| “ | Everyone calls me 'Flawless Lawless', from the way I dress to the way that I present my food. | ” |
Lauren Lawless was a contestant on Season 19 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 10th place.
Season 19[]
Episode 1/2[]
- Main article: Episode 1901 - Welcome To Vegas
- Main article: Episode 1902 - Shrimply Spectacular
The eighteen new chefs arrived at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as Ramsay wanted them to see the first official Hell's Kitchen Restaurant. Marino greeted the chefs at the front doors and took them inside the restaurant. As the chefs drank champagne, they got to know each other. Eventually, Ramsay came in, explained that the Hell's Kitchen Restaurant was built on the show's eighteen-season legacy, and revealed that it was one of the highest-grossing restaurants in America. Ramsay revealed that he brought them to the restaurant for inspiration because the winner of that season would become the Head Chef at the brand-new Hell's Kitchen Restaurant in Lake Tahoe. Ramsay admitted that they would not be competing in the real Hell's Kitchen restaurant due to the demand, so they would be going to Los Angeles to compete. The chefs returned to the bus to head to the airport as Lauren was ready to prove she was not a ditzy blonde. As they drove to the airport, Marino handed out the tickets, and once arriving at the strip, they see a helicopter revving up, with Ramsay taking it and flying off. After some time, the chefs were called in for boarding, but as the chefs walked through the doors, they found themselves standing inside the restaurant. Then, Ramsay appeared in his chef jacket, revealed that for the first time in the show's history, Hell's Kitchen would take place in Las Vegas and had some performers do some shows for the chefs. While the chefs could not do any of the tricks they saw, they reaffirmed that they could indeed cook to Ramsay. When Sous Chef Christina came in as the red team's Sous Chef, she was stunned as she admired the former a lot.
Lauren was paired up against Drew during the Signature Dish Challenge, they were the third pair to play for their ingredients, and they received halibut, spinach, and fettuccine. After seeing Cody get a poor review on his presentation, she was humored as she was annoyed by the former's arrogance. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, said she was called Flawless Lawless due to her looks and presented her pan-seared halibut in a spicy arrabbiata sauce. Ramsay liked how the fish glistened but felt there was too much pasta on the dish, and she received three points instead of a 4. During Drew's judging, Ramsay had her taste the former's pasta and said it lacked salt. The red team lost the challenge 27-28, and they were punished by cleaning the Caesar Palace's fountain. As the women put on their work overalls, she was embarrassed by their look as they did not look hot.[1]
The next day, the chefs saw a helicopter hovering above them, and Lauren had no idea what was in store for them. During the Creative Shrimp Challenge, she was called up as one of the top three chefs in the red team. She was the third chef to have her dish judged by Ramsay and presented her chimichurri grilled prawn with a chorizo cream sauce. Ramsay loved the colors as they screamed Las Vegas, and after tasting the dish, she dethroned Cody. After surviving over Declan, she was happy that she took out two men in a row. She lost the challenge after Syann dethroned her, making her pissed by that.
During dinner service, Lauren was on the fish station with Nikki. She was not seen that night, and the red team won the service.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1903 - Hell Caesar!
During the Caesar Salad Challenge, Lauren was paired up with Brittani due to the red team having two extra people. She was seen adding too much olive oil to Brittani's liking and brought up their first attempt to Ramsay. However, Ramsay rejected it for having too much olive oil in the dressing, shocking her as she thought their dressing was on point. Despite that, she got their second attempt accepted, and the red team won the challenge 10-8. They were rewarded with a dune buggy experience in the Nevada desert, and during the reward, she said she was an adrenaline junkie.
