“ | We don’t talk about food, we talk about sex! | ” |
Holli Ugalde was a contestant on Season 7 of Hell's Kitchen. She was the winner of that season and was promised a head chef at the Savoy Grill in London, United Kingdom, with a $250,000 salary. However, she never got the job because of visa issues,[1] but she kept the winning salary and the title of "Season 7 winner".
Season 7[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 701 - 16 Chefs Compete
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Holli acknowledged that she would play the cute factor, but was ready to work as hard as everybody, and hoped to do better. When Ramsay started to make out with a female chef, she jokingly declared she wanted to be first, before learning that the female chef was Ramsay's own wife. During the challenge, she was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Benjamin. She served a banana leaf-wrapped halibut, but Ramsay was shocked and trashed the banana leaf, and she said that it was a classic northern Indian dish. But, Ramsay said that he never saw food like that in India, and she second-guessed herself on where the dish originated from. Ramsay spat it out, she declared messing it up a little bit, which he responded that she was polite and by trashing the entire dish. She lost the round to Benjamin.
The red team lost the challenge 3-4, and they were eventually punished by cooking breakfast in bed for the blue team the next morning. Back in the dorms, all the women were focused on studying the menu for the opening night while being confident about it.
During dinner service, Holli was on the appetizer station with Fran. She was not seen much, but at one point, she repeated a question that Ramsay asked to Fran. After four of her teammates were kicked out, the red team merged with the blue team to serve all the remaining customers, and complete the service. When she entered the blue kitchen, she asked what they needed, with Ramsay answering he needed 16 cooks. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people.
She was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 702 - 15 Chefs Compete
The next morning, at 5 am, the chefs were awakened by an alarm clock amplified all over the dorms by Sous Chefs Scott and Andi. During the Egg Relay Challenge, Holli was paired with Jamie, and they were the last pair to compete for the red team. They gave a perfect performance of four points out of four, but the red team lost the challenge 10-11, and they were punished by taking a delivery of a giant tuna, cutting it, cleaning it, and gutting it for the next service. While going back to the dorms, she, along with Jamie, comforted Siobhan, who was crying in shame, by saying she should not let her mistake ruin her day.
During dinner service, Holli was on the meat station. The first order she sent to the pass was acceptable, but she had to take it back because of Nilka's bad timing. So, she asked the latter for a time, while acknowledging that she froze and was not talking, and later, Ramsay exposed the lack of communication between her, Jamie and Nilka. After, she gave seven minutes to Jamie on her refire, despite the latter not understanding. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate one person each.
She was not nominated for elimination.[3]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 703 - 13 Chefs Compete
The next morning, the chefs went to the dining room, where Ramsay introduced the Marching Band Lunch Service Challenge while revealing they would be serving the marching band of the University of Southern California. During the challenge, Holli was not seen at all, the red team won the challenge, and celebrated by cheering and hugging each other.
They were rewarded with a day at the Malibu Beach Inn, being driven there in vintage cars, and a soccer match against Ramsay and his own family. When the women arrived at the beach and were greeted by Ramsay, Holli said that he was cute and looking like a real person. During the soccer match, she acknowledged she was wearing the wrong shirt as one of her breasts might pop up of it at any moment.
During dinner service, Holli was assigned as an assistant maître d'. In the dining room, she received a little training from Jean-Philippe, and revealed that she had experience in front of the house as she did it when she was 16 years old. When the first customers entered, she was already taking her first orders, but she was slow to bring them to the kitchen, much to Ramsay's annoyance. Despite that, her first ticket was accepted. Throughout the service, she could be seen working hard to keep the customers from losing their cool, and at one point, she returned a rare dish that was supposed to be medium-rare. Later, she tried her best to please some unsatisfied customers by jokingly proposing more bread, but they refused.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people. During deliberation, Holli told that meat was the main thing she was bringing back in the kitchen, therefore considering Fran.
She was not nominated for elimination.[4]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 704 - 12 Chefs Compete Part 1
The next morning, the chefs went downstairs, where Ramsay introduced the Craps Challenge. Holli was the last person to roll the die for the red team, landed on D, and chose duck, much to her teammates' relief. During the cooking, she was not seen at all, and during the judging, she completed Nilka's description of the dish by saying that they also used tarragon and duck fat. The red team lost the challenge, and they were punished by cleaning the front entrance of the restaurant, which included the floor, the carpet, and the mirrors, as well as prepping both kitchens for the next service.
During dinner service, Holli was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except at one point when she was dismayed by Siobhan's mistake as she knew that lobster and crab were different, and told that Siobhan must get it together. Both teams were named joint-winners, and for the red team, Nilka was named "Best of the Best". On the patio, she recalled Siobhan's lobster incident, therefore considering her as a potential nominee for Nilka.
Holli was not nominated for elimination, and said goodbye to Autumn, who was transferred to the blue team, while welcoming Scott as a new teammate.[5]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 705 - 12 Chefs Compete Part 2
The next morning, the chefs were woken up by Sous Chefs Scott and Andi, who gave them butchering outfits to wear for the Pork Creation Challenge. While receiving her outfit, Holli thought they would go to a water house, but was not worried about killing animals. During the first part, she was the fourth person from the red team to grab her pig, and she landed on tenderloin.
