish but sent up an under portioned serving of fries for two tables, and Ramsay berated the red team for their lack of momentum. Both teams were named joint-losers, and for the red team, Ariel was named the Best of the Worst. During deliberation, she learned from Ariel that she would be nominated for the French fry incident, but she believed that the latter was making a bad decision on personal beliefs, and believed that Ariel was out of control, before accusing the latter of running around with a crown on her head.
Kristin was Ariel's second nominee for elimination, with Jackie as the first, and they joined Eddie and Joe from the blue team. She survived as Ramsay sent her back in line without hearing her plea. While being dismissed, she remarked that Ariel fucked up, and felt that everybody saw that.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1507 - 11 Chefs Compete
Before the Chef Andi Wedding Planning Challenge, Kristin was excited as she finally got to see the former in the competition, citing Andi as a beast in the kitchen. She was paired up with Ariel on the seafood appetizer, they were the first pair from the red team to have their dishes judged, and they went up against Chad and Joe from the blue team. She made shrimp tempura with leek purée, and while it was praised for being nice and light, and having perfectly cooked shrimp, she did not score that round.
The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by helping the wedding planner, Kristin Banta, with the finishing touches for the following night’s service, and make macaroons. While Kristin stated that she wanted to go to Vegas, she did not want to be with her teammates there. During the punishment, she admitted that she did not like Ariel, she knew that the latter was a strong cook, and was worried that Ariel would become a big handicap.
During the Wedding dinner service, Kristin was on the garnish station. After Jackie's risotto was missing half a portion, she said that she did not want the latter to ruin it for them again. Later, she commented that Dannie did not know how to ask for help after the latter wrecked scallops. Both teams were named joint-losers and were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she was upset as it should have been a seamless service, and immediately considered Dannie and Hassan for elimination, which Jackie agreed with.
Kristin was not nominated for elimination, and when being dismissed, she called Dannie crazy for thinking she was the strongest chef due to the scallop incident.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1508 - 10 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Kristin knew that the red team needed a win, and felt that the only way it could be done was through teamwork, before suggesting that Dannie should have some humility and stop acting arrogant.
During the Ingredient Number Challenge, Kristin helped Jackie out on the latter's platting. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Manda in the sea bass round. She made a five ingredients pan-seared sea bass with braised kale, Israel couscous, and roasted carrots, and while it was praised for having a beautiful cook, she lost that round to Manda. the red team eventually won the challenge 3-1, and they were rewarded with a paintball excursion. During the reward, she remarked that nobody should ever give Jackie a gun.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the appetizer station with Dannie. At one point, she was told to take over the pizza's by Dannie, and later, decided to take over appetizers as the latter was not feeling confident. It was thanks to her leadership that the red team pushed out appetizers. The red team won the service.
At elimination, Kristin said goodbye to Dannie as the latter was reassigned to the blue team, and welcomed Chad as a new teammate.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1509 - 10 Chefs Again
Back at the dorms, Kristin admitted that she did not mind Dannie no longer being in the red team, felt that there was a conflict between the latter and the entire team, and believed that Chad being on the red team would work well, before declaring themselves “Chad’s Angels”.
During the Bison Cut Challenge, Kristin was paired up against Frank on the top sirloin and felt that she could beat the latter as Frank would make a burger. She lost to Frank in the shootout, and their country was France. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Frank. She made a top sirloin au pour, it was praised for having a beautifully cooked protein, and she tied that round with Frank.
The red team won the challenge after a tie at 4, and they were rewarded with meeting Hollywood animals and receiving Vitamix blenders. During the reward, Kristin got to play with the tiger first as her teammates watched in concern, and when she kissed a bear, she claimed to have heard 80’s music, before calling it the best bear kiss she had.
