“ | I need to tell Ramsay I apologize whole heartily. I need just one more chance, let me prove myself. That's the only way I can redeem myself. | ” |
Joy Parham-Thomas, or simply Joy Parham, was a contestant on Season 12 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 5th place.
Season 12[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1201 - 20 Chefs Compete
The twenty new chefs rode on a bus on route to Hell's Kitchen and during this time they had the opportunity to get to know each other. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Jean-Philippe who walked the chefs into Hell’s Kitchen, only to walk into a service already going on with the food receiving positive comments and Ramsay expressing that the chefs in the kitchen were doing a splendid job. That confused the chefs, and once the service ended, Ramsay approached them and welcomed them. Ramsay explained that he did a soft opening to showcase the chefs what his expectations were, and asked if they could perform a service like the one they saw. Everybody promised they would, and Ramsay revealed that the winner would become a Head Chef at one of his restaurants, but first, they had to survive Hell’s Kitchen in Los Angeles, a place he deemed the capital of entertainment. Shortly after, patrons of the restaurant began putting on a performance, taking Joy aback. Afterwards, Ramsay announced it was time for the Signature Dish Challenge.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Joy was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Chris. She made a chilled corn soup, it was criticized for looking like cold and runny scrambled eggs with somebody’s vomit at the bottom, and she lost that round to Chris. The red team eventually won the challenge 5-4, and they were rewarded with dinner with Ramsay at one of his Los Angeles restaurants.
During dinner service, Joy was on the fish station with Nicole. After the women received their first order, Nicole had a confusion over who was cooking the scallops, only for her to remind the former they were due to working fish, and got nervous when Nicole could not remember what was on order. So, she decided to take charge of fish and not babysit Nicole, only to send up overcooked scallops, and as the women worked to refire their first table, she asked Nicole for help. Later, she discovered that Nicole’s scallops were overcooked on one side, but while she sent up her portions to the pass, the latter was slow on the refire to Ramsay’s dismay. After, Nicole got fed up and declared she was done cooking scallops, but she claimed she would never give up like Nicole was doing. While Nicole rudely called Ramsay an ass, she told her not to worry about it as they would come back. After, Sandra did not communicate with her on timings for the scallops as the former claimed she would tell her when she was ready as scallops do not take long to sear. The poor communication led to her deciding to sear the scallops without Sandra’s permission, and with two minutes of cooking compared to the latter’s five minutes, Ramsay accused her of giving up. She claimed she had not, but was unable to recite Ramsay’s order back to him making her have a crying fit, but Sandra was not sympathetic as Rochelle tried to calm her down. Then, Sandra still refused to communicate with her as she wanted to walk her scallops, but Sandra indignantly asked if she was going to cry again. She told Sandra she only wanted to communicate, but that led to an argument as an embarrassed Jessica compared it to hens in a hen house squawking at each other. Seeing that, Ramsay told her and Sandra to put their differences aside and communicate with each other. When Sandra walked the risotto without telling her or Nicole, the latter told her to drop the lobster tail, but a pissed Ramsay pulled the three women to the front and asked how long it would take to cook a tail. She claimed she could get it ready in 45 seconds, so Ramsay decided to test that challenge as Sandra smugly wished her luck. As she raced against the clock, Jessica felt the pressure boiling, and Rochelle wished for the lobster tail to cook faster. When time was up, she went up with a cold lobster tail, but when she claimed it was a communication breakdown, Ramsay responded by kicking her, Nicole, and Sandra out of the kitchen. Back at the dorms, she tried to break up a fight between Nicole and Sandra. Eventually, the rest of the red team joined them after getting kicked out.
Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Joy knew that the weakest links that night were herself, Nicole, and Sandra, but refused to leave after flying from the other side of the country. She blamed Sandra for the communication breakdown as they had no idea when to fire scallops, but the latter pointed out that there were two people on fish and neither of them communicated. While she felt Sandra was not taking responsibility for anything, the latter told her to take responsibility for her mistakes that night. Then, she felt that Nicole left her alone on fish that night, especially after her meltdown that night.
She was not nominated for elimination.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1202 - 19 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, when Sandra had an outburst in front of her teammates, Joy asked if the former was always on her menstrual before gladly volunteering to take Sandra’s bags out herself as she wanted her gone. The next day, at 4:33 AM, the chefs awoke to the sounds of dirt bikes revving in the dorms, and Sous Chef Andi told the chefs to meet Ramsay outside.