During the second part of the challenge, Holli was paired with Siobhan, and they were the second pair from the red team to have their dish judged. She presented their fennel-crusted pork tenderloin with a sweet and sour apple and mustard sauce, which was praised by Ramsay for being cooked perfectly, and they won the round over Jason and Autumn.
The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by cleaning the pig pen outside and giving the pigs a bath, while wearing farming clothes. During the punishment, they struggled to wash the pigs as all of them were excited and constantly moving around. When the blue team came back from their reward, Holli revealed to everybody that she had the biggest porn collection of all the people she knew, and when Salvatore asked her if she made her own porn, she answered not, but she quickly corrected herself by saying that she made porn with significant others, but that it was never aired anywhere.
During the Barbecue themed dinner service, Holli was on the appetizer station with Fran during the first seating, and a waitress during the second. After Maria's first hush puppies were rejected, she asked her for a time, but Maria became aggressive and told her to snap down. Later, she expressed proudness when Fran succeeded to get her appetizers out, saying that she never gave up nor stopped trying. During the second seating, at one point, she was called down to the kitchen by Ramsay because Maria took the order of one of her tables without noticing it was already taken. She explained the situation to Ramsay, and acknowledged that Maria was extremely stressed out, lost, and not there. The red team lost the service, and Fran was named "Best of the Worst".
She was not nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 706 - 11 Chefs Compete
The next morning, everybody went to the dining room, where Ramsay introduced the Mother Sauce Challenge, and when Ramsay asked Holli to name one of the five mother sauces, she correctly answered velouté. She worked with the velouté sauce, and during the cooking, she admitted that she was sick and tired of the tension between all the members of the red team. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged, went up against Ed and Autumn, and presented what she thought was a halibut, but Ramsay corrected her by saying she used sea bass, adding it was becoming embarrassing after her mistake and Siobhan's. The sea bass was praised for being cooked perfectly, and she explained that she did not know it was sea bass because she barely looked at it before cooking. However, she lost the round to Ed and Autumn. When Scott lost his round, she considered him as the worst cook in Hell's Kitchen at the moment, in addition to being cocky.
The red team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 2, and they were punished by deep-cleaning both kitchens, and prepping them for the next service, while wearing anti-nuclear combinations. When they received their suits and goggles, Holli told that she was tired of punishments as did not want to look ridiculous in those kinds of outfits any longer.
During the Family Night dinner service, Holli was at the dessert station. She was not seen much, except at one point when she was insulted by Scott blaming his teammates for his own misunderstanding, saying that he just had to listen to the ticket. After a lot of mistakes, the red team was kicked out of the kitchen, and when the service was finished, they came back to the kitchen to clean up.
The red team lost the service by a mile, and they were asked to nominate two people. Holli was not nominated for elimination, and moments later, she and her teammates welcomed Benjamin on the red team, as a new teammate.[7]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 707 - 10 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, when Benjamin joked that they would all die before the next service, Holli did not find him funny as they were a team, so he did not have to be an asshole about it. The next morning, the chefs went to the dining room, where Ramsay introduced the 50th Wedding Anniversary Planning Challenge, where they would update three dishes served at Sal and Marcy's wedding reception 50 years ago. When the couple was introduced, she was infatuated by them, saying that babies and old people were the cutest things, and during the challenge, she was paired with Fran on the chicken Kiev dish. They were the second pair from the red team to have their dish judged, and went up against Autumn and Salvatore. When Autumn lifted her dome to reveal her chicken meatballs, she declared that she almost laughed and wondered what was that, before presenting her and Fran's panko-crusted chicken with roasted garlic, lemon and parsley butter. It was appreciated by the couple, and they won the round over Autumn and Salvatore.
The red team won the challenge 2-1, and they were rewarded with a day at the World Famous Frisco's Carhops diner, while wearing red shirts from the 1950s, and being driven there in 1950s style convertibles. While they were getting ready, Holli thought that Benjamin would be a little bit shaky for going out with four women, and on their way out, she sarcastically told the blue team to have fun with the cake. During the reward, they were having a hula-hoop competition, but she thought that it would just hit and bounce back because of her big butt.
During the 50th Wedding Anniversary dinner service, Holli was on the meat station. When she learned that the red team would cook for the hosts, she deemed it an honor to have that privilege, while adding that it had to be perfect as they could not fuck up, before helping Siobhan to plate the salads. Later, she sent overcooked duck and raw chicken, dismaying Ramsay who ordered her to get a grip, she was embarrassed about her mistake because she acknowledged it was a stupid one, and apologized to her teammates.
After both teams went into the dining room to give a standing ovation to Sal and Marcy, Holli was reminded about her overcooked duck and undercooked chicken by Ramsay. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she was considered by Fran for the duck and chicken incident, and eventually by Siobhan, which Benjamin agreed with. She did not think she was the worst cook on the team, said that she did not want to go down or go home, and when it appeared that she would be nominated with Fran, the red team talked about their nominees one more time.
