Frank Cala

“

She only won because I lost. That's not a winner. That's - that's not a winner.

”

Hometown/Residence	Brooklyn, NY
Occupation	Marine Chef
Statistics
Signature Dish Challenge Score	3 out of 5
Blind Taste Test Score	0 out of 4
Challenges Won	6
Services Won	5
Times as BoW/Announcer	1
Times Nominated	2
Placement	7th
Episode Eliminated/Withdrew	7 Chefs Compete

Frank Cala was a contestant on Season 15 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 7th place.

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, Frank revealed that he was a United States Marine, and saw himself as the one to win. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Ashley. Before tasting his dish, he revealed that he was an active duty U.S Marine, receiving a standing ovation from the audience as a result. He made a penne alla vodka with chicken, Ramsay deemed it okay, but not special, and he received 3 points. The blue team won the challenge 24-22, and they were rewarded with a ride on the High Roller, and a VIP night at Drai’s Nightclub. During the reward, he said that Hell’s Kitchen was not that bad as he thought.

During dinner service, Frank was at the dessert station. After Alan tried to send up entrées before appetizers, he called it embarrassing before calling the latter a fucking moron. After Mark burnt a pizza, he decided to cook the pizza as he felt nobody else could do other than a 100% Italian like himself, and the refire was accepted.

The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Frank was unsympathetic over Kevin's breakdown and told the latter to stop being a fucking pussy.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 2

Main article: Episode 1502 - 17 Chefs Compete

While walking back to the dorms, Frank admitted that while Kevin dropped the ball that night, he knew being nominated would open the latter’s eyes and bounce back. Then, he told the blue team that they may need two or three of him to help, but Chad got annoyed by that as he thought that Frank sounded like an idiot.

Before the Dumplings Challenge, Frank admitted he could relate to the Buckingham Palace guards as he had to stand post during his time in the military, and was not even allowed to scratch his nose. He was paired up with Hassan, and while making his dumplings, he got a little hot after seeing a boxing ring girl come up. He and Hassan got zero points as they plucked all their dumplings into perogies.

The blue team lost the challenge 12-13, and they were punished by prepping for a special tableside appetizer for the following service which included pruning 40 logs of mushrooms, taking deliveries of corn, and shucking them. Back at the dorms, Frank said that their loss was motivation to win the following service. During the punishment, he got annoyed with Jared as, even though the latter scored some points during the challenge, it did not mean he was the leader. Then, the two argued after he aggressively threw a corn cob at Jared, and proclaimed that he was not the latter's friend.

During dinner service, Frank was on the fish station with Jared. He was not seen much, except for saying that Joe should have listened to Ramsay after the latter asked him to repeat the order. The blue team won the service.

Episode 3

Main article: Episode 1503 - 16 Chefs Compete

During the Jacket Challenge, Frank learned that he was making cheeseburger sliders. However, he felt that a regular burger was not impressive, and decided to add smoked paprika to the dish. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Ashley. While he arrogantly believed that Ashley’s burgers were too basic, his sliders were criticized for the added liquid smoke as Ramsay only wanted him to recreate the recipe that was on his back. He lost that round to Ashley, but he arrogantly claimed that she only won because he lost. The blue team eventually won the challenge 5-3, and they were rewarded with a trip to Bacara Resort in Santa Monica for mixology classes and foot massages.

During dinner service, Frank was on the garnish station. He was not seen much, except for having a minor argument with Eddie, and the blue team won the service.

Episode 4

Main article: Episode 1504 - 15 Chefs Compete

During the Duck Challenge, Frank was struggling as he never worked with duck before and knew that it was something that could not be done easily. He was the third person from the red team to have his dish judged and went up against Jackie. He made a duck with wax bean risotto, it was deemed impressive, and he scored 7 points. The blue team won the challenge 32-30, and they were rewarded with a yacht ride, and eating dinner at the Penthouse Restaurant with Ramsay. During the reward, he was amazed at the size of the yacht and believed that size did matter.

During dinner service, Frank served a duck confit appetizer tableside. He was not seen that night, and the blue team won the service after helping the red team complete service. At elimination, he said goodbye to Hassan as the latter was transferred to the red team.

Episode 5

Main article: Episode 1505 - 14 Chefs Compete

During the Holiday Platter Challenge, Frank was paired up with Joe on the Fourth of July platter, they were the first pair from the blue team to have their platter judged, and went up against Jackie and Kristin. His first dish was a smoked bacon burger, it was praised as a true American, and he scored on that dish. His second dish was a grilled New York striploin, it was criticized for not being as celebratory as Joe’s dish, and he did not score. The blue team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by making hard candy, caramel, cake pops, and cookies for the Family Night service. He said that he hated to lose, and remarked that he would have like to have won even if there was no reward.