Before service began, Kristin believed that service that night should go smoother as it was a smaller menu, and believed that ranchers were not that picky. During the Cowboy Steak Night dinner service, she was on the garnish station. She was not seen that night, the red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she called it the worst service the red team has had so far and accused the meat and fish station of falling apart, referring to Ashley and Ariel. However, she considered Ariel and Jackie for elimination, and when she learned that the latter announced she had been cooking for three months, she was angry as everybody else deserved to compete more than Jackie as they have been cooking longer than her.
She was not nominated for elimination.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1510 - 9 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Kristin was speechless as she adored Joe, and was in shock that he was eliminated over Jackie. Later that night, Jackie mockingly asked her how it felt to have somebody who just started cooking be on the same level as her, but she retorted that Jackie had no idea what the fuck she was doing as the latter had been cooking for three months, and commented that everything about Jackie was a sack of bullshit. Then, she revealed that she was angry at Jackie due to how much she has worked to get to that point and called it disgusting to see somebody that was not humble. Then, she refused to give Jackie her lighter, even threatening to hit her in the face, but the latter took it from her and taunted her to hit her. Then, Jackie threw her lighter to the ground, and she called Jackie a disgusting ass bitch. That led to an argument between the two with Jackie once again taunting her to hit her and even dumped the ashtray on her shoulder. However, she angrily declared that she was done, and left the patio before asking what the fuck was wrong with Jackie. The next day, Chad told her that they needed Jackie for a full team, but she did not want to dwell over what happened the previous night as she had work to do, and would not help Jackie look like an ass.
During the Breakfast Challenge, Kristin was on the meat dish and decided to make a sausage dish. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged and went up against Frank. She made grits with maple and brown sugar sausage topped with a Sunnyside egg, it was praised for having all the components at the right places, and she scored 8 points. The red team eventually lost the challenge 23-25, and they were punished by cleaning up both kitchens and making mimosas for the brunch service, which included hand squeezing oranges. During the punishment, she called clean up gross.
During the brunch service, Kristin was at the fish station with Ashley. At one point, she commented that Jackie's "I got you" comments were not a proper ticket time. Later, the remaining red chefs merged with the remaining blue chefs to complete service. Both teams were named joint-losers and were asked to come up with an explanation over what happened. During deliberation, she reminded Jackie that she was inconsistent with timings.
At elimination, Kristin explained about Jackie’s off timings on the chicken along with her poor communication and blamed Chad’s poor execution. She voted for Chad for elimination and received no votes.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1511 - 8 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Kristin told Frank to keep doing what he did after the latter vented over being nominated by the blue team.
During the Relay Challenge, Kristin said that the red team put Jackie first as they believed they could fix any fuck ups the former made. She participated in the fourth round, and while Ariel told the former how to prep their carrots, she told the latter to calm down as she knew what she was doing. On the eighth and final round, she said that she had adrenaline flowing through her as there were a lot of things left to do. Even though she was concerned about the red team's sea bass, it was unneeded as they scored a point. She presented the red team’s pan-seared lamb with salt and pepper, Dijon mustard, and roasted cauliflower, Ramsay praised the temperature of the meat and that it tasted good, and they scored that round over the blue team. However, they lost the chicken round due to her being responsible for the raw carrots. The red team lost the challenge after a tie at 2, and they were punished by taking in a delivery of two full lambs and prepping them for a special lamb shank dish for the following service. During the punishment, did not look forward to carrying the lamb, and later, wondered who kept giving Jackie weapons.
During prep, Ariel and Kristin had different views over what to do on meat as she wanted to put her steak in the oven, while the former said that she never did so before. However, she deemed Ariel a toddler for trying to nitpick at everything she did, and the two had an argument over the former lying to Sous Chef Christina about putting the steak into the oven. Then, an annoyed Sous Chef Christina put the two into the back pantry and ordered them to work it out. Ariel and she continued to argue, with her arguing that it was a practice service and that the former was sticking her nose into things that were not her problem.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the meat station. After Ashley struggled with appetizers, she decided to help the former out, and it was thanks to her that the refire was accepted. When entrées were being pushed out, she remarked that even though she could hate Ariel, she also wanted to hug her for pushing them through service. The red team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, while she remarked that they did great that night, Ashley reminded her that she was the one that had Jackie bring the raw fish up. Then, she considered Ashley and Jackie for elimination and reminded the latter that it was based on both her cooking and professionalism. Then, she was considered by Jackie and Ashley for elimination but told the latter not to put her name up without a good explanation.