She was not nominated for elimination.[8]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 708 - 9 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Holli was annoyed by Benjamin's negative attitude, saying that despite being a good cook, he did not have to be rude. The next morning, the chefs went on a field trip to the Philippe's restaurant, in Los Angeles, where they tasted the classic French dipped sandwich with Ramsay. After the tasting, Ramsay introduced the Gourmet Sandwich Challenge. During the challenge, she was the second person from the red team to have her sandwich judged, and went up against Jason. She served a smoked duck breast sandwich with pumpernickel bread, caramelized onions and prosciutto, which was labelled as ambitious by Ramsay, but working well, and she tied the round with Jason.
The red team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 3, and they were punished by making peanut butter and jelly from scratch, by grinding 50,000 peanuts by hand, for an amuse-bouche that would be served during the next service. When the blue team came back from their reward, Holli entered the hot tub with Ed, and she encouraged him to drink even more as it would be good for his bad feelings in the morning. Eventually, Siobhan joined them, Ed started to dance, and then, she ripped a part of his bathing suit. When Ed got naked after being challenged by everybody, she found it awkward.
During dinner service, Holli was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, but on the first ticket, she was worried about Fran on appetizers as she knew they would be screwed if they were not having a good start, and later, she was dismayed when Siobhan talked back about her boiled scallops as she knew herself they were black. Later, when Nilka served raw chicken, she told that she could see that it was raw as she sliced it, and added that they could not serve raw chicken no matter what. After a lot of mistakes, the red team was kicked out of the kitchen, and back in the dorms, she discovered that the blue team were kicked out before them, asked them why they were, and she knew that her team was not doing as good as they thought. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
She was not nominated for elimination.[9]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 709 - 8 Chefs Compete
The next morning, the chefs went to the kitchen where they tasted chicken gorgonzola prepared by Ramsay, but it was revealed that the dish was actually frozen, and Holli felt really embarrassed to have liked it. After, Ramsay introduced the Blind Taste Test, which excited everybody, and during the challenge, she was the second person from the red team to compete and went up against Ed. She only scored one point out of four for correctly identifying trout, the red team lost the challenge 3-4, and they were punished by taking part in Delivery Day.
Holli was very disappointed because everybody in the team, except for Fran, scored one point, and told that she would blame her all day long. Then, the shipment of ice arrived, and she told that even though she was strong, carrying bags of ice over and over was attiring. Later, she was dismayed that a delivery for the London West Hollywood ended up at Hell's Kitchen, and when she asked Jean-Philippe about it, he explained that it was because both restaurants were owned by Ramsay. When the special delivery arrived, she thought that the giant box would only contain a picture of Ramsay saying "fuck off".
When the blue team came back from their reward, the red team opened their box, and they had to create their own menu that would go against the blue team's, which excited Holli as it was a great opportunity to show Ramsay what they could do. However, Ramsay was not satisfied with the menu, but her desserts were praised for tasting delicious, making Benjamin proud. The red team decided to stick with their original ideas despite Ramsay's critics.
During dinner service, Holli was on the fish station. When she was ready to send her fish to the pass, she asked Nilka if she was, angering Ramsay who told her to leave Nilka alone and bring her own stuff. Then, she acknowledged that she could worry only about herself at that point, and Ramsay schooled her for worrying about her teammates, before threatening her with being kicked out if she would do it again. Near the end, she took the lead on desserts, and the service was completed.
Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate one person each. During deliberation, Holli thought that they communicated enough, and told that there was a lot of things that were not cooked properly, therefore targeting Fran. Also, she acknowledged that Benjamin shared a lot of responsibility for the loss as he had a lot of inputs on the menu, but still thought that he was a strong cook.
Holli was not nominated for elimination, and she and her teammates welcomed Autumn back in the red team, as a new teammate.[10]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 710 - 7 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Holli acknowledged that having Autumn back in the red team would make them strong and win, and when Benjamin did not want to lose again, she reassured him by saying that they got rid of the fuck ups.
During the 10-Pound Lobster Challenge, Holli was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged, went up against Ed, and presented her butter-poached lobster with ginger-lobster sauce and a fennel salad to David LeFevre. She was very nervous as she did not know how the chefs would react, but her dish was deemed a good combination between all the ingredients, and she won the round over Ed. Later, she was shocked when neither Benjamin or Jay scored a point as both of them were two of the strongest chefs at that point, and thought they would have killed it. After a tie at 1, her dish was deemed the best overall by Ramsay, clinching the victory for the red team, and making her very proud of herself as she kicked ass.
They were rewarded with a caviar tasting experience at the Petrossian Paris, and a $1000 shopping spree at Kitson. During the limousine ride, Holli was thrilled as it was an experience of a lifetime, and concluded by declaring that she loved winning. During the reward, she was infatuated by Alexandre Petrossian as she found him adorable, and when he was giving instructions on how to taste caviar and champagne, she started to flirt with him, and stated that she did not know if caviar was an aphrodisiac, but was locked inside the dorms for a long time that she did not need one.
When the red team came back from their reward, Holli greeted Jay, and succeeded to seduce him while doing so. Moments later, after changing, she asked Jason if anything was prepped in the blue kitchen, and he answered that nothing was. When both teams were lined up, Ramsay announced that they would cook in the red kitchen together with a two and a half hours time limit.
