| “ | I think I laugh a little bit when I'm nervous. | ” |
Rochelle Bergman was a contestant on Season 12 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 4th place.
Season 12[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1201 - 20 Chefs Compete
The twenty new chefs rode on a bus on route to Hell's Kitchen and during this time they had the opportunity to get to know each other. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Jean-Philippe who walked the chefs into Hell’s Kitchen, only to walk into a service already going on with the food receiving positive comments and Ramsay expressing that the chefs in the kitchen were doing a splendid job. That confused the chefs, and once the service ended, Ramsay approached them and welcomed them. Ramsay explained that he did a soft opening to showcase the chefs what his expectations were, and asked if they could perform a service like the one they saw. Everybody promised they would, and Ramsay revealed that the winner would become a Head Chef at one of his restaurants, but first, they had to survive Hell’s Kitchen in Los Angeles, a place he deemed the capital of entertainment. Shortly after, patrons of the restaurant began putting on a performance. Afterwards, Ramsay announced it was time for the Signature Dish Challenge.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Rochelle was the ninth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Ralph. Before tasting her dish, her giggly attitude immediately caught Ramsay’s attention as he asked her what was funny, but she answered she did not know as she laughed whenever she was nervous. She made a sautéed chicken based on her mother’s cooking, but Ramsay said it was sticking to him in all the wrong ways, and she lost that round to Ralph. The red team eventually won the challenge 5-4, and they were rewarded with dinner with Ramsay at one of his Los Angeles restaurants. During the reward, she praised the restaurant’s atmosphere as it was homestyle.
During dinner service, Rochelle was on the meat station with Bev. At one point, she tried to comfort Nicole when the latter wanted to give up, and when Joy had a crying fit after failing to recite the order back, she comforted her. When Joy tried to cook a lobster tail in 45 seconds, she wished for the lobster tail to cook faster. Eventually, the red team got kicked out of the kitchen after multiple mistakes. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each.
She was not nominated for elimination.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1202 - 19 Chefs Compete
The next day, at 4:33 AM, the chefs awoke to the sounds of dirt bikes revving in the dorms, and Sous Chef Andi told the chefs to meet Ramsay outside. Before the Basics Relay Challenge, the women were slow to decide on pairings as Rochelle deemed it another communication breakdown, and Ramsay got impatient when they were not ready. She was paired up with Joy, they were the final pair from the red team to compete, and their task was to prepare two perfect egg white omelets. While she refused to lose, she struggled to separate her eggs due to shaky hands. She and Joy failed to get their omelets on time, and the red team lost the challenge 4-5. They were punished by picking carrots at a local carrot farm, prep them for the following night’s service, and make both kitchen’s stock in addition. After hearing their punishment, she was not happy they had to pick carrots for nine hours.
During dinner service, Rochelle was on the dessert station. As, Ramsay wanted things to speed up she decided to act as a floater, only for Beth to ignore he suggestions, even telling her to give her a chance to fuck up before she needed help. However, she told Beth not to get angry at her for trying to help, and then the latter sent up a raw lobster tail, leading her to comment that she warned Beth about the temperatures. After Nicole and Simone were kicked out of the kitchen, she was reassigned to appetizers along with Joy. However, the red team were eventually kicked out of the kitchen after multiple mistakes, to her dismay. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Beth warned her not to get in her way again.
She was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1203 - 18 Chefs Compete
The next day, at 5:45 AM, the chefs were woken to the sound of pigs squealing and a farmer yelling very loud. When Ramsay announced the Potato Challenge, Rochelle was taken aback by the reveal. She was not seen during part one, and the red team lost 90-100. During part two, her dish was not chosen for the top five, but the red team won the challenge 18-16. They were rewarded with a day on board an 80-foot sailboat in the Southern California coastline.
During prep, Rochelle looked to be under the weather due to her hoarse coughing, and she felt sicker and sicker. Leaving the kitchen for awhile to throw up in the bathroom, Sandra wondered if she had bronchitis. Eventually, she returned to the women’s excitement. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station with Bev. Her bronchitis was affecting her performance as she forgot how many salmon were on order, and Bev struggled to help her. When Jessica announced two minutes on her salmon, Ramsay noticed empty pans on garnish, and asked her and Bev why there were standing like idiots. Eventually, the red team was kicked out after multiple mistakes. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate three each. During deliberation, she was considered for elimination as Melanie felt she was not at 100%.