During the Basics Relay Challenge, Joy was paired up with Rochelle, they were the final pair from the red team to compete, and they were tasked with making two perfect egg white omelets. When the men chanted azul to pump Gabriel and Ralph up, she was not impressed by that, even if they chanted Feliz Navidad. She and Rochelle failed to get their omelets ready in time, and the red team lost the challenge 4-5. They were punished by picking carrots at a local carrot farm, prep them for the following night’s service, and make both kitchen’s stock in addition. After seeing the school bus they had to ride on to their punishment, she dismayingly called it fitting.
During prep, Joy had to break up an argument between Kashia and Nicole before things got serious. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station with Melanie. After Simone sent up a risotto with no richness, she accused the former of leaving the building. When Nicole and Simone struggled on appetizers, she felt disappointed in both, especially as she felt the former was defeated and told Nicole to go home if she had no more to give. After Nicole and Simone were kicked out of the kitchen, she was reassigned to appetizers alongside Rochelle. However, the red team were kicked out of the kitchen after multiple mistakes. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she reminded Simone about the rejected risottos.
She was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1203 - 18 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Joy wondered if Simone’s nomination would help change her perspective, but did not care anyway as she did not like the latter as she did not sit well. The next day, at 5:45 AM, the chefs were woken to the sound of pigs squealing and a farmer yelling very loud.
During the Potato Challenge, she was one of the first three women to be in the pen during part one, but after seeing her teammates struggle to dig, she annoyingly called her team pre-Madonna’s. The red team lost 90-100, and during part two, she decided to make perogies with crispy pancetta. She was part of the top five, was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Scott. Before her dish was judged, she nervously hoped for Ramsay to like her perogies stuffed with rustic potatoes. Ramsay liked the balance of the seasoning and tasting the true hero of the dish, the potato, and in the end, she scored a perfect five.
The red team won the challenge 18-16, and Joy felt very big after her rough start and that Ramsay got to see why she deserved to stay. They were rewarded with a day onboard an 80-foot sailboat in the Southern California coastline, and during the reward, she claimed the only boats she has been on were a kayak and a canoe. When Jean-Philippe asked Simone if she would like to hoist the Hell’s Kitchen flag, she declined, leading her to call the latter a Debbie Downer as she herself hoisted the flag.
During prep, Simone complained to Joy that she was feeling faint, and that she could not think straight. When Simone left with the medic to eat something, she felt there was nothing wrong with the former, and wanted her gone. When Ramsay asked where Simone was, the women told him she was with the medic, although she felt the latter was falsifying her condition.
During dinner service, Joy was on the appetizer station with Melanie. After the women received their first order, she wanted to please Ramsay as she was determined to complete a service, and after bringing up her first order, Ramsay brought her and Anton to the front, and showed them their perfect risottos before telling them to keep the bar up or god help them. Later, when Simone sent up a raw lobster tail, she told the former to pay attention to Ramsay when he was lecturing, and asked where Simone's push and drive was before wanting her to go home. Eventually, the red team was kicked out after multiple mistakes.
Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate three each. During deliberation, Joy asked about Bev being a nominee, with both Melanie and Jessica considered the latter. When Sandra asked why she was considered for elimination, she told the former that it was based on her attitude.
She was not nominated for elimination.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1204 - 17 Chefs Compete
Before the Lobster Ravioli Challenge, Joy was shocked at the amount of money they wasted, especially since she herself was broke as hell. She was paired up with Beth, and told the latter to put the oil on the pan first so their onions would not burn, even asking Beth if she saw the same demo she herself saw, while Ramsay said the sauce was taking too long. They were seen getting two attempts accepted, although she angered Beth when she claimed she herself rolled the pasta, while the latter supported. The red team won the challenge 10-9, and they were rewarded with a day at a Beverly Hills mansion which included their very own butler.
Before service began, Joy told the women to say a pray as they had to complete service. During the Steak Night dinner service, she was on the appetizer station with Bev. At one point, she told Bev to pour some of the oil out of the pan since she used too much for the ravioli, and complained she had to teach the latter at the wrong time. Then, she called out times for both the risotto and ravioli as she wanted to prove she can be a good leader and get the women out the gate. She brought the risotto to the pass, and Ramsay accept it, much to her relief. Later, she could hear the men struggling, and after the women completed service, Ramsay in particular praised her. They were then sent to the blue kitchen to help the men, and she told Richard to take the help as it would help get out the kitchen faster. After seeing Jason scream at Sandra, she could not believe he was arguing with the latter on his station. The red team won the service.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1205 - 16 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Kashia wanted get the men's heads, but Joy said they already were.