During the Family Night dinner service, Frank was on the meat station. When Kevin's scallops turned out to be overcooked, he called the latter a fuck up. Both teams were named joint-losers and were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he called it a disaster as the front of the train went off the rails, referring to Kevin, and the rest followed.

Frank was not nominated for elimination, and after Alan's elimination, he welcomed Manda as a new teammate.

Episode 6

Main article: Episode 1506 - 12 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Frank overheard Jackie's outburst on the patio and stated that the blue team was not turning into that.

During the Shopping Cart Challenge, Frank was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and presented his pan-seared salmon with brandy cream sauce. While it was praised for the perfectly cooked salmon, it was criticized for having too much cream, and he scored 3 points. The blue team lost the challenge after a tie at 22, and they were punished by prepping ingredients for sangrias which included peeling apples and grapes.

During dinner service, Frank was on the fish station. At one point, he got confused when Jared started saying oui, and annoyingly threatened to hit the latter with a trash can like in Brooklyn. Later, he got annoyed when Eddie started cooking his garnishes while his protein was resting, and because of that, his Arctic char was overcooked, and Ramsay ordered the blue team to start again. Despite that, he got his refire accepted. Both teams were named joint-losers, and for the blue team, Jared was named the Best of the Worst. During deliberation, he annoyingly felt that Jared was becoming the Godfather due to the power.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 7

Main article: Episode 1507 - 11 Chefs Compete

During the Chef Andi Wedding Planning Challenge, Frank was paired up with Joe on the chicken entrée. However, he believed that Manda did not have a lot of experience, and decided to make a beef dish in secret. When the extra beef dish was revealed, he revealed that he was responsible for the extra dish. After Ramsay called it embarrassing, he announced that they would be keeping his steak Diane dish, and dropping Manda’s ribeye dish. He and Jared were the second pair from the blue team to have their dishes judged and went up against Dannie and Hassan from the red team. He made a steak Diane, it was criticized for having too much sauce, with Ramsay comparing the presentation to a Marine’s boot stepping over it, and he did not score. He and Joe were the final pair from the blue team to have their dishes judged and went up against Ashley and Jackie from the red team. He made a chicken Franchise, it was criticized for lacking any flavor, with Andi comparing it to hospital food, and he did not score.

The blue team won the challenge 2-1, and they were rewarded with an overnight trip to Las Vegas which included a zip line experience, and a stay at the Caesars Palace presidential suite. Back at the dorms, Manda confronted Frank over his extra beef dish, but he argued that if she wanted his attention, she should scream say his name.

During the Wedding dinner service, Frank was on the garnish station. He was not seen that night, both teams were named joint-losers, and were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he reminded Jared about the raw chicken incident.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 8

Main article: Episode 1508 - 10 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Frank deemed Manda annoying and felt that she was doing everything to gain attention as the latter was doing her stripper moves.

During the Ingredient Number Challenge, Frank was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Ariel in the hanger steak round. He made a six-ingredient hanger steak with Romanesco purée, roasted potato, grilled eggplant chip, and sautéed chard, Ramsay criticized the dish for not being cooked properly, and laughed over his decision to scatter the potatoes all over the plate, before telling him that he expected more. He lost that round to Ariel, and the blue team lost the challenge 1-3. They were punished by participating in delivery day. During the punishment, he was irritated that Manda was doing the organizing while the men were doing the heavy lifting, even stating that it was why he hated working with women.

During dinner service, Frank was on the appetizer station with Joe. Before receiving their first ticket, he asked Manda to get more motivated. When she was complaining about her injury, he said that he would have sent Manda home if she was a marine, and then, refused to help her as she proved to be weak. The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he said that he hated losing, but wanted to get nominees done without any argument as it was nothing personal, before considering Manda and Jared for elimination. When Jared tried to accuse him of closing his ears, he called the latter a sorry human being and called it very sad that he blamed him for his own mistake.

Frank was not nominated for elimination, and later, he said goodbye to Chad as the latter was reassigned to the red team, and welcomed Dannie as a new teammate.

Episode 9

Main article: Episode 1509 - 10 Chefs Again

During the Bison Cut Challenge, Frank was paired up against Kristin on the top sirloin, he won the shootout, and picked France as their country. He was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Kristin. He made a pan-seared top sirloin with roasted Brussel sprouts, it was praised for having a great execution, and he tied with Kristin on that round. The blue team eventually lost the challenge after a tie at 4, and they were punished by making bread by hand, churning butter for a special Cowboy Steak Night, and cleaning the carpet from Jack the bison's accident early on. During the punishment, he called it degrading to clean up buffalo pee, before saying that he felt like a private again.

During the Cowboy Steak Night dinner service, Frank was on the meat station. At one point, he admitted that while he did not like working with women, he thought that having Dannie on the blue team was great. Later, he asked Joe what he needed help with after the latter struggled on garnish, only for Ramsay retorted that he needed help gaining his confidence back. The blue team won the service.