Rochelle was named the red team's second nominee for elimination, with Simone as the first, and Sandra as the third. She survived elimination as Ramsay did not call her down.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1204 - 17 Chefs Compete
During the Lobster Ravioli Challenge, Rochelle was paired up with Bev, and they were seen getting three attempts accepted, with her excited on the first success as the women were finally on the board. The red team won the challenge 10-9, and they were rewarded with a day at a Beverly Hills mansion which included their very own butler.
During the Steak Night dinner service, Rochelle was on tableside with Beth. She was not seen that night, and the red team won the service after helping the blue team complete their orders.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1205 - 16 Chefs Compete
During the Creative Memory Challenge, Rochelle was paired up with Melanie, and they were seen pairing up rice and carrots. During the cooking, she was nervous as she never made polenta, but Melanie told her to match it to mashed potatoes. They cooked the chicken, were the first pair from the red team to have their dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Anton and Richard. They made a pan-seared crispy seared chicken breast on top of polenta, Ramsay deemed the dish delicious, relieving her as that meant she could make polenta, and both pairs scored that round. The red team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a day at Laguna Beach which included kayaking on the water, and lunch at the 5-star Studio at the Montage.
The next day, the chefs witnessed a wedding occurring in the dining room, and Joy noticed that Rochelle was very emotional since she just got engaged before competing. During the Wedding brunch service, she was on the fruit salad station with Melanie. She was seen leading her station strongly, and allowed her team to push out salads out at a strong pace. The red team won the service.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1206 - 15 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Ralph playfully told Rochelle he was living the dream, and later, Joy told her and Melanie they were carrying Beth as the latter had no confidence or skills, while she felt Beth was shutting down a lot in services.
The next day, Ramsay asked both teams to name a leader for the following service. The red team named Melanie their leader. Before service began, Rochelle got dismayed when Ramsay announced he was opening the chef tables. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station with Beth. She was not seen much, except for calling Beth was a hot mess, and blaming Melanie’s poor leadership. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.
Rochelle was not nominated for elimination, but when Ramsay asked the red team which of the two nominees should go home, she said Sandra.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1207 - 14 Chefs Compete
During the Gourmet Pizza Challenge, Rochelle cooked alone as the red team had an odd number of chefs. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Ralph. She made a spinach, mushroom, and crab pizza, Wolfgang Puck said he did not like the shape of the pizza, it was criticized for a thick and undercooked dough, but praised for a delicious sauce and crab, and she scored 5 points. The red team lost the challenge 12-15, and they were punished by prepping ravioli by hand, grating the cheese, and prepping both kitchens for Italian Family Night.
During the Italian Family Night dinner service, Rochelle was on the fish station with Joy. She needed 20 seconds for scallops as Ramsay yelled at her to speed up. As she hated getting yelled at by Ramsay, even calling him intimidating, she sent up scallops with one side raw, and Ramsay told Joy to show she how to cook scallops properly. The red team won the service.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1208 - 13 Chefs Compete
During the 160th Sorority Anniversary Planning Challenge, Rochelle was not seen much, but the red team won the challenge 2-1. They were rewarded with a trip to Las Vegas which included staying at Caesars Palace, a $500 shopping spree at the shops in the hotel, meeting Season 10 winner Christina, and eating dinner cooked by Ramsay's mentor Guy Savoy. During the reward, Christina gave the women a pep talk, reminding them to fight through even their lowest points like she did herself, and she took that in as she herself almost felt like quitting. During dinner, she called the experience mind blowing.
During the 160th Sorority Anniversary, Rochelle was on the appetizer station with Joy. She tried to calm Kashia down when the latter was in the middle of a meltdown, and when Bev struggled on garnish, she told her to calm down before jumping onto garnish to help. Despite Ramsay feeling that she had completely taken over garnish from Bev, the latter argued against that, and the garnish station went back on track. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she had no idea where to start.