During the Creative Memory Challenge, Joy was paired up with Bev, and they were able to match up polenta. After getting both brown and basmati rice for their swordfish dish, she got worried and hoped to figure it out what to do with it. During the cooking, she claimed it takes ten years to cook brown rice, and hoped to get it done right. They were the final pair from the red team to have their dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Scott and Ralph. She presented their swordfish with a saffron broth, and even though Ramsay questioned the two rice components on the dish, they scored that round, the red team won the challenge 3-2, and she was excited about the women’s third challenge victory in a row. They were rewarded with a day at Laguna Beach which included kayaking on the water, and lunch at the 5-star Studio at the Montage.
The next day, the chefs witnessed a wedding ceremony in the dining room, and Joy noticed that Rochelle was very emotional since the latter just got engaged before competing. During the Wedding brunch service, she was on the Belgian buttermilk waffle station with Bev. When Beth struggled on cooking her eggs, she begged Kashia to take the lead on the crouqe monsieur station, and yelled at Beth that she had to cook. However, an annoyed Beth told the women to worry about themselves as she knew how to cook an egg, but she told her to shut up and cook. The red team won the service.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1206 - 15 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Joy told Melanie and Rochelle that she was more concerned about services than the challenges, which the latter agreed with as they were not doing challenges on the line. She felt they were carrying Beth as the latter had no confidence or skills, while Rochelle felt Beth was shutting down a lot in services. Then, she wondered where Beth’s head was as the only time she saw of it was when the latter was crying, and was looking towards the end as she wanted who to be with.
The next day, Ramsay asked both teams to name a leader for the following service. During deliberation, when Bev nominated herself, Joy questioned if the latter could take control of the kitchen as it meant being involved with every station. Melanie was named the red team's leader. During prep, she and Sandra agreed with Melanie that the women had no worries, especially as they had no faith in Anton being a floater. Then, Beth's inability to focus had her accuse the former of acting lost before planning to make her the next person to go home. Then, she openly said she wanted to go on with service without Beth, but that angered the latter as she left the kitchen, and Sandra told her to shut her mouth as it was not helping.
During dinner service, Joy was on the appetizer station with Sandra. Melanie told her and Bev to communicate with fish on the lobster tail, but she did not respond to the former's question for a time. Despite that, she sent up a perfect risotto, but then, she told Sandra to put another pan for the capellini down, but the latter did not understand her properly and told her not to scream at her face. However, she accused Sandra of refusing to listen to anybody, and felt the latter stared at her like a statue instead of talking to her. When Sandra did not have the capellini fired, she grew frustrated trying to carry so many things. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she brought up Beth's name, but struggled on who to choose as Melanie’s leadership was nonexistent, and the teamwork with Sandra was not there.
Joy was not nominated for elimination, but disagreed with Sandra's plea, feeling the latter was quiet that night. When Ramsay asked the red team which of the two nominees should go home, she said Sandra.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1207 - 14 Chefs Compete
While going back to the dorms, Joy dismissed the men’s victory as her concern was the women. When Sandra asked the women to let her know if she was not acting like a team player, she and Kashia told the former that they tried to tell her multiple times before, but she acted like it was her own business. Despite that, Sandra felt she was a better chef than her teammates and refused to roll over, while she and Kashia wanted the former the next out.
During the Gourmet Pizza Challenge, Joy was paired up with Jessica, but during the cooking, she felt Kashia was blocking the entrance, and was confused over what to do. In a rush, she began bringing up her pizza, but accidentally hit the paddle on the sink, leading her to drop the pizza to the ground. Jessica was in disbelief that she screwed them as the two struggled to get their second attempt ready, but with very few fillings left, they were forced to make a mini pizza. When Wolfgang Puck was invited as a guest judge, she explained that she watched him on TV when she did not have cable. They were the second pair from the red team to have their dish judged, and went up against the pair of Scott and Gabriel. They made a skinny girl pizza, but both Puck and Ramsay said they would not be happy if they served it to them in a restaurant, which Kashia smugly said she told them, and they scored 4 points. The red team lost the challenge 12-15, and they were punished by prepping ravioli by hand, grating the cheese, and prepping both kitchens for Italian Family Night.
