| “ | Bring it... bring it to mama. | ” |
Mia Castro was a contestant on Season 18 of Hell's Kitchen. She was the runner-up of that season.
Season 18[]
Episode 1/2[]
- Main article: Episode 1801 - Rookies vs. Veterans
- Main article: Episode 1802 - A Fond Farewell
When the sixteen chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, they were welcomed by Marino and the Sous Chefs and were given butternut squash risotto for lunch. During lunch, Mia called the eight across from her ugly, unaware that they were the veterans in disguised. She was the final rookie to describe her credentials, revealed that she was originally from Puerto Rico, and felt that while people were going to underestimate her by her looks, she declared that she was going to kick ass. When the veterans revealed themselves, she was not nervous as she was competing against losers and not winners as she feared before.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Mia revealed her grilled pork tenderloin with chorizo chimichurri, and she went up against Jen. She was the seventh person from the red team to have her dish judged and presented her grilled pork loin medallion with chorizo chimichurri. It was praised for having a perfect cook as all of her pork had a bit of pink in the center, and she scored a perfect 5. When the score was tied at 29, she went up against Kevin during the tiebreaker, and Ramsay deemed her dish as the one that had the slight edge. So, the rookies won the challenge, and she was doing a happy dance to celebrate. The red team was rewarded with dinner at Josiah Citrin’s Charcoal, with Ramsay joining them along with Citrin. During the reward, she was smiling over sitting next to Citrin.[1]
During the Creative Risotto Challenge, Mia was confident about her risotto as it was the first dish she learned how to cook in culinary school. She was the third rookie to have her dish judged by Ramsay and presented her sweet pea and basil risotto with crispy pancetta was deemed very good by Ramsay, and she beat out Gizzy for the lead. While she would beat out Ariel and Scott, she lost the challenge to Bret. While being dismissed, she was bummed that she lost, but knew that her dish was perfectly cooked.
During dinner service, Mia was on the meat station with Chris. At one point, she was confused about what was being fired and told Ramsay that her duck could take 10 minutes as she only had one of the two cooked. After Chris was caught writing stuff down instead of helping out, she complained that the former was trying to act like Ramsay despite not getting the orders correct. While she got one order accepted, she sent up raw lamb for the next one, and that proved to be the last straw for Ramsay as he kicked the rookies out of the kitchen. While going back to the dorms, she knew that while it was her raw lamb got the rookies kicked out, she argued that other mistakes happened before hers.
The rookies lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Mia nominated Chris for not communicating with her on orders, but the latter sarcastically commented that her job was to cook and not listen to Ramsay.
She was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1803 - Hell's Riders
During the Marines Service Challenge, Mia was on the fish station with Scotley. At one point, Scotley was micromanaging her work by telling her to put a rag under her fish to absorb the excess oil, despite there being a rack already to do so. That led her to believe that the rookies were dismissing her skills, and her rag caught on fire from being close to the element. Despite putting the fire out, Ramsay reminded her and Scotley that they did not need a rag to drain out the oil, and disbelievingly stated that they were already on fire before she complained that nobody was listening to her. The rookies eventually won the challenge, and they were rewarded with a trip to Paramount Ranch and got to star in their own Western film. During the reward, she said that she felt like a movie star.
During dinner service, Mia served a grilled calamari appetizer tableside. After Kanae struggled on garnish, she was ordered by Scotley to help the former out. Despite a ticket callout mistake from Jose, she took control of the situation and got the rookies refocused. Both teams were named joint-winners.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1804 - Hell Freezes Over
Back at the dorms, Mia overheard her male teammates' comments about the women on the rookies, and that Chris called her bossy. She sat in the chair area with Trev, and both agreed that they came to cook in front of Ramsay. After, she said that she would rather be underestimated as she could surprise her competition in the future.
Before the Winter Soup Challenge, Mia was paired up with Jose on the sledding, and they were the first pair from the rookies to compete. They struggled as they crashed before crossing the finish line, the rookies lost the pre-challenge, and she was embarrassed as she thought that the younger rookies would have won. She was the first rookie to have her dish judged and presented her brown butter and butternut squash soup with crispy Brussel sprouts. It was praised for having the perfect marriage of ingredients, with Ramsay commenting that he wanted more, she scored a perfect nine, and she rubbed in the veterans face. The rookies won the challenge 51-41, and they were rewarded with an overnight trip to L’Horizon at Palm Springs and ate dinner at Sopa. During the reward, she called the restaurant a very date night restaurant, and that it has been a long time since she went on a date
During dinner service, Mia was on the appetizer station with Scotley. At one point, she asked Jose to help her out on the flatbreads and felt that the rookies were making the veterans look like amateurs. However, she and Scotley argued their methods on appetizers, with her complaining about how he was not respecting her. Eventually, Sous Chef Christina went in and calmed them both down. Later, Gizzy came in to help them out, but she did not ask for her help. Both teams were named joint-losers and were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she considered Chris and Scotley for elimination, the latter because of the argument they had earlier that night, but he argued that she was too snappy.