She was not nominated for elimination.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1209 - 12 Chefs Compete
During the Dome Challenge, Rochelle grabbed lobster and polenta for her dish. However, she had no idea how to properly kill a live lobster. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Richard. She made a lobster and polenta dish, but it immediately rose red flags when she admitted that it was her first-time cooking lobster like that, leaving Richard confident that he had it. However, it was praised for a great presentation and for having strong flavors, and she scored that round over Richard. The red team won the challenge 4-3, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Terranea resort with lunch by the cliffside, and a private beach volleyball lesson with three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Later that day, Ramsay announced that he would do some individual evaluation reports. Rochelle was the sixth chef to have her evaluation, and Ramsay was surprised how she proved him wrong by staying longer than expected thanks to her natural abilities. She almost cried from that comment as she wanted to hear that. She was not deemed the weakest chef by the red team, and did not compete in the Cook For Your Life Challenge.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1210 - 11 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Rochelle asked a distressed Anton if he was okay, but the latter was pissed as he let the team down, to Gabriel’s confusion.
The next day, the chefs went to Ramsay's gastropub to get a tour of the restaurant, and to see the menu for Gastropub Night. Rochelle felt they should all know how to cook food like that.
During the Gastropub Night dinner service, Rochelle was on the fish station. After the red team completed their orders, Ramsay had them go into the blue kitchen to help the men, but Anton called her a twelve-year-old child. Eventually, the red team completed the blue team's order after they were kicked out, and they won the service.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1211 - 10 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Rochelle and Richard understood Gabriel's decision as they had to fight for their spots now.
During the Creative Pork Challenge, Rochelle easily knew where the pork belly went. The red team lost the first challenge, she went up against Richard, and their cut was pork tenderloin. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and she made a spice glazed pork loin. It was praised for a beautiful balance, she won that round over Richard, and she asked Ramsay if he could use his “that delivered” quote for her ringtone.
The red team eventually lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by prepping peanuts for peanut butter, and prep both kitchens for that night’s service. During the punishment, Rochelle called shelling the peanuts killer on her fingers, and when Sous Chef Andi explained how she gave up a chance for a family just to work her ass of in her twenties so she could chill in her thirties, she brought up how she was going to get married soon, but unlike Sous Chef Andi, she did not want to put off having a family. Then, she asked Sous Chef James how hard it was to balance family life and a cooking career, and he admitted how tough it was to make sacrifices. However, her comments caused Kashia to question if she wanted to be either a chef or a homemaker, and Joy felt that Ramsay would not want her if she wanted a family.
During dinner service, Rochelle was on the appetizer station with Kashia. At one point, she walked up her risottos, but Sandra’s lobster tail fell apart on her when she picked it up, much to Ramsay’s dismay as he ordered a complete refire to her annoyance. When Ramsay discovered that Kashia’s gas was off, she asked how she missed that. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she left the room for a bit, and Joy brought up her name based on the conversation they had with Sous Chef Andi during the punishment. However, Sandra argued that she had no mistakes that night as Kashia and Joy fabricated a reason why she should be nominated.
Rochelle was the red team's second nominee for elimination, with Sandra as the first, and they joined Anton and Scott from the blue team. During her plea, she said she was very focal and was growing in the competition, but when Ramsay expressed concern as to why she was up for elimination, she admitted to revealing about the sacrifices in their personal lives, before adding on that she would not be there if she was not hungry for it. She survived elimination as Ramsay reassigned her to the blue team alongside Sandra, being exchanged for Anton and Scott.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 1212 - 10 Chefs Again
Back at the dorms, Gabriel welcomed Rochelle to the blue team, but the latter jokingly asked if they could do better in challenges now that she doesn’t have to beat Richard anymore. However, the blue team laughed at her jokes.
Before the King of the Hill Challenge, Rochelle got dismayed when she saw the L’Épicerie De Minuit building as she should have paid more attention to French. To her great luck, she managed to grab New York striploin. During the cooking, she struggled to figure out what to do about her avocado. She was the fifth chef to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and made a New York striploin with kale and avocado salad. Even though Ramsay called it a strange mix, he praised the sear of the steak and the nice combination, and she dethroned Anton. She managed to outlast everybody else in the competition, the blue team won the challenge, and she said that it was an excellent boost of confidence she needed. They were rewarded with a day at Le Spa at Sofitel in Beverly Hills.