During dinner service, Holli was dedicated to serving caviar tableside as her challenge dish was the best overall. She was not seen much, but she was having a lot of fun with the customers while serving the caviar, and at the end of the service, she helped to send the desserts out. Both teams were named joint-winners, and they were asked to nominate two people together.
Holli was not nominated for elimination, and she received the third black jacket.[11]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 711 - 6 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Holli and her teammates celebrated with two champagne bottles. During the Presentation Challenge, she was not happy with her dish as it did not look like a piece of art, while everybody else's looked gorgeous, and she deemed Benjamin's dish as her favorite. In the end, her dish was deemed the worst by the culinary students, and she lost the challenge to Benjamin.
Holli was punished by cleaning the dining room under Jean-Philippe's supervision. During the punishment, she knew that the latter wanted perfect, so they would have to give him that whether they wanted to or not. At one point, Jay suggested her to polish the wood, she jokingly flipped him the bird, and then, she asked him if she should polish after he sprayed, with everybody understanding the innuendo. After, Jay told her that she should polish on her knees, and she revealed that they joked around sex all punishment long because it was very boring. When Benjamin came back from his reward, she told that despite his new hair and new clothes, he was still the same dork.
The next day, during prep, Holli was annoyed because Benjamin's dish contained too much of little components. During dinner service, she was on the appetizer station with Jason. She had good communication with Ed on the first ticket, asked for a time on the scallops, which Ed answered that he was ready to send them, and she was not sure who would be eliminated next as with not too many people left, she could not count on them to fuck up. Her potatoes were accepted, and appetizers were being served at a good pace. Later, she wanted to help Ed as she acknowledged that they might all be kicked out if they would not serve the entrées, and when Whoopi Goldberg went to sit at the chef's table, she could not believe she was in Hell but was not nervous as she was very friendly. When the chefs were lined up, they were asked to nominate two people based on overall performance.
She was not nominated for elimination.[12]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 712 - 5 Chefs Compete
The next morning, the chefs rode in the SUVs to the Owen's Market, where Ramsay introduced the Budget Challenge. During the shopping part, Holli did not know what she would cook as she just grabbed ingredients to keep under the budget, but when she went to pay, she was the only one who did not respect the $10 budget, passing it by more than two and a half dollars. During the cooking part, she knew that her dish would have a lot of flavors, but that the tricky part would be to put them all together. She was the last person to have her dish judged and presented her five-spice Ahi tuna with bacon, parsnip purée, and cumquat sauce, which was praised for being bold, the brightness of the components, and the good flavors. Vern Lakusta would be happy to pay $27 for the dish, Joaquim Splichal would be happy to pay $30, and Dana Bowen would be happy to pay $32, so she scored an average of $29,66, ranked in first place, and won the challenge. She was feeling on cloud nine, and was happy about the fact that she proved she was a strong contender.
Holli was rewarded with a day at the Peninsula Hotel, in Beverly Hills, with Jean-Philippe, as well as a $1000 shopping spree at Surfas, for kitchen supplies. Also, she was allowed to choose one person to go on the reward with her, so she picked Jay. Back in the dorms, she was thrilled, went to change immediately, declared that she was eager to have a drink with Jay, and in the dining room, she immediately noticed that Jean-Philippe was not wearing a suit. She acknowledged that he wanted to make sure both of them would have fun, and they went on the limousine ride. During the ride, she claimed that she picked Jay because he finished second during the challenge, and because of his blue hair, but she actually admitted that she wanted to be with him as she found him cool. Then, they started to flirt as each of them told the other's dish was great, and after, she jokingly asked if they could turn around so she could pick somebody else. Arrived at the Peninsula, she talked about her cooking background, revealed that she was 24-years-old, went to culinary school but took a year off to take care of her 4-year-old son, who was living with his dad at that moment, and when Jay revealed that he did not have a girlfriend, she jokingly said that he was saving himself for her. Later, she and Jay went to Surfas, and she was excited as they had everything they could possibly get. Both of them had a great time shopping, even flirting with each other at some points, and when Jay suggested that she should buy something for the rest of the team, she categorically refused by saying "fuck the team".
When Holli and Jay came back from their reward, they went on the patio, changed in their bathing suits, and entered the hot tub. Then, Jay started to touch her ass, but their romantic mood was broken by Autumn, who joined them in the hot tub. The next morning, during prep, she was annoyed by Jason because he was asking a lot of questions, and when the chefs were lined up, Ramsay announced that they would constantly switch stations. Also, she learned that her tuna with cumquats would be featured on the menu.