Mia was not nominated for elimination but was deemed by Chris as the weakest chef of the rookies as she was more demanding than being a leader. She, Gizzy, and Kanae were reassigned to the blue team, being exchanged for Bret, Kevin, and Trev as Ramsay decided to end the Rookies Vs. Veterans team format and bring back the battle of the sexes. While being dismissed, she was happy to leave Scotley’s team and believed that the latter would end up digging his own grave.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1805 - Fish Out of Water
Back at the dorms, Mia asked Jose if he had any kids, and the latter revealed that he had an eleven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son.
During the Seven-Way Cooking Challenge, Mia received steaming as her cooking method, was the second person from the blue team to have her dish judged, and went up against Chris. She made a steamed halibut with a tableside broth, it was praised for being a strongly executed dish, with David Lefevre saying that he wanted to bring the rest back home with him, she scored that round over Chris, and rubbed it in the latter’s face for screwing her in the previous dinner service. The blue team won the challenge 5-3, they were rewarded a VR experience at VR Territory, and received Vitamix's. When walking past the red team's punishment, she called the smell disgusting. During the reward, she almost had a panic attack over her leap of faith, and after receiving her Vitamix, she called it the best present she ever received.
During dinner service, Mia was on the meat station with Gizzy. At one point, she sliced a Wellington, only to find out it was raw, and her next few attempts were raw as well. After Ramsay was shocked to find five raw Wellingtons cut in half, he reminded her that she should only be cutting the ends off to find out if they were cooked or not, and when Ariel suggested that she put the Wellingtons back together before cooking them longer, she admitted to her mistake but promised that she would not make the same mistake again. The blue team eventually won the service.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1806 - Hot Potato
During the Potato Challenge, Mia was the fourth person from the blue team to have her dish judged. She made a Peruvian potato dish, which was heavily praised for tasting exceptionally well, and as a result, she scored a perfect 10. The blue team lost the challenge after a tie at 40 each, and they were punished by prepping 100 pounds of potatoes for Steak Night. She mentioned sympathy towards peeling the potatoes in front of Mr. Potato Head.
During the Steak Night dinner service, Mia was on the appetizer station. She managed to get her risottos accepted, but Ariel mentioned her gorilla face during service. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.
She was not nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1807 - Last Chef Standing
Before the Last Chef Standing Challenge, Mia believed that time management was the key for a kitchen to run smoothly. She was the third person from the blue team to leave the kitchen, was the final person from the blue team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Trev. She made a cioppino, it was praised for having some great seasoning, and she scored that round over Trev. The blue team won the challenge 4-3, and they were rewarded with a go-karting experience. During the reward, she drove slowly, admitting that she was not a good driver.
Because Mia was the third person to leave the kitchen, and fourth overall during the previous challenge, she was exempted from participating in the Cook For Your Life Challenge.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1808 - One Hell of a Party
Back at the dorms, Mia got annoyed by Bret's loud behavior while eating and believed that the latter was an idiot if he was not going to change his behavior.
Before the Tilly Sweet 16 Planning Challenge, a picture of Mia from her 15th birthday, and after seeing a picture of Ramsay of a teenager, she said that she would have been crushing hard on him if she was a 15-year-old girl again. She was in a team with Ariel and Heather, and they went up against Bret, Jose, and Trev from the red team. She made creamy mushroom frichese with toasted tofu. it was praised for the presentation, with Tilly commenting that mushrooms were her favorite vegetable, and she got her dish added to the menu. The blue team won the challenge 4-2, and they were rewarded with a day at a Malibu mansion, and received ice cream from an artisan food truck, exciting her as she loved ice cream. During the reward, she got one of everything.
During the Tilly Sweet 16 dinner service, Mia was on the fish station with Ariel. At one point, Sous Chef Jocky rejected her fish for not having enough batter on them, and then, her refire came out raw, with Ramsay commenting that all the fish needed was its head and tail before heading back to the river. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she felt very disappointed that the blue team screwed up on Ramsay’s daughter’s birthday party, and that it was not the night to fuck up. She was nominated by everybody on the blue team, but she argued that Kanae also had problems on the ahi tuna earlier that night, and considered the latter and Roe for elimination.