During the Italian Family Night dinner service, Joy was on the fish station with Rochelle. After Rochelle served scallops with one side raw, Ramsay told her to show the former how to cook scallops properly. She knew they should not get lagging on scallops and accused Rochelle of getting frazzled, before getting her attempt accepted. When the pizza station was struggling, she told the women to have Bev off the pizza station so the same mistakes were not made, but Kashia refused to move as she did not want her ass on the line. Eventually, she got more dough to help roll, but Ramsay told her that they trashed more than they served. She knew the pizzas station was killing them as there was no reason for her to do both pizza and fish at the same time. The red team won the service.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1208 - 13 Chefs Compete
Before the 160th Sorority Anniversary Planning Challenge, Joy said she loved sorority girls as they were always preppy. Despite not thinking that Jason would beat Kashia, she was proven wrong. She presented the red team's meat entrée, was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Ralph. She presented a ribeye with sautéed string beans and southern gravy, it was deemed very tasty, and she scored that round over Ralph. The red team won the challenge 2-1, and they were rewarded with a trip to Las Vegas which included staying at Caesars Palace, a $500 shopping spree at the shops in the hotel, meeting Season 10 winner Christina, and eating dinner cooked by Ramsay's mentor Guy Savoy. During the reward, she admitted how much she respected Christina during Season 10.
During the 160th Sorority Anniversary dinner service, Joy was on the appetizer station with Rochelle. She was not seen much, except for expressing dismay when Kashia served raw chicken, believing that the latter's mother was going to curse her out when she went home. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she thought that night would have been an easy one, but garnish and chicken trashed them that night. She knew chicken was a mess that night, but reminded everybody that they needed two nominees.
She was not nominated for elimination.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1209 - 12 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Joy reminded Jessica that while nobody wanted to put people up for elimination, it was all about listening and bouncing back, and it has been a recurring issue. However, Jessica left the women, while she felt that the former was making all about herself when she herself was homeless as well. However, she refused to tell Ramsay that as she wanted him to see her as a chef and past that point.
During the Dome Challenge, Joy grabbed sea bass, bok choy, and tangerine for her dish. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Jason. She made a sea bass with tangerine and bok choy, it was criticized for being overly sweet, and she lost that round to Jason. The red team eventually won the challenge 4-3, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Terranea resort with lunch by the cliffside, and a private beach volleyball lesson with three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Later that day, Ramsay announced that he would do some individual evaluation reports, and when the chefs were sent back to the dorms to await his call, Joy felt more awake as she was nervous when the teacher gave out report cards. She was the third chef to have her evaluation, Ramsay told her that there were many cooks that were arrogant because they did not have a level of talent she had, and urged her to believe in herself. She was not deemed the weakest chef on the red team, and did not have to compete in the Cook For Your Life Challenge. During the challenge, she dismayingly saw that Jessica added pepper to the risotto and told her to get it together as you do not put something black in a dish that was to be white.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1210 - 11 Chefs Compete
While going back to the dorms, the women were shocked by Jessica’s elimination, but Joy did not care about the crying and sobbing from her teammates as it was what it was.
The next day, the chefs went to Ramsay's gastropub as he wanted to take them on a tour of the restaurant, and show the menu for Gastropub Night. When the chefs came back to Hell's Kitchen, Joy wondered where her portrait would go on the Wall of Fame. Back at the dorms, she wanted a women to win the competition, and everything she asked for was sitting in front of her.
During the Gastropub Night dinner service, Joy was on the meat station. At one point, Melanie reminded her that she had to toast the slider buns, but she did not know that she had to put them together in addition to cooking them. Ramsay told Melanie to help her as she would not ask for it. While she wanted to complete service, she was bewildered when Kashia sent up the wrong garnishes. After the red team completed their orders, Ramsay had them go and help the blue team, but then, they completed the men's orders after the were kicked out. The red team won the service.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1211 - 10 Chefs Compete
During the Creative Pork Challenge, Joy was not seen during part one, and the red team lost the first challenge. She went up against Gabriel and they cooked with the spareribs. During the cooking, she was upset as she never cooked ribs before, but refused to let Gabriel beat her. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and made barbecue spareribs in a ketchup-based barbecue sauce. It was deemed great by presentation and had a delicious sauce, but they needed more cooking on them. She lost that round to Gabriel, and the red team lost the challenge 2-3. They were punished by prepping peanuts for peanut butter, and prep both kitchens for that night’s service. During the punishment, she felt that Ramsay would not want Rochelle if she wanted a family.
During dinner service, Joy was on the garnish station. When Sandra's lobster tail broke on her, she was annoyed as they went through lobster tails multiple times. Then, Sandra refused to let Joy butt in on her station, leading to an argument as she let her do it by herself. Later, Sandra wanted to walk her salmon, but neither she nor Melanie had anything ready as the former did not communicate with them. When Ramsay asked where the coordination went as she accused Sandra of doing it her way instead of being a team player, before wanting to put up the latter if they lost. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she wondered if they can nominate Sandra two times, and when Rochelle left, she brought up the former’s name based on the conversation hey had with Sous Chef Andi during the punishment. She and Kashia fabricated a reason why Rochelle should be nominated.
