Kashia Zollicoffer

“

I’m very flustrated. I am very flustrated, I’m tired of looking like shit.

”

Hometown/Residence	Carthage, MS
Occupation	Line Cook
Statistics
Signature Dish Challenge Score	1 out of 1
Blind Taste Test Score	1 out of 4
Challenges Won	8
Services Won	5
Times as BoW/Announcer	1
Times Nominated	2
Placement	6th
Episode Eliminated/Withdrew	6 Chefs Compete

Kashia Zollicoffer was a contestant on Season 12 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 6th place.

Season 12

Episode 1

Main article: Episode 1201 - 20 Chefs Compete

The twenty new chefs rode on a bus on route to Hell's Kitchen and during this time they had the opportunity to get to know each other. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Jean-Philippe who walked the chefs into Hell’s Kitchen, only to walk into a service already going on with the food receiving positive comments and Ramsay expressing that the chefs in the kitchen were doing a splendid job. That confused the chefs, and once the service ended, Ramsay approached them and welcomed them. Ramsay explained that he did a soft opening to showcase the chefs what his expectations were, and asked if they could perform a service like the one they saw. Everybody promised they would, and Ramsay revealed that the winner would become a Head Chef at one of his restaurants, but first, they had to survive Hell’s Kitchen in Los Angeles, a place he deemed the capital of entertainment. Shortly after, patrons of the restaurant began putting on a performance. Afterwards, Ramsay announced it was time for the Signature Dish Challenge.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Kashia was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Mike. She made a New York striploin with a blue cheese crab butter, Ramsay praised the dish for being delicious, and she scored that round over Mike. The red team won the challenge 5-4, and they were rewarded with dinner at one of Ramsay’s Los Angeles restaurants.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the garnish station with Beth. After Joy and Nicole were kicked out of service, she was reassigned to fish, and sent her scallops up to the pass. However, Ramsay saw they were overcooked to the point of bouncing, and it was that mistake that got the rest of the red team kicked out of the kitchen. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each.

She was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 2

Main article: Episode 1202 - 19 Chefs Compete

The next day, at 4:33 AM, the chefs awoke to the sounds of dirt bikes revving in the dorms, and Sous Chef Andi told the chefs to meet Ramsay outside. During the Basics Relay Challenge, Kashia was paired up with Bev, they were the first pair from the red team to compete, and they were tasked with peeling and deveining a dozen shrimp. At one point, she was about to devein her shrimp before peeling it until Ramsay stopped her, much to Sandra’s dismay. She and Bev got their first attempt ready, and it was accepted. The red team lost the challenge 4-5, and 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.

During prep, when Nicole struggled to recite how to make duck tortellini, Kashia complained she could not hear the latter speak. However, Nicole accused her of talking shit to her, while she only wanted the former to speak up, leading the two to trade insults as she did not believe Nicole was passionate enough for the competition. Joy had to break the argument up before things got serious, but she told Nicole to stand down as she crossed the wrong bitch.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the meat station with Jessica. When Beth did not answer her request for a time, she accused the former of being in space, but felt she was caring for her Wellingtons like her babies, and got her attempt accepted. However, Ramsay told her not to celebrate as he took Beth and Bev to the front, and had them feel their dry halibut, and she felt that Beth needed to pull it together if she wanted to survive. Eventually, the red team were kicked out after multiple mistakes.

Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Kashia agreed that fish was not there that night, but also believed appetizers were lackluster as well. Then, looking ahead to when there would be four or five chefs in the red kitchen, she nominated Nicole for elimination. That led to an argument between them over who was intimidating who, as Nicole was not scared of her threats.

Kashia was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she was happy that Nicole was gone.

Episode 3

Main article: Episode 1203 - 18 Chefs Compete

While going back to the dorms, Kashia was very happy to see Nicole go home, believed Ramsay made the right decision, and felt like she had a relief of fresh air. 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, Kashia was one of the first three women to be in the pen during part one, and was seen moving fast as she could. The red team lost 90-100. During part two, she took notice of Simone moving around the kitchen, felt that the former was goofing off, and even accused her of not caring. Her dish was not chosen for the top five, but the red team won the challenge 18-16. They were rewarded with a day onboard an 80-foot sailboat in the Southern California coastline, and as the women left to change, she was excited as she never saw the ocean before.