After the reward, Lauren had nothing nice to say about Fabiola as she did not know what was going on in the latter's head, but she helped Fabiola to the bedroom when asked. During dinner service, she was on the meat station with Jordan. At one point, she called Fabiola a hot mess in the kitchen both physically and mentally when the latter struggled on flatbread. While working on Apolo Ohno's order, she asked Mary Lou for help on the duck, but the latter was not happy that she was intimidated by the duck as she should have had it down earlier and asked Mary Lou more questions. When Ramsay asked for a time, he was not happy when she said nine minutes and was more confused when Mary Lou was on meat. A befuddled Ramsay asked her and Jordan what was going on, but she only responded with "yes chef" instead of a proper answer.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Lauren was nominated by Nikki as the latter felt she was behind that night, with Brittani and Kori in agreement. However, she got pissed that she was getting crucified despite there being only two people on meat that night, while Syann struggled to say a name until naming her. She accused the women of being full of shit as her food has been perfect, but Mary Lou retorted that while she could stay Flawless Lawless, she did not get dirty like everyone else. Then, she pointed out Fabiola struggled on flatbreads and accused the women of nominating her just because she was pretty before leaving the room.
Lauren was named the red team's first nominee for elimination, with Nikki as the second. However, she survived elimination as Ramsay voided her nomination. While being dismissed, she felt that the right person went home as she knew her skills.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1904 - Wedding Bells In Hell
Back at the dorms, Lauren noted that Amber was too difficult to be around due to the latter being a bitch, and wished that she stopped bringing in bad energy for the women.
During the Wedding Brunch Service Challenge, Lauren was on the mimosa station. She was not seen during the challenge, and the red team won the challenge. They were rewarded with an overnight trip to Lake Tahoe, where they would ride snowmobiles in the mountains and stay at the Harrah's Hotel and Casino.
Before dinner service, Lauren said goodbye to Amber as the latter was reassigned to the blue team. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except for telling Jordan not to put basil leaves on the flatbread. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she had no idea who was going up for nomination due to multiple names being thrown around and felt it could be any of the three women who made mistakes that night.
She was not nominated for elimination.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1905 - Hell Starts Taking Its Toll
During the Mexican Cuisine Challenge, Lauren was paired up with Jordan and collected ingredients for their beef tostadas. The red team won the first part of the challenge, and they received 45 minutes of cooking time. When Aarón Sanchez came to guest judge the challenge, she said that she loved the man due to being a phenomenal chef. They were the third pair from the red team to have their dish judged and went up against the pair of Marc and Amber. They made a steak tostada, Aarón praised them for staying true to the ingredients, and both teams tied that round. The red team lost the challenge after a tie at two each, and they were punished by cleaning the animals in the pen, scoop up the manure, and clean up the hay bales before that night's dinner service. During the punishment, she complained about getting hot and did not want to clean up donkey shit. So, she stood around doing nothing, which Cody noticed and asked Kori if that happened at dinner services. As Cody saw her stand around and do nothing all day, he got a little offended when she felt they did a good job.
During dinner service, Lauren was on the appetizer station with Mary Lou. At one point, she told Mary Lou that she was comfortable on flatbread but expressed a little bit of nervousness as it was her time to shine. Mary Lou noticed her being nervous near the pizza oven and compared it to doggy paddling in the shallow end while wearing water wings. Fortunately, she got her flatbread accepted, making herself proud, and the red team sent out their first order. Later, Kori saw her standing around and doing nothing, urging the latter to pull her weight. Ramsay noticed that as well and told her to help Nikki out on meat. Although both teams were named joint winners, Ramsay asked them to name one person each. During deliberation, Syann did not want any bullshit and considered her for elimination, which Nikki agreed with. Jordan said that her weak point was dinner services, and she decided not to argue with that as she wanted to let Ramsay decided her fate as cooking was her dream.