Joy was not nominated for elimination, using the fake reason she made in the dorms when explaining why Rochelle was nominated. Later, she said goodbye to Rochelle and Sandra as they were reassigned to the blue team, while welcoming Anton and Scott as new teammates.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 1212 - 10 Chefs Again
Back at the dorms, Joy did not want Anton on the red team as he would not be an asset to them, even feeling that the latter was not worthy of a red jacket. Then, she told Anton that his arrogant behavior would not sit with the red team.
During the King of the Hill Challenge, Kashia needed help from Joy to prep the squid as it was a protein she never used before. She was the sixth chef to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and made an unknown dish. While it tasted delicious, she failed to dethrone Rochelle. The red team lost the challenge, and they were punished by participating in delivery day. During the punishment, Melanie did not do much as she was too weak, but she said that was an excuse for incompetence, which is what she used every time.
During the Charity Night dinner service, Joy admitted that while Anton was the type of guy she hated working with due to his poor communication, she did admit that he can cook after his risottos were accepted. She was in charge of the apple beignet dessert, and as the red team prepped their dishes, she tried to comfort Kashia. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she struggled to pick two people from the five they had, only for Scott to nominate her based on her poor performance during the challenge. However, she considered Scott due to him zoning out that night.
She was not nominated for elimination.[12]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 1213 - 9 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Joy reminded Kashia that Ramsay saw the progress she made so far.
The next day, Sous Chef James entered the dorms with two delivery people and gathered both teams to the living room. After, the delivery people began to rap out a message from Ramsay, revealing that the packages they had were two blank menus, and that they had one hour to create their own menu for that night’s service. After the rap, Joy said that rap would not have won a freestyle battle. When the red team worked on the menu, she asked what kind of garnish would suit their risotto well, and her suggestion of cranberries was liked by Melanie. Then, she agreed on Melanie's ahi tuna sliders, and on Kashia's steak dish as Ramsay really liked that dish during the Signature Dish Challenge. However, when she suggested fried chicken, it was not well received as Scott recalled how poorly both teams did on fried chicken during the 160th Sorority Anniversary dinner service. While the rest of the team agreed to keep it the menu safe, she told them not to be scared over chicken, although Scott did not understand why somebody would be adamant for fried chicken after it tanked. However, she told Scott she can fry chicken, and the red team reluctantly put it on the menu.
During prep, Joy told Kashia to drop the dramatics when the latter complained about not having her ideas used. When Ramsay looked at the demo dishes, he said the fried chicken tasted delicious despite an ugly presentation, and she said she can take the bone off for a better presentation even though she felt he was saying some random adjectives. Then, Ramsay warned the red team not to make it a repeat of the 160th Sorority Anniversary dinner service, but while Scott knew that already, she promised that she can do it. Later, she agreed with Anton that it should be easy as it was their own dishes.
During dinner service, Joy was on the garnish station. At one point, her fried chicken was on order, and Scott knew she had to own up to it and make it perfect as it was do or die. However, Scott’s constant questions irked her, and she sent up her chicken. Ramsay told her that it was perfectly cooked, and Scott was relieved about that as customers liked the dish. The red team won the service, but Ramsay asked them to name one woman that would move into the blue team. During deliberation, she felt that it was a penis swinging competition in the blue kitchen.
After Richard's elimination, Joy said goodbye to Melanie as the latter was reassigned to the blue team.[13]
Episode 14[]
- Main article: Episode 1214 - 8 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Joy urged Gabriel to come back flawlessly the next day.
The next day, Ramsay had Joy taste an ice cream sundae, but it turned out to be mushroom gravy. During the Blind Taste Test, she was the first chef from the red team to compete, and went up against Rochelle. She felt awkward with Ramsay feeding her while she was blindfolded, and could only get pear and carrots correct. The red team won the challenge 6-4, and they were rewarded with skating lessons with former Olympic figure skater Rachael Flatt.
During prep, Anton and Joy discuss the timings for the convection oven, but she said they should know this by now as Anton asked about the oil for salads. That led her to comment that there were certain things money could not buy, like common sense. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. After Anton struggled on meat, she said that the two men sucked on the red team, referring to the former and Scott. When Scott discovered that Anton's Wellingtons were overcooked, she deemed it a beef cemetery, even commenting how expensive that item was. After seeing Anton argue with Sous Chef Andi to the point of the latter screaming at him, she told him to cut it out.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Joy said that the red team took a million steps backwards due to the men, and had her nominees picked in her head before wanting both to go home. Anton said he was a natural leader, but she called him out for his disrespectful attitude towards Sous Chef Andi. Then, she nominated Anton and Scott for bringing the blue team’s issues into the red team, but while the latter said he communicated that night, he was shut down as Kashia agreed with her.