During prep, Kashia did not think Simone was a sick as she was trying to act, and was faking it before deeming it pathetic. During dinner service, she served steak Diane tableside. She was not seen that night, and the red team were kicked out after multiple mistakes. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate three each.

She was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 4

Main article: Episode 1204 - 17 Chefs Compete

During the Lobster Ravioli Challenge, Kashia was paired up with Sandra. They were seen rolling the pasta as she felt it was the hard part, even though Ramsay warned them not to waste their time rolling the pasta. They were seen only getting one attempt accepted, and the red team won the challenge 10-9. They were rewarded with a day at a Beverly Hills mansion which included their very own butler. As the women went back to the dorms to change, she was ecstatic as she never been in a mansion before.

During the Steak Night dinner service, Kashia was on the fish station with Jessica. She was seen bringing up her chicken, and Ramsay said it was cooked perfectly. The red team won the service after helping the blue team complete their orders. After elimination, she felt good to work as a team.

Episode 5

Main article: Episode 1205 - 16 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Kashia hoped that tomorrow's challenge would be even sweeter if they won two consecutive days and felt the women were on a roll as they wanted the men gone. She wanted get the men's heads, but Joy said they already were.

The next day, the chefs came downstairs as Kashia saw 48 domes out in the dining room, and was worried that they would have to make that many dishes. Before the Creative Memory Challenge, she wanted the pork chop, was paired up with Jessica, and they were seen matching Brussel sprouts and tomatoes. They were the second pair from the red team to have their dish judged by Ramsay, and they went up against Chris and DeMarco. They made a pan seared pork chop with corn succotash, but while it was deemed cooked perfectly, which she thanked her momma for, it criticized for having soggy potatoes, and they lost that round, leaving her to only say damn in response. The red team eventually won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a day at Laguna Beach which included kayaking on the water, and lunch at the 5-star Studio at the Montage. During the reward, she expressed nervousness about going into the water as she could not swim, and feared that her teammates would let her drown, so she decided to go back to shore not five feet from shore as she knew her limits.

During the Wedding brunch service, Kashia was on the crouqe monsieur station with Beth. When Beth struggled on the dish, Joy begged her to take the lead on the crouqe monsieur station. When she tried to push Beth for the crouqe monsieur refire, but when the latter refused to give the bride a raw egg. Then, Beth had her walk up a crouqe monsieur she knew was not good, and sure enough, Ramsay rejected it for having raw egg on top, before ordering the two to either get their shit together, or fuck off home. As she was disappointed in Beth for not showing the experience she should have, Ramsay ordered an entire redo of the order. When Beth did not answer Ramsay's question about her burnt egg, she frustratingly told her to get her shit together. The red team won the service.

Episode 6

Main article: Episode 1206 - 15 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Melanie, Beth, and Kashia were in the bedroom when the former broke down in tears over her financial situation. While she sympathized with Beth on her plight, she knew the latter was a fighter.

The next day, Ramsay asked both teams to name a leader for the following service. During deliberation, Kashia felt Melanie was boasting, and when the latter was named the red team's leader, she felt that Melanie was getting on her nerves every time the latter was on her high horse.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the meat station with Jessica. When Ramsay asked how long for the meat entrées, she used Southern lingo to answer it while not giving a clear time. However, as Ramsay clearly could not understand what she just said, he pulled her to the front, but she continued to repeat it until Jessica interjected by saying seven minutes. However, she argued she was not stupid, she was just flustrated and hated looking like a child. Later, she coordinated with Melanie on timings, and got her Wellingtons accepted as they were cooked perfectly. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.

Kashia was not nominated for elimination, but felt Sandra was not a team player. When Ramsay asked the red team which of the two nominees should go home, she said Sandra.

Episode 7

Main article: Episode 1207 - 14 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Kashia would have liked Sandra to go that night, and asked how she was going to get rid of the demon, while Sandra asked the women to let her know if she was not acting like a team player. However, she and Joy told Sandra 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 Joy wanted the former the next out.