Before the Charity Night dinner service, Rochelle knew how much money could feed starving children, and was determined to give UNICEF a good service. She was in charge of the lobster risotto, and while Gabriel was trying to figure out which dishes she seasoned, she told him to calm down as it was her course and they had to be on the same page. She sent her course out with no problems, but during the second course, she noticed that there were two portions of raw tuna on a plate near the hot plate, and realized that they do not have enough portions for twelve. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she agreed that their table got jipped on both the tortellini and the lamb, but struggled to pick either Gabriel or Richard as her second as both screwed the blue team that night.
She was not nominated for elimination.[12]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 1213 - 9 Chefs Compete
The next day, Sous Chef James entered the dorms with two delivery people and gathered both teams to the living room. After, the delivery people began to rap out a message from Ramsay, revealing that the packages they had were two blank menus, and that they had one hour to create their own menu for that night’s service. As the blue team worked on their menu, Rochelle was quiet throughout the process, and while Richard and Gabriel asked her opinion, she struggled with ideas due to her catering background as it did not give her confidence in her performance. While Gabriel urged her to speak up, she did not care if it was either rib eye or New York strip loin for the beef entrée, frustrating the men.
During prep, Gabriel discovered that Rochelle was burning the crab cakes for the demo. When Ramsay looked at the demo dishes, he was not impressed about the burnt bottom on the crab cake. she took the blame for that, but when Ramsay asked her for her glasses, she laughed even though Ramsay berated her for that. She argued that she did not want to waste another portion just for the demo, but Ramsay chewed her out for sending him a burnt potion as Richard called it a stupid ass mistake. After, Ramsay ended his critique by pointing out a couple of danger spots for the blue team, and she felt she was having a bad morning. As the blue team continued to prep, her frantic mood aggravated Jason as this was a simple menu and he told her to calm down, but she left the kitchen in frustration, even muttering how much she wanted to go home. Jason hoped that she did not quit, and as the chefs wet for lunch, she was crying in the dorms from the pressure of Hell’s Kitchen. Kashia comforted her, admitting that she was having the same problems she had, but she was trying hard to bounce back in the competition, and prove to Ramsay that she was his next head chef.
During dinner service, Rochelle was on the appetizer station. Jason hoped that she went pasted her anxiety attack from earlier, and as she kept track of risotto orders, she got her first attempt accepted, making Jason happy for her strong start. When Anton asked the blue team for more scallops, she gave him their supply. After Richard struggled on garnish, Ramsay ordered her to help him out, and her leadership on garnishes got the blue team refocused. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she reminded Gabriel about his mistakes that night, but when she left to lie down, he refused to go up again, and felt she should go up instead. Richard agreed with that based on her emotional breakdown earlier, but Jason knew she kicked ass that night.
Rochelle was not nominated for elimination, and after Richard's elimination, she welcomed Melanie as a new teammate.[13]
Episode 14[]
- Main article: Episode 1214 - 8 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Rochelle and Jason were happy to have Melanie on the blue team.
The next day, Ramsay had Rochelle taste a carrot cake, but it turned out to be a veal and bread crumb mixture with duck fat and mashed potatoes as the icing, leading her to thank him for making her eat that. During the Blind Taste Test, she was the first person from the blue team to compete, went up against Joy, and hoped to get at least one right. She got pear, carrots, and filet mignon correct, much to her satisfaction. The blue team eventually lost the challenge 4-6, and they were punished by unloading shipments of ice and making ice cream by hand. During the punishment, she did not want to deal with that, and while making ice cream, she realized that Jason forgot to add stuff to his churner other than ice, which she called embarrassing.
