“ | At this point I gotta think to myself: "well, there's no place else but up." | ” |
Kevin Ridlon was a contestant on Season 15 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 14th place.
Season 15[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1501 - 18 Chefs Compete
When the chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, they found out that they had to go to Las Vegas immediately. After participating in a parade, the chefs met Ramsay at the BLT Steak, which was the prize-winning restaurant, and they were asked to cook their signature dishes there.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Kevin was the sixth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Jackie. He made a chicken Caesar piadina, but not only was Ramsay unimpressed with the concept, as he believed a salad should not be on top of a pizza, but he also criticized the presentation for looking uneven. Then, Ramsay asked him how he made the dough, but he revealed that not only did he use pre-made dough, but the Caesar dressing was also pre-made. That caused Ramsay to ask him if he wanted to go home, but he promised to do better and received only one point. Kevin then knew that he could go nowhere else but up from there. The blue team eventually won the challenge 24-22, and they were rewarded with a ride on the High Roller, and a VIP night at Drai’s Nightclub.
During prep, Kevin got annoyed by Jared's attempt to help him as he felt that the latter was one of those people who liked to be vocal and take charge, told him to get out of the way and let him do his job. During dinner service, he was on the fish station with Alan. After Mark's risotto was bland and raw, Kevin felt that Mark was having the deer in headlights look. Then, he sent up raw lobster tails, and it was that mistake along with customers leaving that caused the blue team to get kicked out of the kitchen.
The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Kevin was considered by Joe for elimination due to his poor performance, but he blamed Alan for pushing him aside. After, he started choking up that he thought he would do well with his experience, and while Eddie comforted him, Frank told him to stop being a baby, and Joe reminded him that hitting foul balls was not an option. Then, he remarked that if it was between himself and Alan, he urged the men to nominate the latter.
Kevin was the blue team's second nominee, with Mark being the first. During his plea, Ramsay asked how he could be lost at the start of service, and he admitted that while he got overwhelmed at the start, he felt that he had the will and determination, and would come back stronger after studying. He survived elimination.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1502 - 17 Chefs Compete
During the Dumplings Challenge, Kevin was paired up with Chad. They got four of their baskets accepted, much to his joy. The blue team lost the challenge 12-13, and they were punished by prepping for a special tableside appetizer for the following service which included pruning 40 logs of mushrooms, taking deliveries of corn, and shucking them.
During dinner service, Kevin was on the garnish station. At one point, he got more communicative due to Joe forgetting an appetizer order and even called out times for them. The blue team won the service.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1503 - 16 Chefs Compete
During the Jacket Challenge, Kevin was the fifth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Vanessa in the cheesesteak round. He won that round over Vanessa, and the blue team won the challenge 5-3. They were rewarded with a trip to Bacara Resort in Santa Monica for mixology classes and foot massages.
During dinner service, Kevin was on the appetizer station with Jared. At one point, an order had a specific order for a vegetarian risotto. However, he sent up a raw one, and after Ramsay yelled that even vegetarians deserved better than that, he received help from Jared. Later, he was asked by Hassan to send up the latter's Wellingtons, but he misinterpreted it as meaning to put them in the convection oven, but the men were able to stop him before he did. After, Ramsay told him that he was a space cadet compared to Buzz Aldrin, and asked if he was okay. The blue team eventually won the service.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1504 - 15 Chefs Compete
During the Duck Challenge, Kevin was forced to sit out to even out the teams at 7 each. The blue team eventually won the challenge 32-30, and they were rewarded with a yacht ride, and eating dinner at the Penthouse Restaurant with Ramsay.
During dinner service, Kevin was on the meat station. At one point, he struggled to communicate with his teammates, much to Ramsay’s dismay. However, he received help from Hassan and was able to send out his first order of entrées. The blue team won the service.
At elimination, Kevin said goodbye to Hassan as the latter was transferred to the red team.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1505 - 14 Chefs Compete
During the Holiday Platter Challenge, Kevin was paired up with Chad on the Mardi Gras platter and felt that he was good on the jambalaya. They were the final pair from the blue team to have their dishes judged and went up against Ariel and Ashley from the red team. His jambalaya was criticized for having undercooked rice in it, and he did not score. The blue team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by making hard candy, caramel, cake pops, and cookies for the Family Night service. During the punishment, he commented that he may not look at chocolate the same after that night.