She was not nominated for elimination.[14]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 1215 - 7 Chefs Compete
- Main article: Episode 1216 - 7 Chefs Again
Back at the dorms, Joy told Rochelle that she would have rather seen Scott go home instead as she felt the latter was not a team player, and was not going to grove in the red kitchen.
During the Budget Challenge, Joy felt she could feed her entire community with $35, and during the cooking, she asked Scott to put her pork loin in the oven. When she took it out of the oven, she feared that her pork was raw after taking it out of the oven. While she plated her dish, she was not in a great mood as she felt the pork was raw, and complained that it did not matter if she was late to plate it. Blaming herself for that mistake, she was about walked out of the red kitchen while upset, but Ramsay told her that she was showing bad manners by ignoring him, and urged her to compose herself. Scott hugged her in comfort over the latter’s turmoil, and reassured her that it could still be a great dish if the pork rested. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged, but was still not confident about her chances despite Kashia having her back. She made a seared pork loin with spicy apple sauce, and to her surprise, the dish was praised for a beautifully cooked pork, she scored an average of $24.67, and the red team won the challenge $73.01-$69.33. She was shocked that they won, but Kashia knew the former had it, and was over worrying herself for nothing.
The red team was rewarded with a $1000 shopping spree at the Grove district, and lunch at Hatfield. As the red team left to get changed, Joy felt they all pulled their weight on that challenge, especially Scott. During the reward, she said she never went to a Michelin star restaurant before now.
During the Black Jackets Challenge, Joy struggled to choose a protein, and to push herself, she picked duck breast as it was a protein she never cooked before even though she knew it could go both ways. After seeing everybody get harsh reviews from the judges, she feared that it got serious, and being the last person up meant that if her dish was not good enough, it would make Ramsay look bad. She made a seared duck breast with oven roasted figs and mushrooms with Swiss chard, but when Rock asked her for the inspiration, she said she cooked things she never made before now.[15] Ramsay was dismayed by that comment, but despite that, Paul said the dish looked amazing and it ate well with the right balance, Rock said the flavors were amazing, and Dana said it was the first dish she tasted that she liked. In the end, she scored 19 points, and won the challenge.
Joy won a spot on the Hell’s Kitchen calendar, the first black jacket of that season, and was immuned for that night’s service. Once in her black jacket, she said she felt sexy in it, and was happy to be the first person to receive one. In addition, she received lunch with the three judges. As the chefs returned to the dorms, Scott and Kashia congratulated her for winning, and she reassured the latter that her daughter would be proud of her, but at the same time, felt that Kashia’s big step was not easy. During the reward, Dana told her not to take Ramsay’s criticisms too personally as he had a lot of constructive criticisms, and that she never made the same mistake twice. She felt it was awesome to get that insight from people before her, and told the former contestants that Kashia was her biggest competition as the latter picked up on everything very fast despite having no culinary training, and how they had a strong friendship. Eventually, the lunch was over, and she said it was a good experience as the former contestants left.
During prep, Joy asked Kashia to slice some apples, and the latter jokingly told her not to come on her high horse. During dinner service, she was on both the appetizer and garnish stations. She did not feel she was safe despite Ramsay’s promise and that the latter could take her black jacket away, but the risotto was accepted. On the ten-top order, she said she did not need help on appetizers, and on entrées, she helped Scott out on the third attempt, which got accepted. Then, Kashia asked her for an opinion on her resting chicken, and she told the former to cook the chicken for thirty more seconds. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, she wondered who she could lead, and who could lead her, before not arguing against Scott saying that he was trying to improve himself. However, she struggled to nominate somebody as Kashia was her friend, but at the same time, Scott can cook.
She was not nominated for elimination.[16]
Episode 17[]
- Main article: Episode 1217 - 6 Chefs Compete
During the 50 Tailgating Portions Challenge, Joy felt Scott was trying to complicate his mahi mahi sandwich, and did a grilled Philly cheesesteak, only to learn how different it was cooking it without charcoal. She lost the challenge to both Scott and Jason, and was punished by sorting the garbage from both the tailgate party and Hell’s Kitchen.