During prep, Rochelle asked Gabriel what the matter was when the latter looked down. During dinner service, she was on the meat station. At one point, she sent up her first chicken order, but it was pink, which Gabriel knew was a big 101 rule. Although she claimed that she herself would have ate that, she apologized to her team for her mistake. When she was about to slice her Wellington, Ramsay came by and did it for her. Fortunately, the Wellington was cooked perfectly, and Ramsay told her that despite coming into the competition with no experience on the line, she was cooking with five years of experience to him, which she appreciated. After she and Jason sent up their final order, Ramsay had the entire team to the pass, making Jason wonder what went wrong. However, Ramsay showed them how strong the standards were on the plates, and while he had some strong services on the show before, they were not as good as that night. The blue team won the service.[14]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 1215 - 7 Chefs Compete
- Main article: Episode 1216 - 7 Chefs Again
Back at the dorms, Joy told Rochelle that she would have rather seen Scott go home instead as she felt the latter was not a team player, and was not going to groove in the red kitchen.
During the Budget Challenge, Rochelle was paired up with Gabriel, they were the second pair from the blue team to have their dish judged, and went up against Scott. She presented their trout dish, it was criticized for having a sloppy texture due to the compound butter, and they scored a $21 average. The blue team lost the challenge $69.33-$73.01, and they were punished by participating in spring cleaning day in the dorms. During the punishment, she was disgusted over the state of the toilet and threw up, calling it disgusting.
The next day, the chefs came downstairs to see a lot of people from the press waiting for them as Ramsay led them to the stage. There, Ramsay announced the Hell's Kitchen Calendar, and after seeing Season 3 Rock, Season 9 Paul, and Season 10 Dana, Rochelle wanted to hug the three former chefs, and hoped they hugged them back for understanding their plight. During the Black Jackets Challenge, she said that the amount of variety made her mind wander and got stressed, but when Melanie added raw flour to her mashed potatoes, she instantly knew it was a bad move as you could not just add raw flour to cooked food. When it was announced that the three former chefs would help Ramsay judge, she was shocked about that as the three judges knew Ramsay’s standards. She was the third person to have her dish judged, and made a seared New York strip loin over cilantro lime chili sauce. It was praised for vibrant colors, strong flavors, and a great chimichurri sauce, but Paul felt the plating was a little sloppy, and Ramsay saw that the steak’s fat was not rendered down. So, she scored 13 points, and even though she felt a 65% was not good, she still scored higher than everybody else so far. During Melanie's turn, the former's dish was heavily criticized for the gluey potatoes, she knew would happen when Melanie added raw flour to them, and feared that it was not good for the latter.[15] Although she felt she had a chance of getting a black jacket after Joy announced her dish being made of ingredients she never worked before, she lost the challenge to the latter, and was punished by making lunch for Joy and the judges.
Before service began, Ramsay announced the Oxfam ten-top table, and Rochelle knew they had to honor that table with a great service. During dinner service, she was on the appetizer station. When Gabriel walked up scallops, she knew they were not on order, and tried to push herself on the appetizers before Ramsay called them to the front. On the ten-top table, she urged Gabriel to pick it up after the latter served rubbery scallops. After Gabriel was eliminated mid service and was ordered to walk out the front door, she called it a bad way to leave. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, she asked who was being nominated, but Jason nominated her for elimination as he could not believe she made it far despite never working on the line, and did not feel she was a strong cook. However, she felt Jason came off as a jerk before nominating him based on that, which Melanie agreed with.
Rochelle was not nominated for elimination, but when Jason expressed confusion over why he was nominated, she explained that it was based on a lack of passion. She was given the fourth black jacket.[16]
Episode 17[]
- Main article: Episode 1217 - 6 Chefs Compete
While going back to the dorms, Rochelle was excited to be in the black jacket club.
During the 50 Tailgating Portions Challenge, Rochelle made a chicken BLT, but but felt nervous by the number of people staring at her. As she was serving her sandwiches, she spent more time talking about her college life to the students than serving them, until Ramsay reminded her. She lost the challenge to both Scott and Jason, and was punished by sorting the garbage from both the tailgate party and Hell’s Kitchen, which she did not like. During the punishment, she was dismayed at the amount of trash being delivered.