Kristin was not nominated for elimination, and when being dismissed, she was happy that the Jackie show was finally over.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 1512 - 7 Chefs Compete
Before the Blind Taste Test, Kristin wondered if they were making ice cream that day due to seeing Marino in an ice cream server suit. On Ariel's turn, she was not shot at. She was the third person from the red team to compete and went up against Manda. She was able to get coffee, strawberry, and banana, and was able to save Ashley. The red team won the challenge 10-3, and they were rewarded with a $2000 shopping spree at Rolland’s Kitchenware. During the reward, she felt like a little chef princess over choosing her items.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the appetizer and garnish stations. After the first table of appetizers was accepted, she was determined to win that night, especially when it was coming close to the black jackets, but was given a stern warning by Ramsay not to laugh out loud. However, she later sent up an under portioned risotto for three people. When moving onto entrées, she moved onto garnish and said that she had no time to be scared. However, she had no idea what was called out and got confused about garnishes, much to Ramsay’s dismay. Then, she remarked that she’s already been through hell as she recently went through a divorce, gave up a lot for her career, but believed that she was more focused than ever. However, she sent up green beans instead of the asparagus but refused to go down. Near the end of service, she called it crazy to have only three people working in the kitchen but believed that they pulled it off as their final ticket was sent out. The red team won the service.[12]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 1513 - 6 Chefs Compete
The next day, Kristin received a visit from her father.
During the Cooking School Challenge, Kristin commented that her family called her and her father cooking “Kristin’s bitchin kitchen” as she would always micromanage her father’s work, but deemed it second nature. They were the final pair to have their branzino dish judged, it was praised for having a beautifully scored fish, nailing the taste, and was named it the best dish of the red team. They won the challenge for the red team over Dannie and her sister's dish for having a better scoring, and she was psyched as she and her father had the best dish of the day, citing it as a proud moment for the two. The red team was rewarded with a spa day at Berk Williams. During the reward, she called it the reward they wanted as the blue team needed more maintenance.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the fish station. At one point, she served a plate of uneven scallops that had four scallops instead of five, Ramsay ordered her to get it together quickly, and she managed to get her missing scallop accepted on time. Later, she knew that with black jackets on the line, everybody needed to step up a level. After the red team completed service, they were awarded the first three black jackets, and she was happy that they were in the back pantry with the good news at that time.
The red team won the service, and both teams were asked to nominate two people from the blue team. During deliberation, Kristin felt that none of the blue chefs had the ball to become black jackets, and felt that all three of them should be up for elimination, asking them why they deserved to become black jackets. Then, she commented that she was not seeing Dannie’s passion, and retorted that all three of the blue chefs should go up.[13]
Episode 14[]
- Main article: Episode 1514 - 5 Chefs Compete
Before the 100 Animo Venice Charter Portion Challenge, Kristin was very embarrassed overseeing her old high school photo as she had pageant hair back then. She decided to make a buttermilk fried chicken salad, revealed that she had a rough time at high school as she got kicked out of two schools, and while she called herself a rebel back then, she knew that she was different now. While serving her food, she flirted with a student that was about to turn eighteen. She lost the challenge as her dish ranked 4th, even though she felt that her fan base was still loyal to her, but was chosen by Jared to come with him on his reward, much to her surprise.
Kristin and Jared went on a trip to San Francisco which included a visit to the 49ers’ home stadium Levi’s Stadium, meeting some of the players, and ate dinner at Bourbon Steak & Pub. During the reward, she called it epic to meet Dwight Clark and Guy McIntyre in person, and during dinner, she said that she wanted to make the effort to get to know Jared a little better, before commenting how he seemed closed off due to his friendship with Ashley.