During the Family Night dinner service, Kevin was on the fish station. While he knew that he had a couple of hiccups in the past, he still wanted to prove to his teammates that he was here to stay. However, he dropped his scallops in even though they took 90 seconds to cook, compared to Alan’s dishes needing 5 minutes to cook, and Ramsay berated him for screwing his teammates on their first table. Then, his scallops were overcooked, Ramsay deemed it both embarrassing and pathetic, and an annoyed Frank called him a fuck up. Then, Ramsay decided to show him how to properly cook scallops, only for Joe to accidentally spill some sauce onto his flat top, cause a small fire to erupt, and forced the blue team to refire their ticket. Later, Ramsay demanded the scallops, and he was able to bring them up to the pass. Unfortunately, they were overcooked and raw at the same time, and Ramsay was more infuriated as he showed him how to cook them earlier. Soon, Ramsay brought the entire blue team into the pantry room, demanded to know what was going on, and he was eliminated on the spot. He was last seen packing his stuff at the dorms, and his exit interview never aired.
Ramsay did not comment on his elimination, and he did not receive the coat hanging and burning picture sequence until the next episode. He was, however, mentioned in Alan's elimination comment.[5][6]
Nomination history[]
Week 1 | Nominated |
---|---|
Week 2 | Win |
Week 3 | Win |
Week 4 | Win |
Week 5 | Ejected |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After his appearance on the show, Kevin returned to the kitchen at Mondo Restaurant in Middletown, Connecticut, and later moved to Mattabesett Canoe Club.
Trivia[]
- He is the first contestant from the state of Rhode Island.
- He is the sixth contestant who used pre-made food for his signature dish, following Rock (Season 3), Salvatore (Season 7), Jonathon (Season 9), Mike (Season 12), and Monique (Season 14).
- He is the sixth contestant to be threatened with elimination at the Signature Dish Challenge, following Seth (Season 5), Sabrina (Season 8), Jonathon (Season 9), Susan (Season 11), and JP (Season 13).
- He is the seventh contestant to be eliminated during dinner service, following Josh (Season 3), J, Lacey (both from Season 5), Louie (Season 6), Nilka (Season 7), and Gabriel (Season 12).
- He is the last contestant to date to have done so that was sent out from the loading dock, although it was unaired.
- He is the fourth ejected contestant who was on the fish station, following J (Season 5), Nilka (Season 7) and Gabriel (Season 12).
- He is the sixth contestant, the second eliminated contestant, and the first contestant who was eliminated mid-service, whose exit interview was never aired, following Jeff (Season 1), Louross (Season 4), Antonia (Season 8), Jason (Season 9), and Gina (Season 11).
Quotes[]
- "Mark is not getting any of his dishes right, he's looking like a deer in headlights when he's getting yelled at. Bro, like, wake up. Hello, you're here."
- "It's crunch time, You know I had a couple of hiccups. I'm gonna have to go out there and prove myself to these guys and let them know that I'm here to stay."
- "It was prepared dough."
- "Oh god, this is not good."
- "I'll do better, chef."
- "I've really put my head down and tried really hard. And it hurts my pride because I thought I could come out here, you know, with the experience that I had. And it's not enough?"
- (Upon getting eliminated mid-service) Gordon: "What in the fuck is going on here? What is going on? (points at Kevin) You!" Kevin: "I am fucking up, chef". Gordon: Do me a big favor, yeah? Kevin: "Yes, chef?" Gordon: "Get your apron off, get packed, and fuck off out! (Opens pantry room door for Kevin) First, GET OUT! GET OUT!" Kevin: "Yes, chef". (Leaves the pantry room to pack his things)
Gallery[]
External links[]
Kevin Ridlon on Instagram
References[]
- ↑ (January 15, 2016). "Episode 1501 - 18 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 15. Episode 1.
- ↑ (January 22, 2016). "Episode 1502 - 17 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 15. Episode 2.
- ↑ (January 27, 2016). "Episode 1503 - 16 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 15. Episode 3.
- ↑ (February 3, 2016). "Episode 1504 - 15 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 15. Episode 4.
- ↑ (February 10, 2016). "Episode 1505 - 14 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 15. Episode 5.
- ↑ (February 17, 2016). "Episode 1506 - 12 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 15. Episode 6.
Hell's Kitchen Season 15 |
---|
Staff |
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Aaron Mitrano (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
Contestants |
Kristin Barone • Jared Bobkin • Sherkenna Buggs • Frank Cala • Meese Davis • Jackie Fuchs • Chad Gelso • Dannie Harrison • Eddie Jaskowiak • Ariel Malone • Hassan Musselmani • Ashley Nickell • Manda Palomino • Mark Paras • Alan Parker • Joe Ricci • Kevin Ridlon • Vanessa Soltero |