During dinner service, Holli began on the meat station. On the first switch, she was relocated to the appetizer station, where she joined Autumn. When Jason arrived to the meat station, she told him that the Wellingtons have been in the oven for eighteen minutes, but she was put the blame on by him when he discovered that they were undercooked. Moments later, Benjamin served overcooked tuna, Ramsay asked her if that was how she cooked it during the challenge, which she answered not, and she claimed that Benjamin served a well-done tuna, before telling him that it had to be barely seared. After, she questioned his technical abilities, told that he should have known better, and on the second switch, Autumn left her, and she was joined by Jason. She called the station switches a learning experience as everybody had to learn how to communicate, and on the third switch, she was relocated to the garnish station. She had good communication with Autumn, but when a Wellington refire was called, she asked Jay for a time, which he answered fourteen minutes, much to her disbelief. Then, he sent his Wellington refire, but she was not ready as he called fourteen minutes, but he clarified that it was fourteen minutes on the following Wellingtons, much to her dismay. Ramsay aggressively asked her for the garnishes, but she was still not ready, and told that Jay fucked her up as he called the wrong time on the refire. On the fourth switch, she was relocated to the fish station. Her first scallops were cooked beautifully, but she was extremely annoyed when Benjamin tried to steal her job by cooking scallops as she thought he just wanted to be the hero. On the last switch, she returned to the meat station. When a halibut came back for being overcooked, she was convinced that Jason was lacking culinary skills, and on the last ticket, she suggested to wait for the garnish, before Ramsay came back in the kitchen and Jason gestured her to not say that. Eventually, the chefs rallied to serve the last ticket, and the service was completed.
When the chefs were lined up, they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Holli considered Benjamin for completely shutting down, but was struggling between Jay and Jason for her second vote, while adding that she wished Autumn would have fucked up so she could consider her.
Holli was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she was happy to still be there and about the fact that she was safe for the moment.[13]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 713 - 4 Chefs Compete Part 1
The next morning, the chefs were greeted by Ramsay in the kitchen, who decided to cook a grilled monkfish dish to them, and Holli wanted to pay very close attention as she was sure she could use some of the information to her advantage. After, Ramsay introduced the Cooking School Challenge, where each chef would teach the dish to one good-looking bachelor. When they were introduced, she found them pretty, but knew they could not cook. During the challenge, she told her student to place the pepper on the grill, but Ramsay reminded her that he has not even turned it on. After, her student started to peel the skin off his monkfish, but was disgusted by it, despite her reminding him that he was a man, and she decided to be a little bit flirtatious to regain his confidence as he seemed like a lost puppy. They started to act like if they were a couple, and when they were done, she and her student hugged each other.
Holli and her student were the last pair to have their dish judged, and while describing the dish, he told it was made with love. Moments later, he suggested Ramsay to take his time while tasting, but she told that he should not tell a chef how to eat and that Ramsay would have thrown the plate at him if he was in the competition. The dish was deemed delicious, with the student being surprised, and despite the monkfish being slightly gashed, it was there in its entirety. In the end, she lost the challenge to Jay, and when it looked like she would participate in the punishment, which was Maintenance day and prepping the kitchen, she was not worried as she was a handy woman, but was annoyed about the dinner service. However, she was chosen by Jay to go on the reward with him.
Holli, along with Jay, was rewarded with an airship ride over Los Angeles. On the patio, she suggested that Jay should change his mind after he declared how bad he felt about not picking Benjamin, and during the ride to their reward, she told Jay how glad she was about being picked by him, and wondered what the reward would be as it could be anything. Then, they arrived at the runway, where they noticed the Goodyear blimp, they entered the cart who rode them to the balloon, and it was showing a sign where the message "Congratulations Jay and Holli" could be read. She compared that to a marriage proposal, they entered the balloon, and it took off, with both of them being really excited. During the airship ride, she was excited as despite being from the area, seeing it from there was giving her a different feeling, and moments later, they rode above Hell's Kitchen, and laughed while sarcastically feeling sorry for Autumn and Benjamin, while knowing that they must hate them at the moment.
When Holli and Jay came back from their reward, they were given the cold shoulder by Autumn and Benjamin, and she knew that both of them were upset, asked what she could do, but did not get any response. Moments later, Ramsay entered the kitchen, and when he did, the sound of his voice made her flinch, and he wondered why she jumped like that. When the chefs were lined up, she and Jay were asked how their reward was, which both of them answered it was great. Also, he asked if they spotted a house together, which they answered not, but she added that she preferred to live in London. After, the chefs were allowed to choose their own stations for the first time ever, and she knew that opportunity was huge because they were never allowed to do so, and that it was their moment to shine or to fail.
During dinner service, Holli was on the fish station. On the first ticket, she received help from Autumn, but despite telling her not to send the John Dory, the latter did anyway, and it came back for having one raw piece out of four. She told Ramsay that Autumn sent it, she started over, and later, she delivered perfectly sautéed scallops, which she was euphoric about as she never had a compliment being yelled at her. Moments later, she sent raw John Dory, was berated by Ramsay, who ordered a refire urgently, she was angry at herself as she knew that at this stage, every little mistake could eliminate somebody, and Ramsay reminded her to come back down to Earth after the reward. Later, she tried to communicate with Benjamin on several occasions without success, and could not believe that Autumn's job must be very hard as all she had to do was to reheat stuff. After that, she received help from Ramsay, who showed her how to sauté the John Dory, and he reminded her that she should not scorch something instead of sauté something. Then, she started to communicate, the chefs rallied to complete the remaining tickets, and she was proud about the fact that no food was being sent back. Eventually, the service was completed, and she gave a high-five to Ramsay, but knew that nobody was safe and that the stakes were very high.