During dinner service, Kristin was on the appetizer station. At one point, she communicated with Ariel on her risottos, and later, she annoyingly called Jared’s performance painful to watch, before threatening to kick him off the station. During Manda's turn as a Sous Chef, she felt that the latter was exhibiting fake confidence. She was the final person to participate as Ramsay's Sous Chef, and she wanted to prove to everybody that she knew what she was doing. After Ramsay berated the team for Manda's raw steak, she told the latter to sear her steaks off more, told everybody to focus, and knew that they had to turn service around. After a pissed Ramsay ordered the final five to apologize to Sous Chefs Aaron and Christina for their poor service, she dismayingly said that they should have looked better than they did that night.
After service, Ramsay asked the final five to nominate one person for elimination. During deliberation, Kristin and Ashley considered Manda for elimination for having a poor performance on meat, but when the latter argued that most of her steaks went out perfectly, she asked what service that happened in. Then, she told Jared that his comment about being upset over an argument the previous night caused her not to trust him.
Kristin was not nominated for elimination, and when being dismissed, she knew that she would be the one standing in the end.[14]
Episode 15[]
- Main article: Episode 1515 - 3 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Kristin stated that she was stronger than she was before, and believed that the head chef position at BLT Steak was in her hands. Later that night, Ashley told her that she wanted to be in the final two together, and she agreed as all three of them thought they were the strongest.
Before the BLT Bone-in Steak Challenge, Kristin wondered if the briefcases contained money, which the first one did. She was left with the second briefcase and received ribeye. During the cooking, she knew how important the challenge was due to the prize as Sous Chef Christina warned not to drop her steak onto the ground. Before the judging, she knew that it would not be easy as guest judge Ari Rosenson knew his steaks, and while she was concerned that Ariel and Ashley’s dishes had a nicer presentation, she knew that her dish screamed steakhouse. She was the final person to have her dish judged and presented her ribeye with bacon and gorgonzola potato purée and grilled asparagus. It was praised for being beautifully cooked, and having a great potato dish as Rosenson said that it was difficult to nail a great potato dish. After a close decision, she won the challenge, and she was elated over it as she kept her steak simple and that it paid off.
Kristin was rewarded with lunch cooked by Ari Rosenson at CUT with Ramsay joining her, which she called the best feeling. During the reward, she and Ramsay talked about turning points, and she knew that being 27, she had to turn her life around as she used to rebel against her parents. When they arrived at CUT, she was shocked to see her parents waiting for her which called a great time to see them, before thanking Ramsay for that. While talking with her parents, she recalled the argument she had with Jackie and said that her family’s faith helped her despite her ups and downs.
During prep, Kristin came back from her reward and revealed to Ariel and Ashley that she got to see her parents. During dinner service, she was on the meat station. As the final three were working on their first ticket, she admitted that while she already felt a sense of honor being in the top three, she was more motivated in being in the top two. At one point, Ariel told her to slice the Wellingtons in a way she could stand them up properly. She was the second chef to run the hot pass, and she knew that the only way she could not win was not believing that she could not. While she called up her first ticket strongly, her challenge was to identify that Sous Chef Aaron failed to put duxelles in the Wellingtons, which she managed to catch immediately. Then, she rejected Ashley’s snapper for being burnt but did not get a response from the latter until Ramsay called her out for it. Then, Marino gave her an improperly written ticket, and she accidentally called out capellini as it was not on the menu that night. While she caught her mistake, Ramsay lectured her to read it before calling it out unless she wanted to look like a fool, and she compared the situation to Super Mario Bros. Despite that, she was able to taste carrot in Sous Chef Christina’s risotto instead of squash and called the latter sneaky.