During the Gourmet Pizza Challenge, Kashia was paired up with Bev, and during the cooking, they found figs for their pizza. When cooking her pizza, she was blocking the pizza oven to Joy's confusion. When the red team had to drop a dish, she felt that Melanie was acting snooty towards her pizza, and when her and Bev's pizza was dropped, she was upset that her team would rather serve Joy and Jessica’s slice of pizza rather than their full pizza. Then, she was vocal on how she did not agree with that decision when announcing it to Ramsay. After Joy and Jessica's pizza was poorly received, she smugly said she told them, and when Melanie and Sandra's pizza was poorly received, she felt that its what they deserved. The red team lost the challenge 12-15, but Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck asked her and Bev to bring up their pizza, and it turned out to be delicious, making Ramsay question why it was dropped. She said that the women felt it was burnt, but Puck said that it looked similar to one that was found in an Italian cookbook, and Ramsay saw no imperfections on the bottom, before revealing that he and Puck would have given it a total of 7 points, making it the women’s best dish.

The red team were punished by prepping ravioli by hand, grating the cheese, and prepping both kitchens for Italian Family Night dinner service. During the punishment, Kashia said that Melanie should really feel like shit after the challenge, even suggesting that the latter eat a super-sized piece of humble pie. During a break, Melanie wanted the women to bounce back during service, but she told the latter she was sick of her attitude, especially towards her and Bev’s pizza. Melanie argued that she thought the figs were too big, but she reminded her it was her decision on which pizzas would be judged, and that everybody went with that. However, Melanie called that shit as Ramsay was pushing them to decide and she should have argued for it more.

During the Italian Family Night dinner service, Kashia was on the appetizer station with Jessica. She was seen bringing up her first pizza, but when Bev continued to struggle, Joy told the women to have the latter off the pizza station so the same mistakes were not made. However, she refused to move as she did not want her ass on the line. Then, Bev sent up an improperly sliced pizza with a slice breaking apart, and she blamed her for making the dough too thin. When Joy made the dough, she grabbed the former’s dough, and Jessica felt she was running like a chicken with its head cut off. After service ended, Ramsay asked her to take all the thrown-out pizzas from the bins and lay them out for him, which she knew was not good. The red team won the service.

Episode 8

Main article: Episode 1208 - 13 Chefs Compete

During the 160th Sorority Anniversary Planning Challenge, one of the members said they wanted the menu to be Southern themed to represent their home state of Georgia, and that excited Kashia as all her family ate in the south was soul food. During the cooking, she felt great as she wanted to show her leadership qualities and do what she did best. With her leadership, the women got off to a strong start. She continued to lead as Melanie decided to back off. She presented the red team's chicken entrée, was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Jason. She made a classical fried chicken with mac and cheese, collard greens, ham, and hot sauce, but while the dish was praised for the collard greens and mac and cheese, she lost that round to Jason, shocking and flustrating her. After Jessica scored on the seafood round, she warned the men that the women were back on track.

The red team won the challenge 2-1, and Kashia felt great that the women won. 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 was surprised by the VIP welcome, and when meeting Christina, she shared common ground with the latter as neither of them went to culinary school. During dinner, she called Savoy a sweetheart compared to Ramsay, while Jessica felt that they were flirting with each other.

During the 160th Sorority Anniversary Planning Challenge, Kashia was on the fried chicken station with Jessica. When Ramsay asked her for the fried chicken, she said they would be up soon, before expressing confidence as she made fried chicken before. However, the initial batch was raw, and she asked for two more minutes to both Ramsay and Joy’s dismay, with the latter believing that her mother was going to curse her out when she went home. When she kept opening the oven door, Ramsay somebody to explain to her what would happen, and Melanie explained that they would lose 10 degrees every second. Then, she sent up raw chicken,, and Ramsay angrily brought her and Jessica into the pantry room for an explanation. She was accused of trying to kill somebody and was told to put the breasts in early, making her embarrassed before asking Jessica for her back on this. Later, she had Jessica check the chicken as she took southern cooking personal, but the latter walked up with raw chicken even though she thought it was cooked. After, Ramsay warned her and Jessica that if either of them came up with more excuses, he would kick them out, but while she ranted how she was all alone on chicken, Jessica felt she was getting thrown under the bus for her fault and specialty. Rochelle tried to calm her down, but she was in a meltdown over something she felt she could do as Ramsay ordered her to get it together. However, she recalled the words Christina told her, and got her third attempt accepted.