During elimination, Frank was shocked when Joe was eliminated from the winning team.

Episode 10

Main article: Episode 1510 - 9 Chefs Compete

During the Breakfast Challenge, Frank was on the meat dish and decided to make a steak and eggs dish as he believed that beef could pair up nicely with any breakfast foods, even cereal. He was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Kristin. He made a filet on a toasted croissant with eggs, they were deemed good with the right temperatures on both the steak and eggs, and he scored 8 points. The blue team won the challenge 25-23, and they were rewarded with a trip to Palm Springs in a private jet and got to ride in ATV’s, which made him excited.

During the brunch service, Frank was on the garnish station. At one point, he gave Jared his chicken as it was not his problem anymore, but it came out raw and the latter was kicked out because of him. Then, he asked Manda to watch his French toast, but it was burnt, and while she said that he asked her to watch it, he argued that she took over it and called Manda useless, and wanted to pack her bags. Eventually, he and Dannie received help from the red team as Ramsay decided to merge both teams.

Both teams were named joint-losers and were asked to come up with an explanation over what happened. During deliberation, Jared accused Frank of not having his back on the raw chicken incident, but he argued that it was the former's problem. Then, Dannie reminded him that everybody had to share the problems of that service, and Manda was still pissed that she got kicked off over watching his French toast. However, he argued that Manda watching over it meant that she was taking responsibility, and even that it was the way he was and wanted to treat it like the Marines.

At elimination, Frank argued that if Jared was not man enough to ask for help on the chicken, then he should just leave. He voted for Manda for elimination, while receiving 3 votes from the rest of his teammates. He survived elimination, and when being dismissed, he argued that he had a voice, and deemed everybody temporary, before calling it survival.

Episode 11

Main article: Episode 1511 - 8 Chefs Compete

While going back to the dorms, Frank was aggravated as he had teammates who stabbed him in the back despite smiling to his face and deemed it unfair. Then, when he told Kristin that the blue team was targeting him for doing well in the competition, she told him to keep doing what he did, but he was annoyed over the fact that he had to work with backstabbers.

During the Relay Challenge, Frank was annoyed as he had to compete in a challenge with the people who stabbed him in the back, and declared that he hated every single one of them. During Jared's first round, he told the former to get the lamb prepped immediately. During the second round, he was warned by his teammates that the purée was boiling over. During the sixth round, he had no problems. He presented the blue team’s pan-seared sea bass topped with blood orange and rice, it was praised for having a moist sea bass, and both teams tied that round. When the score was tied at 2 each, Ramsay went back to the sea bass and gave the blue team the win as their sea bass was cooked better with a perfect flake. They were rewarded with a VIP day at the Santa Anita Park Racetrack. During the reward, he did not enjoy the reward as he deemed his teammates' scumbags for trying to get rid of him and did not what to fake smile to their level.

During prep, Frank bitterly asked if he was going to be thrown under the bus like last time, but Manda threatened to hit him with her cutting board. When Sous Chef Christina found out what was going on, she pulled him to the side and told him not to take things too personally. Then, Sous Chef Christina told him to do his job well, and he agreed as he knew it was Ramsay’s word in the end. During dinner service, he was on the appetizer station. He did not communicate with Manda on appetizers and sent up his risotto without telling her. Later, he got more vocal as he knew he was going to have better services, and helped Jared out on garnish. The blue team won the service.

Episode 12

Main article: Episode 1512 - 7 Chefs Compete

During the Blind Taste Test, Frank was the first person from the blue team to compete and went up against Ariel. He failed to score any points, a noteworthy moment being his misidentifying peanut butter as snickers, Manda got splattered twice, and he received a spiteful hug from her. On Manda's turn, he did not get splattered. The blue team lost the challenge 3-10, and they were punished by prepping durian fruit for a dessert in the following service. Back at the dorms, he and Jared commented that the red team’s shopping reward would have been awesome as they would have brought back the stuff home with them after the competition. During the punishment, he commented that he lived in Korea for a few months, and chatted with Sous Chef Aaron after the latter announced that they were making mochi. While he stated that he looked up to Sous Chef Aaron, and even wanted to go to war with him, Jared and Manda deemed him a brown noser and annoying respectively.

During dinner service, Frank was on the fish station. At the start, he accused Dannie of fucking him due to her poor communication skills. Later, his snappers were raw on the pass due to it being a thicker cut than the previous night, and he blamed Manda for sending it up like that as he asked her to check up on them. Then, he was slowly putting the refire into the pan, which led to an inpatient Ramsay asking him to bounce back, before accusing him of switching off due to him not responding. Then, he asked Jared to watch his snapper, and the refire was accepted. However, two of the snappers were sent back for being raw inside, and he was pissed as everybody was screwing up on his dishes. After Jared's striploin was overcooked, he got annoyed, and later that night, the latter told him not to screw Manda over by sending his fish up before her garnishes, and she chewed him out for his attitude, as despite being a Marine, he laughed in her face.