Lauren was named the red team's nominee for elimination and joined Marc from the blue team. During her plea, she felt that her food was kick-ass, and despite having little kitchen experience compared to her teammates, she said she could learn quickly. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she knew she had to prove to the red team that she was an amazing chef and do things on her own, proclaiming she was going to shine and kick ass.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1906 - Metal & Marina
Before the Modern Italian Cuisine Challenge, Lauren was seen rocking out to Spandex Nation. She chose to go up against Josh, and their dish was lobster ravioli, making her stoked as she loved that dish. During the cooking, she needed Mary Lou's help on the pasta machine as she only used on twice before. Despite calling herself a fast learner, Jordan was surprised that she never rolled pasta before despite claiming to have a lot of experience. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged and presented her lobster ravioli stuffed ricotta cheese with gorgonzola, mushroom, and sundried tomato cream sauce. While Vinny Dotolo called it a no-no to put seafood and cheese together, he thought it worked, and she scored a perfect 9. The red team lost the challenge 28-33, and they were punished by making hand-made pasta, prepping tomatoes, and making pesto.
During the Italian Night dinner service, Lauren was on the garnish station. She was not seen that night, and the red team won the service. While going back to the dorms, she felt bad for Josh as he was eliminated on his birthday.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1907 - A Pair Of Aces
Back at the dorms, Mary Lou and Lauren decided to change for a hot tub session, and after changing into her bikini, she wanted to relax after a stressful day, while Syann joking flirted with both her and Mary Lou as they went to the hot tub.
During the Protein Identification Challenge, Lauren was paired up with Mary Lou, they were the first pair from the red team to compete, and they grabbed the pork and mussels dish. At first, she thought it was fried chicken and clams, but their first attempt was incorrect, and another taste had them grab pork and mussels. Their second attempt was correct, and Mary Lou was happy they got it in 53 seconds. The red team won the challenge because the blue team failed to beat their time of 8 minutes and 46 seconds, and they were rewarded with a flow riding experience on top of the Planet Hollywood roof. During the reward, she said that she grew up in San Diego but called the flow riding a lot different from the normal boogie boarding she did.
During dinner service, Lauren was on the appetizer station with Mary Lou. She was not seen that night, the red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she deemed the fish station the weakest of that night and considered Kori for her flustered performance on garnish.
She was not nominated for elimination.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1908 - Crapping Out in Hell
Back at the dorms, Lauren told Jordan to let go of her frustration of being nominated and snap out of it.
Before the Craps Challenge, Lauren was amazed at the strength of Absinthe before claiming she could do that in her sleep. She rolled R, and while most of her teammates called out different ingredients that started with that letter, she ended up choosing rice. That bewildered Ramsay as he reminded her that with a letter like R, there were many protein choices to pick from, while Kori hoped it did not bite them in the ass later. During the cooking, she needed Nikki's advice on how to prep the monkfish as she never cooked one before. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and presented her pan-seared monkfish with crumpet mushrooms and rice. Ramsay found the mushrooms to be undercooked, and she scored 3 points. The red team lost the challenge after a tie at 19 each, and they were punished by prepping Wellingtons for both the restaurant and for Gordon Ramsay Steak, which included prepping the mushrooms for the duxelle. After hearing that, she was not happy about it because she failed to get a four due to her undercooked mushrooms.
Later that day, Ramsay gave Nikki the responsibility of interviewing the red team and naming two nominees. Back at the dorms, Nikki reminded Lauren of how she needed somebody for support, but she did not believe that and felt that Nikki was on a high horse. She said she only asked questions due to her talkative nature and felt Nikki should not oversee nominations as she deemed the latter the weakest chef. After the interview, she talked with Declan about her chances.
Lauren was named Nikki's first nominee for elimination, with Jordan as the second, and they joined Marc and Amber from the blue team in the Cook For Your Life Challenge. During the cooking, her speaking out loud irritated Jordan as the latter needed to focus. Then, she said she was a badass cook as she could showcase her skills and flavors, before pouring too much oil into her pan, causing a fire. That freaked Lauren out a bit as it could mean her steak could end up burned. She was the first chef to have her dish judged by Ramsay and presented her pan-seared filet mignon with a potato and parsnip purée and a bourbon cream sauce. While Ramsay praised the presentation of the dish, he saw that the steak was rare instead of medium-rare, mortifying her as she never undercooked a steak before now. While Ramsay praised the purée and the bourbon sauce, he told her that her steak needed two more minutes of cooking. Despite that, she felt she still had a shot as the rest of her dish was praised. After Amber and Marc were sent to safety, she felt she deserved to stay for learning a lot. In the end, she was eliminated as Ramsay reminded her that she was off by two minutes. While Ramsay pointed out how she took a lot of flak from the red team, to the point of being ousted by them, he admired her for keeping her head down and standing strong. She thanked Ramsay for the opportunity and for learning from him, and Ramsay said that if she ever needed help after the competition was over, his door was always open. She handed Ramsay her jacket, and during her exit interview, she said that this was not the way she wanted to leave the competition but declared that she was still Flawless Lawless.