The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Bev felt the most common sense was to nominate Jessica and Kashia for the raw chickens. While Joy knew chicken was a mess that night, she felt that Jessica did little to help her, but the latter argued that she was helping by checking the chicken. However, she reminded Jessica that she sent up raw chicken, and when Sandra had no idea whose fault it was, she suggested that it was Jessica’s fault.

Kashia was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she said that cooking was in her blood and that the rest should watch out.

Episode 9

Main article: Episode 1209 - 12 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, a tearful Jessica confronted Kashia over calling her the worst of the women, but she unapologetically said she was hard to work with as a teammate. Then, she was fed up with the excuses.

During the Dome Challenge, Kashia grabbed New York striplion, potatoes, turnip, and white cheddar cheese. While she and Sandra both grabbed potatoes, she got to keep them. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Ralph, whose dish made her nervous as it was an out of the box dish. She made a seared New York striploin with blanched turnip and potatoes mixed with white cheddar cheese was deemed great, and Michael Cimarusti wondered what would have happened had she cooked for two hours. She won that round over Ralph, and felt reenergized.

The red team won the challenge 4-3, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Terranea resort with lunch by the cliffside, and a private beach volleyball lesson with three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings. As the women changed for their reward, a pumped Kashia felt the women were kicking ass. During the reward, she admitted to the game being hard before getting the hand of it, and Jennings showed them her gold medal as a symbol of looking towards the prize no matter the difficulty. She said she would take that moment for the rest of her life.

Later that day, Ramsay announced that he would perform some individual evaluation reports, and Kashia was the fourth chef to have her evaluation. Ramsay told her that he was watching for someone who could learn the most, and while she might be a late bloomer, she had to start believing in herself. She was not deemed the weakest chef on the red team, and did not have to participate in the Cook For Your Life Challenge.

Episode 10

Main article: Episode 1210 - 11 Chefs Compete

The next day, the chefs went to Ramsay's gastropub to tour around the restaurant, and to see the menu for Gastropub Night. Kashia knew that it would be a great opportunity to change both her and her daughter’s life and that she needed to believe in herself. When the chefs returned to Hell's Kitchen, she wanted her portrait above Season 10's Christina on the Wall of Fame.

During the Gastropub Night dinner service, Kashia was on the garnish station. At one point, Ramsay told her to speed up as she walked like an old women, but she was tired of getting yelled at for other’s mistakes. While her sliders were accepted, she sent up cold garnishes, much to Sandra’s annoyance. Despite trying to get herself together, she sent up the wrong garnishes, which bewildered Joy, and Ramsay told her that while she was stuffing her face, he was dying on the pass. Later, she was getting refocused as she refused to let Ramsay’s comments flustrated her, and she got her refires accepted. After the red team completed their orders, they were sent to help the blue team, but when the men were kicked out, they were left to complete their orders. She felt they were all strong leaders, while the men’s attitude stunk, hence why they got kicked out. The red team won the service.

After elimination, Kashia felt that the women were on a roll as they were going to weed out the men.

Episode 11

Main article: Episode 1211 - 10 Chefs Compete

During the Creative Pork Challenge, Kashia was not seen during part one, and the red team lost the first challenge. She went up against Scott and their cut was pork cheeks, but she felt the latter was underestimating her abilities, which he would regret. During the cooking, she struggled on a flavor for her pork cheek, and Melanie told her to add salt to balance out the watery taste, before commenting that there was not much she could do with that. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and made pork cheeks with butter cream and zucchini squash stew. Ramsay asked where the pork cheeks were, she said they were in the stew, and he said she nailed the cheek very well. However, she lost that round to Scott 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 did not know if Rochelle wanted to be either a chef or a homemaker after the latter voiced her decision to get married and have a family.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the appetizer station with Rochelle. At one point, she noticed that her pan was not hot enough. Ramsay discovered that her gas was off, with Rochelle asking how she missed that as Ramsay called it pathetic. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she nominated Sandra as their first for continuing to have communication problems, and everybody agreed with her. However, Sandra nominated her for elimination, and then, she and Joy fabricated a reason why Rochelle should be nominated.

