| “ | I'm not about to walk off because somebody yelled at me too much! | ” |
James "Jimmy" Casey was a contestant on Season 1 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 5th place.
Season 1
Episode 1
- Main article: Episode 101 - Day 1
The twelve contestants arrived in Hell's Kitchen and celebrated with a champagne glass and getting to know each other. After some time, Maître D' Jean-Philippe and Sous Chefs Scott and Mary-Ann greeted them, revealing that their first test began now.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Jimmy was the fourth contestant to have his dish judged by Ramsay. He served a pan-seared chicken breast stuffed with Portobello mushrooms and goat cheese, which was compared to a dehydrated camel's turd by Ramsay. He served it with carrot tops, and after he was asked to taste them, he acknowledged they were quite bitter, so Ramsay refused to taste them and threw them in his hands with a fork. When Ramsay tasted the chicken breast, he spat it out, telling him it was dry, overcooked on the outside and raw on the inside. After the challenge, he was placed on the red team, along with Elsie, Dewberry, Carolann, Chris, and Jeff.
During dinner service, Jimmy was at the meat station. After seeing Ramsay smack a dish into Chris' chest, he called the former insane before swearing he would not let Ramsay get to him as he was not a piece of garbage. About an hour and a half into service, he brought what Ramsay called a dog's dinner to the pass. When Ramsay asked him if he would serve that in his restaurant and him answering that he would not, Ramsay smacked the dish into his chest and told him to start again. While he was hoping to bounce back like Elsie, when he went to the oven and grab lamb, he did it with his bare hands instead of using tongs, leading him to burn his left hand and see the medic. Ramsay said he never saw a chef screw up so much meat in his life when he came back. After a lot of struggle and a lot of tables walking out, Ramsay shut down both kitchens. The red team lost the service, and Elsie was named "Best of the Worst." He did not feel like talking to Elsie during deliberation as he knew he had no chance of staying after his poor performance.
Jimmy was not nominated for elimination, leading Ramsay to tell him he dodged a bullet.[1]
Episode 2
- Main article: Episode 102 - Day 2
The next day, At 5:55 AM, Sous Chefs Scott and Mary-Ann went into the dorms with cookware and banged them together to wake up everybody, with Dewberry originally thinking it was somebody with a gun. During theSquid Cleaning Challenge, Jimmy cleaned one squid acceptable to Ramsay's standards. The red team won the challenge 6-5, and they were rewarded with a dinner with, and prepared, by Ramsay.
During dinner service, Jimmy was at the fish station. He was not seen that night, but the red team lost the service after Ramsay shut down both kitchens because some pizza was delivered at one of his team's tables, and Jean-Philippe was physically assaulted. Chris was named "Best of the Worst." During deliberation, he was disappointed in losing service for the second time in a row and pleaded his case to Chris.
He was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3
- Main article: Episode 103 - Day 3
Before the Five Course Meal Challenge, Jimmy and his team welcomed Michael as a new teammate. He was the final person from the red team to have his dish judged, cooked the dessert round, and went up against Mary Ellen. He served a vanilla poached pear with feta cheese on the side, and while Ramsay praised the presentation, he did not enjoy the taste, calling it bland. He lost that round to Mary Ellen, but the red team won the challenge after a tie at three each. They were rewarded with a night out with Ramsay at the bar, with drinks and a darts game. During the reward, he was excited to go out and drink. After the red team came back, he felt that both teams were neck in neck, but Chris felt it was more and would be surprised if the red team did not win the following service.
During dinner service, Jimmy was at the fish station. After Ramsay revealed that two food critics were dining, he got scared as it meant they had to perform to a T. After Jeff walked out, he said the latter lost his respect, declaring he would not walk out because someone yelled at him. Despite that, the red team rallied in a strong effort to send most of the food out, but it was not enough, as Ramsay shut down both kitchens after tables were walking out. The red team was declared winners after impressing the critics with their lamb.[3]
Episode 4
- Main article: Episode 104 - Day 4
Following Jeff's departure, Jimmy and the red team celebrated back to the dorms. He even told his team he would never walk out like how Jeff did.
During the Perfect Table Challenge, Jimmy did not know how the napkins were folded, leading Chris to call him a big lummox. One mistake shown was his napkins not folded properly, with Ramsay accusing him of taking them out of a women's toilet. The red team lost the challenge, as they made four mistakes, compared to the blue team's one. They were punished by cleaning and polishing all the glassware and tableware of the restaurant for the next dinner service. He accidentally dropped two glasses during the punishment while cleaning them, leading Jean-Philippe to call him clumsy.
Later that evening, the chefs gathered at the patio for some downtime as Mary Ellen and Jessica called Jean-Philippe a character. At the same time Andrew asked if the latter had gas sometimes. Then, Elsie discovered a huge billboard outside the dorms showing Ramsay's face and the show's title. She made everybody else look at it, all laughing when they saw it saying they could not believe it. Thirty minutes before service, because the red team lost the challenge, they had to arrange all the tables in the dining room, which made them lose valuable time of prep.