During prep, Joy noticed that Jason was not with them, and was annoyed by his sluggish movement. During dinner service, she was on the appetizer station with Scott. After Kashia served only one lobster tail instead of two, the former blamed her and Scott for not communicating with her, but she said they did, and knew Kashia should not verbally abuse her team for her mistake. When Scott did not tell Ramsay why they had to refire the risotto, the latter asked her for the reason as the former did not have the balls to say it. Later, Rochelle served a broken chicken after cutting it improperly, and she said that by now, they should know how to slice chicken. When she saw Scott argue with Ramsay, she had no idea how to process that.
After service, Ramsay asked the final six to name one person for elimination. During deliberation, Joy was torn between Kashia and Scott, but went with the latter as Kashia was her girl. Scott asked why his name was picked, but she and Kashia reminded him about his argument with Ramsay.
Joy was not nominated for elimination, but was visibly down when Kashia was eliminated. During deliberation, she said she was not here for friends, just for the odds to be in her favor.[17]
Episode 18[]
- Main article: Episode 1218 - 5 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Joy and Melanie realized that there was not a lot of people left as they were the final five out of the twenty that began. Then, she said she would be close to a moment of success, only to lose it at the last second.
During the Leftovers Challenge, Joy sliced her chicken in half, but while it came out raw, she refused to let the nerves get to her because if she defeated herself, she would lose. She was the second person to have her dish judged, and said she read Better Homes and Garden, but awkwardly mentioned that it was her favorite bathroom literature, which Jason could not believe she said that. She made a coriander crusted chicken, it was criticized for not being crispy, and having a lackluster salad, disappointing her as she knew she could do better.
Joy lost the challenge to Scott, and was punished by prepping pumpkin and acorn squash. Joy was not feeling it as she felt beaten down, and during the punishment, she said she never carved a pumpkin before now. When Rochelle sliced her thumb, she called the medics over and squealed over the chunk on the counter with Melanie. They tried to cover the chunk without looking at it, and when Rochelle was taken to urgent care, she hoped the latter would make it back in time for service as they could lose their space if they did not shine.
During prep, Joy was still shaken by Rochelle's accident, and when Ramsay asked where the latter was, she and Melanie told him what happened. During dinner service, she was on the fish station. When asked to taste Melanie's capellini, she said it tasted like shit due to missing the seasoning. On entrées, she communicated with Rochelle and Jason on timings, only to walk up the halibut despite Rochelle needing a minute more on her Wellingtons, and Ramsay reminded her that she needed the sauce first as he refused to stop and start. Jason had no idea what happened as she messed up quickly, and she walked up her sauce which had no mussels in them. She got frustrated as she had a lot going on with fish, but managed to get her second attempt accepted, allowing it to be sent out to the dining room. On the next order, she failed to give Rochelle a proper time, to Ramsay’s annoyance, but she rudely told him to have somebody else pick up her pace if he felt she was slowing things down, while Ramsay accused her of giving him attitude. When Ramsay asked for a time on the garnishes, Jason said he needed 90 seconds, but she ended up walking the halibut up despite the announcement. Ramsay was frustrated as he wanted the garnish first before the halibut, but while Jason understood that, she was confused, leading Ramsay to pull her aside to explain it to her. However, she showed more attitude to Ramsay, walked away from him, and he told her not to take her bad mood out on his food. That caused her to snap and declare she was done with the competition. Despite Rochelle and Melanie begging her not to quit, she took her jacket off and walked back to the dorms to pack, only for Ramsay to follow her and call out her selfish attitude by giving up over one mistake. That led to an argument between them as they accused the other of not listening to the other, ending with her declaring that she was done and walking upstairs, and Ramsay retorting that it showed in her cooking.
Back at the dorms, Joy was packing up her clothes when Sous Chef Andi came and asked what happened. She felt that Ramsay went off the handle and she was trying to explain herself, but Sous Chef Andi reminded her that it was who Ramsay was, and that she was giving attitude. She knew that the competition was bringing out the ugly side of her, but while Sous Chef Andi said she had to take the stress, she felt like she was beaten down and could not take it anymore as it was never enough for Ramsay. However, Sous Chef Andi told her that Ramsay was her biggest supporter, reminding her of what he told her during the evaluations, and that the hardest people in their lives were the ones that wanted the best out of them. Coming to her senses, she realized she had a chance to win, but threw it all away, and had no idea what to do now. Later, she debated her next move, and realized that she needed to apologize to Ramsay and ask for another chance, but did not know if she had the confidence to do so. Ultimately, she decided not to take the chance, believing it was too late for her to apologize to Ramsay, and knew she had to live with the fact she threw away a chance of a lifetime. During her exit interview, she received a retrospective montage of her time on the show. At the end of the episode, she received the portrait burning sequence.