Kashia was not nominated for elimination, and later, she said goodbye to Rochelle and Sandra as they were reassigned to the blue team, while welcoming Anton and Scott as new teammates. While being dismissed, she warned the blue team that the Sandra show was about to begin.

Episode 12

Main article: Episode 1212 - 10 Chefs Again

During the King of the Hill Challenge, Kashia closed her eyes to channel Ray Charles while in the dark room, but was dismayed when she grabbed squid. During the cooking, she needed help from Joy to prep the squid as it was a protein she never used before, but she was not confident about her chances. She was the eighth chef to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and made an unknown squid dish. Ramsay discovered that it still had the bones in it, and she did not dethrone Rochelle. The red team lost the challenge, and they were punished by participating in delivery day. During the punishment, she complained about missing out on the spa reward, and asked Melanie to make some effort instead of standing next to the truck.

During the Charity Night dinner service, Kashia was in charge of the duck ragu tortellini course. She told Ramsay that the tortellini would be ready in a minute, but when Anton was about to walk a pan up, Ramsay noticed that she did not check them to make sure they were warm in the center. Sure enough, the pasta was undercooked, and while she blamed Melanie for trying to rush her, the latter had no idea why she was being blamed for her rookie ass mistake as Ramsay told her to taste everything. Despite Anton trying to calm her down, she was in a panic as it was her course, and felt everybody was fucking her when she herself busted her ass for their courses. Her flustered leadership dismayed Ramsay as she and Melanie continued to bicker, but their course went out regardless. However, Ramsay pulled her aside, told her to taste everything, and asked if she wanted to go home. However, she said she did not. On the dessert course, she feared she was going home that night despite Joy trying to comfort her, and when the red team was cleaning up, she and Melanie continued to bicker, which the latter did not understand.

Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Kashia bitterly told the red team to nominate her as her course went down, but knew she was not the weakest chef on the red team. While Anton asked her if she was really nominating herself, she felt that shit should not have gone out of hand for her if Melanie dd not sink her, but the latter reminded her that it was her course and it was her time to shine. That led to an argument between the two over her accusing Melanie of sinking her, and she did not give the latter a chance to voice her argument.

Kashia was the red team's first nominee for elimination, with Scott as the second, and they joined Sandra and Gabriel from the blue team. During her plea, Ramsay deemed her performance her worst yet, but she claimed to have driven since the beginning and wanted to continue to grow. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she called that night a wakeup call.

Episode 13

Main article: Episode 1213 - 9 Chefs Compete

While going back to the dorms, Kashia was relieved to still be around as she was certain she was going home that night, and Scott hugged her in comfort. While she was still shaken that she survived, Joy reminded her that Ramsay saw the progress she made so far, and she apologized to Melanie for attacking her earlier that night, which the latter accepted as she was not like that in real life. She knew the red team had to unite as a team as she needed redemption, and Melanie said they each had to perform at 150% from now on, before admitting how happy she was to see the drama go away. Then, she hugged Joy and Anton.

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. While going over the menu, Kashia’s tuna slider was vetoed by Scott as they already had a fish appetizer, but when Melanie suggested ahi tuna sliders, which Joy agreed with, she was pissed as it was her idea. However, she suggested the New York striploin and blue cheese crab butter she made during the Signature Dish Challenge, and Joy agreed as Ramsay really liked that dish, while she expressed confidence that her dish would be a best seller. During prep, she showed Anton how to make the tuna sliders, but there was still some controversy over whose idea of that dish was as she felt left out on the ideas, only for Joy to tell her to drop the drama. When Rochelle was crying in the dorms over the stress of the competition, she comforted her, admitting that she was having the same problems she had.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the meat station. When it seemed that the red team's menu was not popular, she thought their menu was strong. On entrées, she began cooking her signature dish, but was more determined to bounce back after the previous service. Fortunately, her steaks were accepted, and the diners enjoyed it. The red team won the service, but Ramsay asked them to name one woman that would join the blue team. During deliberation, she refused to go into the blue team.