During prep, Rochelle knew there was no room for error. During dinner service, she was on the meat station with Jason. At one point, she broke the chicken when she sliced it, and complained that the knife was not working, and Jason was dumbfounded when she brought over the wrong knife. She was forced to bring up the broken chicken, and sure enough, Ramsay saw it chewed up, was disappointed in the dream team, and asked her if it was her best. She said it was not, but Joy said that by now, they should know how to slice chicken. After, Ramsay showed she the proper way to slice chicken, and told her to get a grip. Then, Kashia screamed at her when she asked the former for a time, and when she saw Scott argue with Ramsay, she was as there was no talk back allowed. After service, Ramsay asked the final six to name one person for elimination.
She was not nominated for elimination.[17]
Episode 18[]
- Main article: Episode 1218 - 5 Chefs Compete
The next day, the final five came downstairs to see metal scraps in the dining room, with Rochelle asking about that. Ramsay answered that by having Street Drum Corp used the metal scraps as musical instruments. When the Leftovers Challenge was announced, she said she could work with that as she did so the past. During the cooking, she struggled to pick her ingredients due to the large amount of options, but decided to use the duck breast with no other ideas and got dismayed after hearing Scott's dish. She ended up rushing her dish. She was the fourth person to have her dish judged, and made a pan seared duck breast with date sauce. The presentation looked like a teepee to Melanie, and Laurie Buckle said it did not look elegant. Then, Ramsay said there was a lot going on in the taste.
Rochelle lost the challenge to Scott, and was punished by prepping pumpkin and acorn squash for that night’s service. During the punishment, she accidentally sliced her thumb and put it under water, while Joy called the medics over and squealed over the chunk on the counter with Melanie. As she went to see the medic, she feared that Ramsay would look at her differently for cutting herself when cutting a pumpkin, and went to urgent care. She was missing during prep, making everybody wonder if she was not coming back. Moments before service began, she arrived back and showed Ramsay her injured thumb, but reassured him that she can perform that night.
During dinner service, Rochelle was on the meat station. When Scott had some rice burning on the hot plate, she feared they were going to sink on appetizers, but was proved wrong. On entrées, she communicated with Joy as they had to work as a team, and with Jason helping the latter on the sauce, she was certain they could pull it off. However, Joy walked up the halibut despite her needing a minute more on her Wellingtons. On their next order, she knew they had to bounce back from the previous communication breakdown from the previous ticket, but when Joy announced her decision to quit, she and Melanie begged her to with no avail. While she and Melanie hoped that Joy would come back with Ramsay, they were disappointed when only he came back. Later, she was seen serving Stan Lee's table.
After service, Ramsay announced that nobody else was going home that night. While being dismissed, Rochelle said the pressure was on and that she needed to prove to Ramsay she could do it.[18]
Episode 19[]
- Main article: Episode 1219 - 4 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Rochelle was proud of Scott despite having a warped perception of him because of his multiple nominations. The next day, the final four came downstairs to see Ramsay with two secret serviceman, leading her to ask what was going on. She reunited with her fiancée and parents, and she talked to them about how much she grew.
During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Rochelle used sole with a prosciutto wrapping, butternut squash, and parsley in order to recreate Ramsay's dish. During the cooking, she felt the purée was a mild taste like parsley. When she had her dish judged, she did not understand Ramsay’s vague judging and did not think Melanie’s garnish was pumpkin. While she got both the protein and the garnish correct, she lost the challenge to Jason based on the purée, and was disappointed she lost by one component. She was punished by participating in moving day, and prepping the kitchen for that night’s service. During the punishment, she did not help Scott carry a mattress because of her injured thumb.
During dinner service, Rochelle was on the appetizer station. After getting her appetizers accepted, she was the first person to run the pass. She said she never ran the pass before, and nervously read her ticket out by speaking too fast, which Jason could not understand before mimicking her in the confessional. Then, Sous Chef James walked up improperly made salads, but when she was about to walk them back to him, Ramsay told her to bring Sous Chef James up to the pass instead as she was driving the ship. When she started to laugh nervously, Ramsay pulled her aside, warned her that nobody would take her seriously when she giggled, and told her to get a grip as it was serious. She said that giggling was her way of trying to bounce back, but became more vocal with the chefs. Unknown to her, Sous Chef James sent up a shrimp risotto instead of a lobster risotto, but she was able to catch that mistake. She said it was new for her, and she needed practice, but felt that despite the slow start, she bounced back.