When the chefs were lined up, they were congratulated for having their best service yet, and Jay was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, Holli was annoyed by Benjamin's comments on her as she wondered where that confidence from him suddenly emerged because she knew his performance sucked, and despite Benjamin reminding that she had not won the most challenges, she reminded that she won most of the latter ones. Jay was torn between her and Benjamin, and when he asked for somebody to tell him what to do, she reminded it was his choice.
Holli was not nominated for elimination, and was visited by her son and his father, with her being extremely emotional over seeing her son for the first time since a very long period of time, and thinking of moving to London with him. After her family left, she cried over the fact that it was the longest she has ever been separated from her son, and while being dismissed, she tearfully admitted that she wanted to win as she thought her son would be very proud of her.[14]
Episode 14[]
- Main article: Episode 714 - 4 Chefs Compete Part 2
While going back to the dorms, Holli told it was rough to see her son after all that time, but knew that she was in the competition for him, and that she had to win at that point. On the patio, she was asked by Jay if she was okay, which she answered not, and she told Benjamin that his daughter was beautiful.
The next morning, the chefs woke up and Holli answered the phone, with Sous Chef Andi telling her to get everybody to dress nicely as Ramsay had a surprise for them. In the dining room, they had a chance to taste some dishes from the Savoy, before Ramsay introduced the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, where they had to recreate one of the dishes. During the challenge, she chose venison as her protein, and knew it was a sprout purée, so she decided to do an apple purée and make it taste as good as possible. Also, she chose pancetta as her purée base, and was dismayed when she saw Autumn picking bacon for her purée base as the thickness between those two was evident. She was the first person to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and it was deemed one of the two bests, along with Benjamin's. After her dish was tasted for the second time, she won the challenge, making her very proud to prove Jay and Benjamin wrong as both of them thought they were superstar chefs.
Holli was rewarded with a day relaxing and sunbathing on a luxury yacht. Outside of the restaurant, she was greeted by Jean-Philippe in the limousine, he congratulated her on her victory, and when she arrived at the yacht, she found it amazing. However, when she arrived at her yacht, she was greeted by the captain, and her son and friend revealed themselves on the boat, making her cry. She was very excited to see her son that she wanted to kiss him before entering the yacht, took him in her arms while telling how much she missed him, and the yacht took off. During the ride on the ocean, she had a lot of fun with her son and friend, and called it the best day of her life. Later, she told her friend how much Hell's Kitchen was messing with her mind, that it was the hardest thing she ever done in her life, and revealed how much her friend was supporting her 100%. Finally, she was extremely motivated to take her son to London so he could have an amazing life, and she left the boat while her son told that he loved her.
When Holli came back from her reward, she revealed everybody that she got to spend time with her loved ones, much to Benjamin's anger, and the next morning, she, along with Jay and Autumn, started to prep without Benjamin as the latter was complaining about back pain. During prep, they trash-talked over him, and during the break, they revealed how unapologetic they were as she thought he was only looking for a way out, while adding that if she would lose her arms, she would still try to cook with her feet. When Benjamin announced his departure, she arrogantly told that she would send him a postcard from London, and when he went to Ramsay's office, she declared that she would be mad if he would come back. When Benjamin did come back to announce he would participate in the service, she just wanted to throw a pan at him.
During dinner service, Holli was on the fish station. During Jay's turn at the pass, she was very satisfied with his leadership as she always knew what was the next order, and thought that him going first was setting the tone for the evening. She was the second person who ran the pass, and she was nervous about it as she never done it before. Ramsay reminded her to be assertive, calm, and to not let her brigade run her, and when she received her first ticket, she froze, was not sure what to do, and was pushed by Ramsay to call it out. In the end, she called her first ticket loud and strong, but on the next ticket, she called a six-top with five orders, which dismayed Ramsay, who explained her the problem. She called Jean-Philippe to show him his mistake, and while directing her brigade, she was standing with her back towards them. So, Ramsay reminded her that she had to stand in front of them, she acknowledged that she was flustered as she did not know how to do it, and Ramsay reminded her that she had to run her brigade, and not let them run her, while adding that he was not looking for a line cook. Then, she asked for the risotto, Jay brought it up despite spilling some of it on Ramsay's apron, and when Sous Chef Scott sent scallops that were cooked only on one side, she succeeded to spot the mistake, much to Ramsay's praise. During Benjamin's turn, she was furious because he was feeling better during service despite complaining of back pain all day long, and during Autumn's turn, she thought that the latter did not need to be a little Ramsay. When Ramsay returned on the hot plate, the chefs rallied to send the last couple of tickets, and the service was completed, with her talking with Jay about Benjamin's no longer existing back problems.
When the chefs were lined up, they learned that two of them would be eliminated, before being asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Holli targeted Benjamin for missing prep, and that he quit, so because of that, he did not deserve to be in the finals, before being considered by the latter.