After Richard's elimination, Kashia said goodbye to Melanie as the latter was reassigned to the blue team.

Episode 14

Main article: Episode 1214 - 8 Chefs Compete

Although Kashia was not asked to taste one of the dishes, she was hungry for the carrot cake. During the Blind Taste Test, she was the final person from the red team to compete, and went up against Melanie. After incorrectly guessing her first three ingredients, she managed to get cheddar correct. The red team won the challenge 6-4, and she was happy the red team won, giving her a boost of energy and confidence. They were rewarded with skating lessons with former Olympic figure skater Rachael Flatt, even though she said it would be her first. During the reward, she had a lot of emotions going through her while trying to skate. As Scott teased her for being afraid of everything, Anton wondered if she even seen ice outside of a glass as she went off the rink.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the fish station. On their last order of appetizers, she walked up an incomplete serving of scallops, and when Ramsay asked her what three times five was, she had a brain freeze before saying 15. While Scott tried to help her, she emotionally said she did not need any help as her scallops were not rubbery, and she got it accepted. Then, she sent up her salmon entrée, but it was braised without authorization, and Ramsay even warned her not to put words in his mouth when she tried arguing that he wanted all the fish like that. Scott said that was not the right way for her to cook fish, and she started to give attitude to Ramsay. When Ramsay asked her if she was okay, the latter said she was going to bounce back as Scott tried to calm her down. When she sent up her second attempt, it was perfect, but because Anton was behind on Wellingtons, Ramsay was forced to send them back. After sending up her third attempt, and seeing Anton argue with Sous Chef Andi to the point the latter screamed at him, she felt he crossed a line.

The red team lost the service, Ramsay reminded Kashia that he never told her to braise the salmon, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she nominated Anton and Scott, reminding the latter about the raw chicken walk up, but he knew she and Joy were letting their friendship cloud their judgement as she was braising the salmon instead of searing it. Scott and Anton considered her as their nominee, but she argued that her fish came out when it was ready, and felt that Scott was trying to pass her off as the weakest chef than himself.

Kashia was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she said she was going to rise to the top as her passion got her far.

Episode 15/16

Main article: Episode 1215 - 7 Chefs Compete

Main article: Episode 1216 - 7 Chefs Again

The next day, the chefs drove in the SUV's to Bistrol Farms, and Kashia realized what the next challenge was going to be. During the Budget Challenge, Scott bought an expensive Chilean sea bass, and she knew she and Joy would have to use what was left for their dishes. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Jason. She made a top sirloin with bourbon sauce, it was praised for having a perfect sauce and a nicely cooked steak, having a strong crunch, and she scored a $24.67 average. While Joy was not confident about her dish, she had her back, and when the former scored the winning points, she knew Joy had it, and was over worrying herself for nothing.

The red team won the challenge $73.01-$69.33, and they were rewarded with a $1000 shopping spree at the Grove district, and lunch at Hatfield. During the reward, Kashia said she could not remember the last time she shopped for herself and thanked Ramsay for the reward. At lunch, she said she was driven to win despite never going to culinary school, and said it was nice to get to know Scott on a personal level, especially since the red team came together in the challenge.

The next day, everybody came downstairs to see a lot of people from the press waiting for them as Ramsay led them to the stage. When Ramsay announced Season 3 winner Rock as one of the chefs to have his dish on the Hell's Kitchen Calendar, Kashia was starstruck as she had a crush on him when his season aired. During the Black Jackets Challenge, she overcooked her squash, and hoped her lamb was good enough without it. She was the second chef to have her dish judged, and made rack of lamb with pistachio demee sauce, but her stumbling and nervous description confused Ramsay. Rock praised the color of the dish, but said it lacked contrasting flavors, Dana said the lamb was undercooked, and Paul and Ramsay felt it was missing something. She explained that she pulled off her burnt squash from the dish, and she received 11 points.