After service, Ramsay asked the final four to name one person they felt did not deserve to be in the finale. During deliberation, Rochelle told Melanie that she was voting for Scott, but agreed with the latter that Jason was not showing the integrity she was looking for.
When the final four were downstairs, Ramsay asked them who the chef they did not want in the finale was. Rochelle said Jason as she was hesitant on him being a leader, while the latter named her. Afterwards, Ramsay announced her as the first eliminated person. Before leaving, Ramsay praised her for being energetic as it would take her far in the industry, but as he said that, she continued to giggle, which made him laugh as well. During her exit interview, she received a retrospective montage of her time on the show. Ramsay gave no comment on her elimination, and she did not receive to coat hanging and portrait burning sequence.[19]
Episode 20[]
- Main article: Episode 1220 - Winner Chosen
Rochelle was one of the ten chefs that returned for the final dinner service. When Scott and Jason picked the men as their first picks, she called it sexist. She was Scott's third pick, after Chris and Ralph, and was followed by Kashia and Jessica.
During prep, Rochelle knew that Jessica was making a lot of tiny mistakes, and begged her to get it together. During dinner service, she was on the appetizer station with Ralph. When Jessica struggled on garnish, Scott told her to help the former after she was finished with hot appetizers. She knew that the items they were cooking on garnish were not difficult to cook, before calling Jessica a disaster, but they got the garnishes accepted. After Jessica was kicked out, Scott told her to take control of garnish. Scott eventually won the finals over Jason.[20]
Nomination History[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Nominated |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Win |
| Week 8 | Safe |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Week 10 | Win |
| Week 11 | Nominated |
| Week 12 | Safe |
| Week 13 | Safe |
| Week 14 | Win |
| Week 15 | Safe |
| Week 16 | Safe |
| Week 17 | Safe |
| Week 18 | Eliminated |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Rochelle appears to have returned to being a catering chef and did a number of cookery demonstrations.
- Currently, she is married now, so her name is now Rochelle Hieronymus.
Trivia[]
- She is the seventh female contestant who switched teams and made it to the black jackets, following Heather (Season 2), Jen (Season 4), Suzanne (Season 6), Autumn (Season 7), Robyn (Season 10), and Ja'Nel (Season 11).
- She has the highest score in the Blind Taste Test of the season, with her score being 3 out of 4.
Quotes[]
- "I think I laugh a little bit when I'm nervous."
- (After Chef Ramsay complements her pork dish) "Can you put that on my phone so that can be my ringtone?"
- "Honeydew Melon, not even close!"
- "To hear that from Chef Ramsay, like I almost cried. That's what I needed to hear."
- (After seeing Gabriel get eliminated mid-service and out the front door) "Crap, that's a bad way to leave."
- (After being eliminated) "One of my biggest fears coming in here was the fact that I didn't have the experience as everybody else. There were definitely times where thoughts of doubt popped in my head. But I was able to push and push through it. Even being a catering chef, I stood my ground. I've learned so much. And it's been such an amazing journey. Chef Ramsay, thank you so much for this opportunity. And I feel like, your next restaurant, I might be applying. (laugh) And I won't laugh as much!"
Gallery[]
.png "Rochelle's Confessional (Red Jacket).png (342 KB)")
.png "Rochelle's Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (298 KB)")
.png "Rochelle's Confessional (Black Jacket).png (276 KB)")
.png "Rochelle's Confessional (Returning Chef).png (372 KB)")
.png "Rochelle's Dome Dish (Lobster).png (202 KB)")
.png "Rochelle's Creative Pork Dish (Pork Loin).png (291 KB)")
References[]
External links[]
Rochelle Bergman on Instagram
| Hell's Kitchen Season 12 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • James Avery (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Mike Aresta • Rochelle Bergman • Scott Commings • Michael DeMarco • Chris Eversole • Melanie Finch • Sandra Flores • Michael Gabriel • Bev Lazo-Gonzalez • Simone Hammond • Ralph Johnson • Richard Mancini • Gaurav Navin • Nicole Rutz • Beth Taylor • Anton Testino • Joy Parham-Thomas • Jessica Vogel • Jason Zepaltas • Kashia Zollicoffer |