After service, Ramsay asked the final three to name one person each that did not deserve to be in the finale. During deliberation, Kristin deemed it hard as each of them was worthy of being in the finale, before arguing that she should be in the finale for keeping her mental composure strongly. Then, she agreed with Ariel that Ashley did not step up as a leader during the competition, and while she felt comfortable being safe from elimination, she wanted to choose who she wanted as strong competition for her in the finale.
When asked by Ramsay why she deserved to be in the finale, Kristin said that her consistency rose the bar in the competition and that she could lead BLT Steak. Then, she said that Ashley did not deserve to be in the finale for overthinking her skills and that it could spread to the other chefs. She was named the first finalist, which she called a soaring feeling, and was joined by Ariel. After Ashley left, she was in disbelief, and while being dismissed, she was ready to take Ariel down.[15]
Episode 16[]
- Main article: Episode 1516 - Winner Chosen
Continuing from the previous episode, Ramsay told Ariel and Kristin that he wanted them to enjoy their milestone, and revealed that he arranged for them to stay in the presidential suite at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, as well as a chance to meet the Executive Chef of BLT Steak, and Season 9 winner, Paul for questions on the final service. Heading up to the dorms to pack up, she called her situation cool. Arriving at the Biltmore Hotel, she and Ariel were greeted with champagne and a surprise visit from their loved ones. After spending some with her parents, she later worked on her menu. The next day, she received a one on one session with Paul, who told her that their final dinner service would be their biggest as her brigades would be responsible for her success and gave her a duck on a pond analogy. She felt that she needed somebody that was in her position to talk with as she felt alone now. After receiving a makeover, she and Ariel were given a helicopter tour around Los Angeles, and during the tour, she was speechless as she was in a helicopter with Ramsay. Later, they arrived at the USS Iowa, where it was revealed to be the location of the final challenge.
During the Final Menu Challenge, Kristin felt that everything was chaotic, but felt that she trusted her skills due to her strong palate, even though the crowd was distracting her. During the cold appetizer round, she presented her wagyu beef tartare with brioche, soft poached quail egg was deemed excellent, Clifford Crooks felt that the egg was perfectly cooked, and she scored 9 points. On the hot appetizer round, her ricotta and chive ravioli were criticized for being salty despite having a good execution, and she scored 8 points. On the fish entrée round, her sea bass with pork belly and brown butter sauce was criticized for having undercooked pork belly, it was praised for being flavorful, and she scored 8 points. On the chicken entrée round, her chicken breast with carrots and cheddar grits was deemed beautiful and juicy, even though David Craine felt that the skin was not as crispy as he wanted it to be, and she scored 9 points. On the beef entrée round, her grilled ribeye with gorgonzola potato purée and roasted mushrooms was praised for delivering the sauce’s taste, and she scored 8 points. She won the challenge over Ariel 42-41.5. She was happy as she won a challenge from a steak restaurant manager, and felt that it was the momentum she needed to keep moving forward.
Because Kristin won the challenge, she got the first pick of her brigade. She picked Ashley, Frank, Joe, and Chad for her team. After Ariel picked Jackie, she claimed that she could see it backfiring for the former, before declaring that it was not her problem. Back at Hell's Kitchen, she told Frank that she wanted a hard sear on her ribeye. During prep, she told Frank to set a mental time for the steaks.