When Ramsay asked why she deserved to be in the finals, Holli reminded that she has been consistent since the beginning, never been kicked out, nor been nominated, and she was the second person named as a finalist, with Jay being the first. They were congratulated by Ramsay, and while being dismissed, she knew that the chance to win was at her reach, so she announced that she would not be nice anymore as she was out for blood, before reminding Jay that they were alone at that moment.[15]
Episode 15[]
- Main article: Episode 715 - 2 Chefs Compete
While being dismissed, Holli congratulated Jay, and told that she would do anything to get the job at the Savoy. Back in the dorms, they celebrated with some champagne, and gave each other a big hug while she reminded that they were all alone.
The next morning, Holli went down in the red kitchen to work on her menus with Sous Chef Andi. She did not have a clear idea of what she would do for her menu as she never pictured herself at that point, so she decided to just go with her instinct and create whatever would come in her mind. At the end of the day, she was happy with her menu, told that her inspiration were just the things that she loved, and that most of her items were French and California inspired. Then, Sous Chef Andi gathered her and Jay to announce that Ramsay had a surprise for them, before asking them to change into something nice. Both of them agreed to wear jeans, and after a limousine ride, they arrived at the London West Hollywood, where they were greeted by Ramsay. He explained that he wanted to give them an inside out to one of his restaurants, so the three of them entered the hotel, with her founding it beautiful but wondering what was next, and then, they arrived on the roof, where hundreds of people standing in front of a stage cheered for them. They went down on the stage while some people heckled about how hot she was, she found it cool, and on the stage, Ramsay introduced the Final Menu Challenge. Also, he clarified that five of his own executive chefs from London would judge the dishes, and she acknowledged how much pressure it was. When the countdown began, she changed into her black jacket, and she was nervous because cooking all five dishes in one hour would probably blow up in her face. On the amuse-bouche round, she served her virgin bloody Mary with tomato consumé and Worcester sauce, which made Ramsay to jokingly ask if she put the sauce because James Durrant was English. The combination of the ingredients was praised by Durrant, but she lost the round to Jay. On the cold appetizer round, she served her four different types of caviar with beet and fennel salad, and the caviar was praised for being refreshing by Diego Cardoso. She won the round, tying the score at 1 and relieving her, and on the hot appetizer round, her foie gras was praised for being balanced by Clare Smyth. She won the round, took the lead 2-1, and on the fish entrée round, her five spice tuna was deemed nice by Steve Allen, but she lost the round, tying the score at 2. Finally, on the meat entrée round, she served her seared Wagyu filet with blue cheese and sautéed broccoli, which was deemed delicious, and Stuart Gillies recognized that she had passion for cooking. After deliberation, she lost the round, and the challenge to Jay 2-3, but she knew that even though she lost the challenge, the dinner service was the most important, and declared that she would have the job at the Savoy Grill.
Holli was punished by being left with the last pick when selecting their brigade members for the final dinner service. She chose Autumn as her first pick because she was almost in the finals with her, Nilka as her second, and she was left with Siobhan as her last. Back in the dorms, she felt good about her team as she thought they would try their best, and revealed that she designed her menu to be simple and easy to execute for everybody. The next day, during prep, she was nervous as there was a lot of things to do, and was annoyed by Siobhan's slowness, even stating that she was driving her crazy. Then, Sous Chef Andi asked her and Jay to go to Ramsay's office, and she wondered what was going on, while thinking something bad would happen. Arrived there, Ramsay surprised them by offering a trip to Australia, where they would visit the Rosemount Winery Estate to taste food and wine, and she was excited about that as she would hang out with Jay. They thanked Ramsay for the gift, and after, she received her chefs jacket. After changing, she gathered her brigade for a last-minute pep talk, was confident that she would be the head chef at the Savoy, and warned her team that she might be a bitch. Then, Ramsay gathered her and Jay, asked them if they were ready, which they answered they were, and they gave each other a kiss when they were asked to shake hands.
During dinner service, Holli received her first ticket before Jay. She had a little bit of struggle to call it out, pushed Siobhan to serve the amuse-bouche quickly, and when the latter brought her amuse-bouche, she was not satisfied because she filled them up too much. So, she asked Siobhan for another batch of amuse-bouche, and was dismayed by the latter's problems that early into the service. Moments later, Siobhan brought an acceptable batch of amuse-bouche, and Ramsay warned her that she should not get behind with the amuse-bouche. Moments later, Siobhan sent her lobster to the pass, but the vegetables were missing, Ramsay was dismayed as they were still on the first table, and then, she asked for the zucchini urgently. After, Nilka sent her Foie gras and brioche, but she sent the brioche back because it was not enough toasted, and despite all of their problems, food was being sent out at a good pace. When she moved on to entrées, she asked Nilka for the venison, and when she sent it up, it was overcooked. She was angry that Nilka brought shit that she would not eat herself, berated her for her mistake by comparing the venison to beef jerky, and she pushed Nilka, along with Ramsay, for her refire. Also, she told that Nilka was killing her, added that it was her restaurant so she would not serve shit, and Ramsay told that it started to be embarrassing. Later, she rallied her team as she wanted to finish strong, told Nilka that her meat was gorgeous despite the latter not understanding the first time, but when she asked for the garnish, Autumn was behind. So, she ordered Nilka and Siobhan to help Autumn despite the latter refusing their help, and she was dismayed as she had twelve pans in front of her and nothing was coming out, while adding that it was not the time to argue. After Nilka sent acceptable meat to the pass, she had three tickets left, rejected Autumn's tuna as it was too cold and ordered her to put it in the oven for two more seconds, and when Jay sent his last ticket before her, she told it was a matter of quality and not speed. After she sent out her last ticket, Ramsay congratulated her, and she was visited by her son and best friend, with everybody else founding her son cute.