Ramsay's comment: "Joy's quitting was one of the most shocking things I've ever experienced in Hell's Kitchen. But her lack of maturity tonight proved that she is not ready to be a head chef because leaders never quit." [18]
Nomination History[]
Week 1 | Safe |
---|---|
Week 2 | Safe |
Week 3 | Safe |
Week 4 | Win |
Week 5 | Win |
Week 6 | Safe |
Week 7 | Win |
Week 8 | Safe |
Week 9 | Safe |
Week 10 | Win |
Week 11 | Safe |
Week 12 | Safe |
Week 13 | Win |
Week 14 | Safe |
Week 15 | Safe |
Week 16 | Safe |
Week 17 | Quit |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Joy returned to her catering company Urban Country Culinary Concepts, and offers private chef services.
Trivia[]
- She is the first contestant ever to receive a black jacket during a challenge.
- She is the second black jacket contestant to withdraw, following Robert (Season 5). Coincidentally, both were ranked at 5th place.
- She is the first black jacket contestant ever to withdraw not due to medical reason.
- She is the third contestant, first and only female contestant, and the only black jacket to date to withdraw from the competition during service, following Jeff (Season 1) and Andrew (Season 7).
- She is the fourth contestant to voluntarily withdraw from the competition but not due to an injury or illness, following Joseph (Season 6), Andrew (Season 7), and Gina (Season 11).
- She is the only contestant to this date to rank in 5th place that completely avoided nomination throughout the entire season.
- She is responsible for one of two of the most shocking black jacket exits ever, the other being Josh (Season 3). Coincidentally, both were ranked at 5th place.
- She did not come back for the last dinner service of the season as supposed to, so Bev took her place, making her the fourth black jacket contestant who did, following Robert (Season 5), Tennille (Season 6), and Ed (Season 7).
- She is the only member of that season's black jacket team to have never worn a blue jacket at some point.
Quotes[]
- (About working with Nicole) "One thing I don't do is give up, and one thing I can't do is work next to somebody who is going to give up."
- (About Simone) "(Mimicking Simone) I think it's a great opportunity, Chef. You think it's a great opportunity? You're not working like it. Where's the push? Where's the drive?"
- "At the end of the day, Kashia’s my girl."
- (After tasting Melanie's capellini) "Tastes like oodles of noodles."
- (About Rochelle) "I looked at Rochelle, because you know, she's just engaged. And I'm like, "Let me see, if she gets teary eyed". And she had this glow on her face like, "Oh, I can't wait for my special day". Chicks love weddings, come on you know, the red team loved it."
- (After seeing Jason aggressively yell at Sandra) "You fucking serious? To get in her (Sandra) face like that and yell? I don't know, maybe his (Jason) balls shrunk up a little bit because a woman had to jump on his station."
- (Upon quitting mid-service) "I'm done! Leave me alone, leave me alone... I'm done with this shit!"
- "I need to tell Ramsay I apologize whole heartily. I need just one more chance, let me prove myself. That's the only way I can redeem myself. But I don't know if I have the confidence to go into that kitchen so do I do it, or do I not do it? I just don't know."
- (Before quitting) "It's too late. I can't apologize. I feel like I let Chef Ramsay down, and I didn't think about anybody but myself when I walked out that kitchen. I was really hungry and I really wanted it, but the closer I got to the end, the more I started doubting myself. And I shouldn't have did that because my doubt is what drove me to just walk away. Now that I sit back and think about everything that went on here, I realized I've come a long way. Ever since my first service, my worst service, I've only moved forward. I grew a lot in the kitchen and outside the kitchen, I made a best friend while I was here, and I was the first person that won a black jacket. I really did blow one of the biggest opportunities I had a long time. It was everything I asked for. And I threw it all away, and that's just something I had to live with."
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
Joy Parham-Thomas on Instagram
Hell's Kitchen Season 12 |
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Staff |
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • James Avery (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel) |
Contestants |
Mike Aresta • Rochelle Bergman • Scott Commings • Michael DeMarco • Chris Eversole • Melanie Finch • Sandra Flores • Michael Gabriel • Bev Lazo-Gonzalez • Simone Hammond • Ralph Johnson • Richard Mancini • Gaurav Navin • Nicole Rutz • Beth Taylor • Anton Testino • Joy Parham-Thomas • Jessica Vogel • Jason Zepaltas • Kashia Zollicoffer |