The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Frank reminded Dannie about her inconsistent timings. He was considered for elimination by Jared, and when Manda reminded him about his attitude, he accused her of trying to rile him up, refused to bend backward for his teammates anymore, and accused her of having an attitude that night. Then, he left in disgust, while claiming that his teammates were snakes and scumbags and said it was amazing how they lasted as long as they did.

Frank was named the blue team's second nominee, with Jared as the first. During his plea, he called himself a team player and claimed that he did not send out the raw snappers to the pass as his teammates sent them out without checking them. He was eliminated for his declining performances, and refusal to admit to his mistakes. During his exit interview, he believed that he was eliminated over a popularity contest, claimed that the blue team never had any drama until the women came into their team, and said that he would send female Marines back to wherever they came from.

Ramsay's comment: "Like all Marines, Frank was strong and very proud. Unfortunately for him, he's just not ready for the rank of head chef."

Episode 16

Main article: Episode 1516 - Winner Chosen

Frank was one of the eight chefs that returned for the final dinner service. He was Kristin's second choice, after Ashley, and followed by Joe and Chad. Back at the dorms, Kristin told him that she wanted a hard sear on her ribeye’s.

During prep, Kristin told Frank to set a mental time for the steaks, but he annoyingly said that her attitude was what caused people to kill themselves, or kill said person. During dinner service, he was on the meat station. While he was confident as he always flourished on meat, his duck was still cold in the middle, but the refire was accepted thanks to Ashley. Kristin eventually lost the finals to Ariel.

Nomination history

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

Post Hell's Kitchen

• After his appearance on the show, Frank was fired from his post in the Marines and reassigned due to his sexist comments on the show. He has since apologized for his comments and claimed they had been taken out of context.
• He is currently the Chef de Partie at Boulud Sud.

Trivia

• He is one of the Italian contestants in the history of the show.
• He is the eighth contestant to have a military background before coming to Hell's Kitchen, following Bobby (Season 4), Joseph (Season 6), Guy (Season 10), Dan, Ray (both from Season 11), Mike (Season 12), and Randy (Season 14).

Quotes

• (About Ashley) "She only won because I lost. That's not a winner. That's - that's not a winner."
• (To Eddie) "Don't FUCKING touch me! Relax!"
• (About Jared speaking in French) "Are you fucking kidding me right now? Try to fucking talk like that in Brooklyn, you know what'd happen? I would pick this fucking thing up, right (the garbage can)? I would pick this up and I would put it over his fucking head."
• (To Manda) "You wanna speak to me, you say, FRANK!"
• (About Manda) "Yeah. She is fucking useless. Useless! Don't throw me under the bus for something I didn't do. I'll pack this fucking girl's bags myself."
• (To Kristin) "You know, you don't have to be like that! That's what makes people wanna kill themselves or kill you!"
• (About Kevin breaking down) "Kevin, stop being a fucking pussy."
• (To Alan after sending overcooked tuna) "Alan, that's embarrassing, you are a fucking moron."
• (After scoring a 7 out of 8 in the duck challenge) "Cooking a duck takes methods, technique and understanding of how to cook the bird."
• (When tasting peanut butter in the blind taste test) "Snickers?"
• (After being eliminated) "Unfortunately, it turned out to be Frank's last night because of a popularity contest. The blue team never had any drama, until the females came aboard, and that's when the ship sunk. And that's exactly why I get fucking female Marines and I send them back wherever the fuck they came from."
• (After getting picked by Kristin for her brigade) "I feel like I'm home!"

Gallery

• Chef
• Dishes

Frank's Intro Spot

Frank in Blue Jacket

Frank's Confessional (Blue Jacket)

Frank in Blind Taste Test

Frank and Jared Nominated

Frank Eliminated

Joe and Frank as Returning Chefs

Frank in Red Jacket

Frank's Confessional (Red Jacket)

Frank's Signature Dish (Episode 1)

Ashley and Frank's Jacket Dishes (Sliders) (Episode 3)

Frank's Duck Dish (Episode 4)

Frank and Joe's Holiday Platter (Episode 5)

Frank's Shopping Cart Dish (Episode 6)

Frank's Chef Andi's Wedding Chicken Entrée (Episode 7)

Frank's Chef Andi's Wedding Beef Entrée (Episode 7)

Frank's Ingredient Number Dish (Hanger Steak) (Episode 8)

Frank's Bison Meat Dish (Top Sirloin) (Episode 9)

Frank's Breakfast Dish (Meat) (Episode 10)