When both teams were lined up, Holli was congratulated by Ramsay for her great service, thanked and hugged her brigade before they were dismissed, and was glad that the service was over, but acknowledged that her fate was in somebody else's hands at that moment. After, she was dismissed with Jay, and on the patio, both of them were really nervous. They drank more wine, and when Jay burped, she was disgusted. After Ramsay made his decision, both of them headed to his office, where she was told that whatever the outcome would be, she would have a great career in the culinary industry. Then, she was asked to stand in front of a door, knowing that it would open only if she was the winner, and waited nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end. While waiting, she acknowledged that while it would change her life, it would mostly change her son's and best friend's lives for the better, and after Ramsay finished counting to three, she turned her handle, and her door opened.
Holli became the winner of Hell's Kitchen, and she was excited about that while wanting Jay to win if she was not in the finals against him. During the celebration, she was hugged by her son, crying over seeing him, told that she missed him very much, and called him her little chef.
Ramsay's comment: "Holli won because she has grown as a chef more than any other chef in Hell's Kitchen. At the start, she was barely noticeable, but then, she got her confidence. She emerged and there was no holding her back. I'm absolutely thrilled she'll be working with me at the Savoy Grill in London." [16]
Nomination History[]
Week 1 | Safe |
---|---|
Week 2 | Safe |
Week 3 | Safe |
Week 4 | Win |
Week 5 | Safe |
Week 6 | Safe |
Week 7 | Safe |
Week 8 | Safe |
Week 9 | Safe |
Week 10 | Win |
Week 11 | Safe |
Week 12 | Safe |
Week 13 | Safe |
Week 14 | Safe |
Week 15 | Winner |
Season 8[]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 808 - 9 Chefs Compete Part 2
Holli came back for the 100th dinner service of Hell's Kitchen. She ate at the red team's chef's table, along with Season 5 winner Danny.[17]
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Holli was not given the position at the Savoy Grill because of supposed visa issues, even though she believed that the producers of the show had not even applied for it in the first place, so she accepted an undisclosed amount of money instead.
- She later became a Chef in a hotel in Florida, before starting a lifestyle program called SENS Wellness and is also an Eco-Luxe Designer at Colheita Lighting.
- She has since left the culinary world and became a Design Manager at BEAUMONT ELECTRIC, INC. from June 2017 until November 2021.
- She has been the president and chairperson of Intelligent Lighting Systems, Inc. since June 2020.
- She married her business partner, and is now known as Holli Love.
Trivia[]
- She participated in the fourth different-gender finals of Hell's Kitchen.
- She is the seventh winner, and third female winner of Hell's Kitchen.
- At age 24, she is the youngest female winner in the history of Hell's Kitchen.
- She is the only black jacket and the only winner to date to never outright win a dinner service.
- She is the only contestant to have attended and survived every elimination ceremony.
- She is the only winner to this date who was assigned as assistant maître d' during a dinner service.
- She is the first winner to never be named "Best of the Worst".
- Despite how little screen time she has for a winner, she and Benjamin have the most instances of announcing the nominees in this season, with three, despite never being named "Best of the Worst".
- She is the seventh 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), and Jay (also from Season 7). She is also the second winner with this detail.
- She is the fifth winner who was never nominated for elimination throughout the season, and the second female winner to do so, following Michael (Season 1), Heather (Season 2), Danny (Season 5) and Dave (Season 6).
- She and Jay are the second pair of finalists to completely avoid being nominated throughout the season.
- She and Maria are the youngest of the season, at age 24.
- She is the only member of that season's black jacket team to have never worn a blue jacket at some point.
- She is the second winner who was not awarded their promised position, following Dave (Season 6).
Quotes[]
- "Chef Ramsay is cute, he looks like a real person!"
- (About Ramsay kissing his wife) "I want to be first."
- "I like winning!"
- "We don't talk about food, we talk about sex!"
- (After being named winner) "Ahh! I'm so excited! Ah! It's crazy, hah!" Jay is a great person, and if it wasn't me against him, I would hope he would win, 'cause I think he deserves to win. Jay rocks." "I miss my son so much. He's be hugging me, he's like 'mama, you’re the best chef ever', heh heh." "When he looks back, he’s gonna be proud, and it feels good. He's my little man, he’s my little chef, heh heh!"
Gallery[]
References[]
Hell's Kitchen Season 7 |
---|
Staff |
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Scott Leibfried (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel) |
Contestants |
Siobhan Allgood • Ed Battaglia • Jamie Bisoulis • Salvatore Coppola • Jason Ellis • Andrew Forster • Scott Hawley • Nilka Hendricks • Fran Klier • Benjamin Knack • Autumn Lewis • Jay Santos • Stacey Slichta • Mikey Termini • Maria Torrisi • Holli Ugalde |