Kashia lost the challenge to Joy, and was punished by making lunch for the latter and the judges. Back at the dorms, she and Scott congratulated Joy, but she admitted that she wanted to win, and how hard it was to miss home, which Scott took notice of. They talked over missing their family as Scott hoped talking through it would help as she missed her daughter. Joy reassured her that her daughter would be proud of her, but at the same time, felt that her big step was not easy. During the punishment, she decided to serve the steak dishes herself as she wanted to get close to Rock, and had a chance to shake his hand, even thought she was disappointed by the fact he was married.

During prep, when Joy asked Kashia to slice some apples, she jokingly told her not to come on her high horse. During dinner service, she was on the meat station. The red team got their first order, and she knew that with three people in the red kitchen, they had to help each other out before declaring she was going to get a black jacket. When working on the ten-top order, she knew they had to move with speed and coordination with the blue kitchen. After Scott put three halibut in the oven when there were two on order, she told him to put his passion into his cooking, only for her to serve the chicken not sliced on an angle, making it like a clump because of that, and Ramsay lectured her about it. When Scott was late on the salmon, she asked what he was thinking. Later, she asked Joy for an opinion on her resting chicken, and the latter told her to cook the chicken for thirty more seconds. When she told Ramsay that, she said it in Southern slang. Ramsay had no idea what she meant until Sous Chef Andi translated it for her, and she refused to walk up raw chicken. Her chicken was cooked perfectly, reaffirming her right to earn a black jacket. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, she knew she came in raw.

Kashia was not nominated for elimination, and Ramsay gave her the third black jacket. While being dismissed, she knew her passion and drive got her far.

Episode 17

Main article: Episode 1217 - 6 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Kashia had more confidence from the joy of the milestone.

Before the 50 Tailgating Portions Challenge, Kashia got excited as she tailgated a lot in Mississippi. She made grilled chicken sandwiches, and was not seen much besides serving the students. 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 the punishment, she wondered how she would eat lunch after that day.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the fish station. When the final six received their final ticket, she was proud of herself of getting her black jacket, only to walk up only one lobster tail instead of the two that was ordered. While she blamed Joy and Scott for not communicating with her, the latter said they did, and knew she should not verbally abuse her team for her mistake. Despite that, her refire was accepted, and appetizers were leaving the kitchen. On the final appetizer order, Ramsay asked her for the lobster tails, but when Melanie offered to walk them for her, she rudely rejected her help as she had it. Melanie got annoyed by that as Ramsay accused her of not being a team player, but she lied by claiming that she asked Melanie for help and was rejected. However, Melanie argued against that, leading Ramsay to take the two women to the back pantry for a proper explanation, but that led to an argument. When Ramsay asked Melanie what she had against working with her, she argued she was trying to help, and had no idea why she threw her under the bus. Then, a pissed Ramsay ordered the two to sort it out together, but Melanie knew it was hard to work with her as she wanted to work alone. Fortunately, she became more appreciative to Melanie, allowing the latter to walk her lobster tails. On entrées, she walked up her salmon just when Jason asked for a time, but they came out raw. She said she was trying not to overcook them, but Ramsay was pissed by that comment, and Jason deemed her dead weight as she was still quiet. Then, she screamed at Rochelle when the latter asked her for a time, and Melanie knew it was her time to shine and get out of the weeds, while Ramsay told her to get it together. She emotionally said she was trying to get it together, but was flustrated by getting yelled at, and showed more of a poor attitude to her team. Her refire was accepted, and entrées were moving out at a strong pace. On their next order, Ramsay announced that it was for a wedding anniversary, but when she started communicating with Jason and Rochelle, he sarcastically welcomed her to Hell’s Kitchen. When she and Scott say their refire was raw, Ramsay had them bring it up to him. She got the refire accepted and the halibut dish was sent out to the anniversary table.