Ramsay's comment: "If you can't fit in with the pack, you better be the top dog, but Lauren was bringing up the rear." [8]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 1915 - What Happens in Vegas...
- Main article: Episode 1916 - Hitting the Jackpot
Lauren was one of the seven chefs that returned for the final dinner service. When it was just her and Marc left, she compared it to being in the playground for dodgeball. She was Mary Lou's final pick, after Cody, Nikki, and Amber.[9] Back at the dorms, she expressed nervousness if she was on garnish, but was happy to be assigned to appetizers as she nailed that station every time she ran it in the past.
During dinner service, Lauren was on the appetizer station. As they worked on the order, she knew that appetizers set the entire night's pace and wanted to set herself up for a good first step. However, she could not remember Mary Lou's order, and Amber was worried about her due to being in la-la land. When she did not respond to Mary Lou's questions, Ramsay accused her of being asleep as her flat-top started to smoke up, annoying Mary Lou as she wanted her to move. While Cody and Nikki were communicating times, she was still silent, leading the former to accuse her of fucking them up. Despite all that, she got her grits accepted, and Mary Lou served her first table, leading the former to proclaim that she will not let her down despite not having a lot of experience on the line. Later, she was concerned about the feel of Amber's chicken, but the latter was willing to serve it and get yelled at. Mary Lou eventually lost the finale over Kori.[10]
Nomination History[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Week 2 | Nominated |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Nominated |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Nominated |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Lauren won episode 11 of season 2 of "Supermarket Stakeout" on Food Network.
- She returned to her catering company Flawless Cuisine, which has near-perfect reviews.
Trivia[]
- Before her appearance on the show, she had qualified for the Top 40 of MasterChef Season 8 but did not qualify for the Top 20.[11]
- She is the fifth contestant to be eliminated in the Cook For Your Life Challenge, following Jessica (Season 12), Christine (Season 14), Giovanni (Season 17), and Gizzy (Season 18).
Quotes[]
- "Everyone calls me 'Flawless Lawless', from the way I dress to the way that I present my food."
- (About the spices in her signature dish) "It's a little bit of red pepper flake. Give it a little bit of heat, like me!"
- (About having a better shrimp dish than Declan and Cody) "Taking out two boys, ah man, it feels great! Bye-bye boys!"
- (After being eliminated) "This definitely isn't the way I wanted to leave Hell's Kitchen tonight, going out for having an underdone steak with two minutes more to go, it really sucks. But I'm gonna keep holding my head high. I came in here as 'Flawless Lawless,' I'm still leaving as 'Flawless Lawless.' Nobody can take that away from me."
Gallery[]
.png "Lauren's Confessional (Returning Chef).png (555 KB)")
.png "Jordan and Lauren's Mexican Dish (Tostada).png (1,000 KB)")
.png "Lauren's Modern Italian Dish (Lobster Ravioli).png (1.15 MB)")
External links[]
Lauren Lawless on Instagram
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen Season 19 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Jay Santos (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Cody Candelario • Mary Lou Davis • Fabiola Fuentes • Nikki Hanna • Declan Horgan • Amber Lancaster • Lauren Lawless • Peter Martinez • Kenneth McDuffie • Josh Oakley • Adam Pawlak • Marc Quinones • Brittani Ratcliff • Eliott Sanchez • Jordan Savell • Kori Sutton • Drew Tingley • Syann Williams |