During dinner service, Kristin received her parent’s ticket, but Frank’s duck was still cold in the middle, and Ramsay reminded her to pay attention. Despite that, the refire was accepted thanks to Ashley. Later, when she called out her next ticket, nobody responded to her, and Ramsay reminded her to take charge of the situation. Knowing that she worked too hard to get to the finale, she called out the order again with authority, and that time, the red team called back the order. Then, Chad's salmon was raw, and she asked Ashley to help him out on fish, which paid off as the latter got the refire accepted. After service, she wished that somethings would have been different that night, but knew that they were able to push through it and finish strong
Back at the dorms, Kristin claimed that her heart was still racing, and while she was proud of herself, she was anxious over what the results would be. When she came to Ramsay's office, he called her a late bloomer in the show’s history but praised her for being dominated after that. Then, she stood in front of a door, knowing it would open only if she was the winner. After waiting nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end, she turned the handle, but her door did not open. Kristin became the runner-up, and while she was overwhelmed about losing, she deemed it a turning point in her life and career and was proud that she grew some much in the competition.[16]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Win |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Nominated |
| Week 6 | Nominated |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Week 10 | Safe |
| Week 11 | Safe |
| Week 12 | Win |
| Week 13 | Win |
| Week 14 | Safe |
| Week 15 | Safe |
| Week 16 | Runner-up |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Kristin became a chef at Rao's Caesars Palace before becoming the Chef Tournant at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill.
- She returned to Caesars Palace, but was later named Executive Sous Chef at International Smoke at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
- She got married in February 2018.
Trivia[]
- She was part of the second, overall and consecutive, all-female final three of Hell's Kitchen, along with Ariel and Ashley.
- She participated in the fourth overall, and second consecutive all-female finals of Hell's Kitchen.
- She is the fifteenth runner-up, the second consecutive female runner-up, and the sixth female runner-up of Hell's Kitchen.
- She is the third contestant, and first female contestant, to have a criminal record before her appearance, following Garrett (Season 2) and Van(Season 6).
- She is the first contestant who was retained from nomination without being asked for a plea.
- She won the most challenges in her season with 9.
- She is the seventeenth 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), and T (Season 14). She is also the the seventh runner-up with this detail.
Quotes[]
- "Vanessa fucked up like a damn circus was going on. (imitating circus music)"
- (About Jackie "naming" the prep list as The Fucking List) "What were you thinking, Jackie? Disrespect like that does not fly anywhere."
- (To Jackie) "You're a fucking disgusting ass bitch!"
- (To Jackie) "Get the fuck out of my face!"
- (About the reward) "I mean who doesn't wanna play with a tiger, right?"
- (After being named runner-up) "I'm a little overwhelmed. But this is a turning point in my life, and a turning point in my career. I've grown into someone that I'm so proud of. You know, my picture's not in the hallway. But being a finalist has been the best experience ever.
Gallery[]
.png "Kristin's Confessional (Red Jacket).png (1.29 MB)")
.png "Kristin's Confessional (Black Jacket).png (232 KB)")
.png "Kristin's Confessional (Head Chef Jacket).png (1.38 MB)")
.png "Kristin and Hassan's Jacket Dishes (Spanikopita).png (1.33 MB)")
.png "Kristin's Ingredient Number Dish (Sea Bass).png (839 KB)")
.png "Kristin's Bison Meat Dish (Top Sirlon).png (937 KB)")
.png "Kristin's Breakfast Dish (Meat).png (1.26 MB)")
.png "Kristin's BLT Bone-In Steak Dish (Ribeye).png (1.55 MB)")
.png "Kristin's Final Tasting Dish (Cold Appetizer).png (1,006 KB)")
.png "Kristin's Final Tasting Dish (Hot Appetizer).png (971 KB)")
.png "Kristin's Final Tasting Dish (Fish Entrée).png (805 KB)")
.png "Kristin's Final Tasting Dish (Chicken Entrée).png (964 KB)")
.png "Kristin's Final Tasting Dish (Beef Entrée).png (890 KB)")
External links[]
Kristin Barone on Instagram- Kristin Barone on Twitter
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen Season 15 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Aaron Mitrano (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Kristin Barone • Jared Bobkin • Sherkenna Buggs • Frank Cala • Meese Davis • Jackie Fuchs • Chad Gelso • Dannie Harrison • Eddie Jaskowiak • Ariel Malone • Hassan Musselmani • Ashley Nickell • Manda Palomino • Mark Paras • Alan Parker • Joe Ricci • Kevin Ridlon • Vanessa Soltero |