After service, Ramsay asked the final six to name one person for elimination. During deliberation, Jason knew Kashia bombed fish from the start, but while she argued that she was left alone that night, Jason remarked he had no problems running fish alone in the past. She felt that with two people on meat, a chicken should not have come back, but Jason retorted that more fish came back that night, and named her as his nominee. Scott agreed, but she yelled that she did not give a fuck as she was done being nice, only for Joy to calm her down. Scott asked why his name was picked, but she and Joy reminded him about his argument with Ramsay.

Kashia was the black jacket's nominee for elimination, but was soon joined by Scott. During her plea, Ramsay said that her station was a disaster, but she knew she fought back everyday and learn things she never knew before, and while it was a bad night, she continued to fight despite Ramsay being on her back as she wanted to grow. She was eliminated for her poor performance on fish and poor attitude, with Joy visibly downed by that. Before leaving, Ramsay praised her for her growth in the competition, and never giving up. During her exit interview, she received a retrospective montage of her time on the show.

Ramsay's comment: "Kashia is a great line cook with an incredible attitude. Unfortunately for her, she's just not ready to run her own brigade yet."

Episode 20

Main article: Episode 1220 - Winner Chosen

Kashia was one of the ten chefs that returned for the final dinner service. She was Scott's fourth pick, after Chris, Ralph, and Rochelle, and was followed by Jessica.

During dinner service, Kashia was on the meat station. At one point, she was forced to hold off her entrées when Jessica struggled on garnish. When she was allowed to walk her dish, she knew they were doing it to see Scott win for his family. When Scott praised her steaks for being cooked perfectly, she knew the former picked her for a reason before declaring she was back. Later, she compared Scott's leadership to Ramsay’s as he wanted perfection. Scott eventually won the finals over Jason.

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	Nominated
Week 13	Win
Week 14	Safe
Week 15	Safe
Week 16	Nominated

Post Hell's Kitchen

• After her appearance on the show, Kashia opened a restaurant called Urban Country Kitchen and reviews are good.
• She released a cookbook called Cooking is my Therapy.

Trivia

• She is the first contestant from the state of Mississippi.
• Competing at age 23, she is the youngest of her season.

Quotes

• (While having a group high-five with Melanie, Bev, and Beth) "Oh, we were the ones that kicked ass today!"
• "I’m very flustrated. I am very flustrated, I’m tired of looking like shit."
• (Describing Nicole) "Nicole, she walks around talking like a little fuckin' mouse, (lowered voice) "wuwuwuwuwuwu." (In a normal voice) Can't nobody hear you bitch, speak up!"
• "Chef, I didn't want to overcook them (the salmon)."
• "Anton, you better lay your ass over here. I'm just happy to see y'all again."
• (After being eliminated) "I came into this with no culinary education. This was a rollercoaster ride from the beginning, but I didn’t realize how strong I was until I got here. I made some friendships that I will keep and I got so many stories to go home and share with my family. You know, I thought that I was the best sometimes. I’m not someone who gives up. When one door closes, I think about the next four that can open for me. This will not be the last time America sees Kashia."

Gallery

• Chef
• Dishes

Kashia and Rochelle's Intro Spot

Kashia in Red Jacket

Kashia's Confessional (Red Jacket)

Kashia, Scott, Sandra, and Gabriel Nominated

Kashia in Blind Taste Test

Kashia in Black Jacket

Kashia's Confessional (Black Jacket)

Scott and Kashia Nominated

Kashia Eliminated

Kashia as Returning Chef

Kashia in Blue Jacket

Kashia's Confessional (Blue Jacket)

Kashia's Signature Dish (Episode 1)

Jessica and Kashia's Creative Memory Ingredient Dish (Episode 5)

Bev and Kashia's Pizza (Not Judged) (Episode 7)

Kashia's Dome Dish (New York Striploin) (Episode 9)

Kashia's Creative Pork Dish (Pork Cheek) (Episode 11)

Kashia's King of The Hill Dish (Episode 12)

Kashia's Budget Dish (Episode 15)

Kashia's Black Jacket Dish (Episode 15)

Kashia's 50 Tailgating Portions Dish (Episode 17)

External links

• Kashia Zollicoffer on Instagram