During dinner service, Jimmy was at the garnish station. He sent a cold garnish to the pass, and Ramsay asked him to start over. When he talked back to Ramsay, claiming he was trying his best, the latter threatened him by saying he would wash pans for the rest of his life if he would send up one more cold garnish. Near the end of service, he was excited that his team almost finished their tickets that Ramsay told him to stop dancing like a ballerina. The red team won the service after they succeeded in serving all their diners, and he felt good to complete a service for the first time.[4]
Episode 5
- Main article: Episode 105 - Day 5
The next day, Jimmy was named the weakest link on the red team by Chris. Instead of being demoralized, it boosted his willingness to improve, stating that the weakest could go from bottom to top.
During the Pasta Making Challenge, Jimmy was told by Michael to hold the pasta on his arms because of his stature. After a few minutes of holding his arms in the air without moving, he said that it was hurting like hell. Ramsay joked that he was looking delicious as a blonde, which made everybody laugh. The red team won the challenge, managing to get 2.45 lbs. of pasta acceptable, compared to the blue team's 2.41. They were rewarded with a nice tour on a gondola, with wine and cheese. During the reward, he poked fun at Ralph's complaints.
During dinner service, the red team cooked during the first seating and served during the second. During the first seating, Jimmy was on the appetizer station. The first bowl of soup he sent to the plate was dirty, so Ramsay asked him to clean it, even accusing him of doing it on purpose. On his second attempt, the plate was dirty again, much to Ramsay's annoyance. During the second seating, he was trying to push himself as a waiter by running up the stairs, and some of his customers noticed he was sweating a lot. Ramsay called him over for the over, but he was confused about orders and sent the wrong order at one table. When he returned to the pass, he told Ramsay he needed another order of tortellini due to his mistake, and Ramsay called him pathetic. Moments later, Jean-Philippe told him to stop touching himself because he was touching his hair and his face a lot.
After Ramsay shut down the blue kitchen as the time limit was over, he announced the red team losers as their service in the dining room and the kitchen were shocking. While Ramsay reminded Jimmy about getting eighty appetizers out, every plate was dirty, and Michael was named "Best of the Worst." During deliberation, he pleaded his case to Michael but knew that his dirty plates would probably weigh heavily in the latter's decision.
Jimmy was not nominated for elimination as Michael said he had a wonderful night and worked hard, and Ramsay congratulated him for being a bullet dodger.[5]
Episode 6
- Main article: Episode 106 - Day 6
After Chris' elimination, Jimmy was asked by Michael if he believed that was the wrong decision to put Chris up. He answered it was not to Michael and told him he appreciated the fact that he did not put him up.
During the Blind Taste Test, Jimmy was the first person from the red team to compete and went up against Andrew. He could only correctly identify radish. The red team won the challenge 4-1, and they were rewarded with a wine tasting session with Ramsay. Back at the dorms, Elsie felt Ralph was pissed off, but he reminded her what the former used to say that to the victors come the spoils. He earned how to sip wine correctly during the reward, but laughed every time he tried, making everybody else laugh. Jimmy admitted that he knew more about beer than wine, while Elsie found it hilarious that he knew nothing about high class.
Later that night, Jimmy answered the phone in the dorms, and Ramsay told him to get everybody to the dining room with their jackets on. Ramsay announced that both teams would create their own menus for the next service. The red team showed great teamwork while creating their menu and during prep. When the red team worked on their menu, he suggested a pan-seared duck breast.
Jimmy was on the fish station during dinner service, and his pan-seared duck breast was on the menu. The first order of bacon-wrapped scallops he brought to the pass was undercooked, and Ramsay told him to start over. When he brought his second scallop dish, it was overcooked, and Michael had to help him on his station. Thanks to Michael, he successfully sent out acceptable scallops. Later, he tried to bounce back from his first scallop dishes, but the penne dish he sent was not seasoned enough, so Ramsay asked him to season it a little more. Moments later, Ramsay shut down both kitchens because too many orders came back. After that, he was on the receiving end of a heated exchange with Michael, who called him fatty, to which he was confused. The red team won the service, but Ramsay told him his performance was disappointing for not getting the starting blocks out. Back at the dorms, he and Michael listened to Andrew rant about Ralph.[6]
Episode 7
- Main article: Episode 107 - Day 7
The next day, Ramsay merged both teams into one black jackets team. Jimmy was the last chef to receive a black jacket. When he did, Ramsay told him he would have to keep the plates clean and no more "Dirty Bowl Jimmy." He answered there would be no more.
During the Fruit Flambé Tableside Challenge, Jimmy wanted to prove to Ramsay he was not just known for his dirty plates. However, he was careless and ran into his liqueur bottle a couple of times, which made Ramsay laugh. He was the final person to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and when the latter asked if he flambéed before, he said he did not. Ramsay praised the presentation and the taste, taking three bites instead of one. After deliberating over him and Elsie, he was eventually chosen as the winner of the challenge. He felt good as he showed Ramsay that he could do well in an individual challenge.
Jimmy was rewarded with a helicopter tour of Los Angeles and was greeted by Jean-Philippe with wine and caviar on the roof of a building. Ramsay gave him a choice to pick somebody to join him, and he picked Michael to go on the reward with him, wanting to repay him for not nominating him in the past. During the reward, he was amazed at the view as he never been in a helicopter before, and on the rooftop, he received a rare compliment from Ramsay, after being called fat fuck several times, making him very good as he pointed out that he finally served a dish on a clean plate. Michael took notice of his big smile, knowing he deserved the win.
When Jimmy and Michael returned from their reward, they told them what happened. It made Ralph and Elsie envious, to the point where the latter did not want him to touch her anymore and flipped the bird behind his back. However, he did not care if Elsie would be a bitch to him as it was a competition. The next day, everybody was quiet at the dorms due to the animosity between them, and he knew it was now getting tense due to the smaller numbers. Before service began, Ramsay told him that his second reward was placing somebody to serve Caesar salads and fruit flambés tableside during dinner service. After struggling with a name, he chose Elsie as she finished second in the challenge.
During dinner service, Jimmy was at the fish station. At one point, he mistakenly threw his cooked lobster away without realizing, to keep the fish station clean. Ramsay asked him where the lobster was, and he answered he did not know. As it was lost, they had to start the table again, much to Ramsay's dismay. Later, he forgot to fire the risotto on time, and Ramsay called it painful, especially when he added fish stock. When he started to talk back, Ramsay schooled him on his attitude and restated the order. Then, Ramsay asked Ralph to help him with his station. After, he was working on the next order, but when Ramsay asked him why his halibut was in the pan instead of a plate, he snapped that he was trying to do two things at once. After a heated argument between himself and Ramsay. Ramsay told him he was one of the people who let him down during that service, and Ralph was named "Best of the Worst." During deliberation, he hoped he would not be eliminated that night
Jimmy was Ralph's first nominee for elimination, with Jessica being the second. After Ramsay reminded him he was flying high 24 hours before, he was eliminated for his lack of fight back and terrible attitude during service. Before leaving, Ramsay congratulated him for making it that far in the competition and told him to keep his head up high. During his exit interview, he received a retrospective montage of his run in Hell's Kitchen.
Ramsay's comment: "Each and every one of these contestants now have to start emerging as individual talent. This is where we really start to find out who can handle the heat and who can't. Clearly tonight, Jimmy couldn't." [7]
Episode 10/11
- Main article: Episode 110/111 - Day 10
Jimmy was one of the six chefs that returned for the final dinner service. When he returned, a clip of him getting chewed out during the first black jacket service was shown. He was Michael's second pick, after Jessica and was followed by Elsie. During prep, he expressed his support for Michael.
During dinner service, Jimmy was at the meat station. On the first order, he did not answer back when Michael called out the first ticket. In addition, he noticed that Michael was getting lost and confused, resulting in mixed-up orders. Three hours later, his steak came back for being undercooked, Michael told him to refire one quickly and was not happy about it. Fortunately, he managed to get his refire accepted. Michael eventually won the finals over Ralph.[8]
Nomination History
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Win |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Safe |
| Week 6 | Win |
| Week 7 | Nominated |
Post Hell's Kitchen
- After his appearance on the show, Jimmy returned to his previous career as a purchasing supervisor.
Trivia
- He is the first black jacket contestant ever to be eliminated. He is also the first black jacket contestant to be eliminated on the first time being nominated.
- He is the first contestant ever to win an individual challenge.
- He and Elsie held the original record for most challenge victories, with five each. This would be subsequently beaten in the next season.
- He is the first black jacket contestant never to be named "Best of the Worst."
- He is the first contestant ever to receive a retrospective montage of his run after elimination.
Quotes
- "I'm not about to walk off because somebody yelled at me too much!"
- "This man just said thank you to me after he called me a fat fuck God knows how many times. It made me feel so good inside."
- "I really bust my hump."
- ("After being eliminated") "I've had no regrets about coming to Hell's Kitchen. If anything, it's broadened my horizons. I'm definitely not giving up on my dream of restauranteuring. Chef Ramsay said to keep on moving forward, and that really meant a lot to me coming from him because this is what I really wanna do with my life."
Gallery
.png "Jimmy's Confessional (Black Jacket).png (228 KB)")
%27s_Signature_Dish.png "Jimmy (S1)'s Signature Dish.png (623 KB)")
References
|
| Hell's Kitchen Season 1 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Scott Leibfried (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Mary-Ann Salcedo (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Andrew Bonito • Jessica Cabo • Jimmy Casey • Mary Ellen Daniels • Jeffery Dewberry • Jeff LaPoff • Wendy Liu • Chris North • Ralph Pagano • Elsie Ramos • Carolann Valentino • Michael Wray |