Mia was named the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Roe as the first. During her plea, Ramsay asked her if she was in over her head, but while she retorted that Kanae failed to get her batter done properly during prep, hence why she struggled that night, the latter argued that she did make the batter when prep began, with Heather backing her up, and was accused of lying to save face. Then, when Ramsay asked her why she thought she was better than Roe, she said that she communicated with her team and took responsibility for her actions. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she argued that she was not playing the blame game, as she felt she did not deserve to be nominated.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1809 - What Happens in Vegas
Back at the dorms, Mia tried to tell Kanae that the reason she nominated her was so she was not nominated, but the latter was still mad that she threw her under the bus.
During the Chinese Cuisine Challenge, Mia wanted to cook against Trev, and their protein was pork tenderloin, although she said that it was a poor choice on his account as Puerto Ricans loved pork. When Shirley Chung was invited as the guest judge, she heard that she was an amazing chef. She was the first person from the blue team to have her dish judged and presented her soy and ginger pork tenderloin with stir fry. While it was criticized for the presentation, it was praised for being delicious, and she scored that round over Trev. The blue team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with an overnight trip to Las Vegas, with a stay at the Nobu Hotel in the private villa, and flew in a private jet. During the reward, she felt like royalty.
During dinner service, Mia was on the appetizer station. She was not seen that night, and the blue team won the service.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1810 - Poor Trev
During the Blind Taste Test, Mia was the second person from the blue team to compete and went up against Motto. She ended up with a perfect run as she correctly guessed banana, pickle, black pepper, and peanut butter, sparing Heather from the punishments. During Ariel's turn, she was spared from the punishments, and she thanked the latter’s mouth. The blue team won the challenge 10-6, and they were rewarded with a spa day at Southern California’s Premiere Korean Spa. During the reward, she felt that their winning streak was validating their strength in the competition.
During the Charity Night dinner service, Mia was in charge of the pan-seared scallops over polenta course, and she and Motto agreed on eight minutes for the scallops. While she was nervous about being a leader, she knew what Ramsay wanted from her, and even though the latter was concerned that she was not being vocal, she told him that she had her teammates delegated to different positions. Later, Ramsay had to remind her to check her standards after catching her not at the pass, but despite that, she got her course out first. The blue team won the service.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1811 - Devilish Desserts
During the Creative Dessert Challenge, Mia discovered her tart shell crumbled on her and decided to deconstruct the dish to salvage it. She was the second person from the blue team to have her dish judged and went up against Bret. She made a deconstructed roasted apple and mascarpone tart, it was criticized for having an aggressive taste of ginger, with Valerie Gordon calling the dish muddy, and she scored 4 points as Heather welcomed her to the real world where she was imperfect. The blue team eventually won the challenge 14-11, and they were rewarded with a $2,000 shopping spree at Sur la Table, along with lunch at Joey Woodland Hills. During the reward, she commented she never had $500 to spend in one place.
During dinner service, Mia was on the appetizer station. At one point, she had Ariel taste her risotto as she had a shellfish allergy, but Heather was not sympathetic as she should know how to cook a risotto regardless of allergies, and Ariel herself admitted it did not make much sense for two people to go back and forth with one pan. After seeing that, Ramsay decided to put Ariel on risottos, and have her cook the carbonara, and despite finding it difficult to let go due to her perfectionist attitude, the appetizers were accepted. The blue team won the service, and after Trev was eliminated, Ramsay told the women that he would need one volunteer to emerge as a leader and join the men. While being dismissed, she felt that she could emerge as a leader.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 1812 - Break on Through
Back at the dorms, Mia told Ariel that she was thinking about moving back to the red team as she wanted to prove to Ramsay she could step up as a leader, before feeling that the latter was already the leader of the blue team. The next day, she moved into the red team, but when Ramsay announced the Black Jackets Challenge, she was excited about that but also disappointed that she never got the chance to whip Bret and Motto into shape.
During the first Black Jackets Challenge, Mia received filet, chard, onion, couscous, and duck fat for her dish. During the cooking, she felt confident in her dish like she had during the previous challenges, and that she believed in herself. She was the fifth person to have her dish judged by Ramsay and presented her filet mignon and swiss chard couscous. It was praised for a pro like plating, having the exact medium rare cook, and tasting delicious, with the only criticism being that her sauce was too heavy. She won the first black jacket of the season, and not was she happy about that, but she felt slimmer due to the black color. She and Ariel went to the Black Jackets Lounge, and she went straight for the chocolate fountain, before toasting to Ariel on their milestone.
During the second challenge, Ariel and Mia saw the judging through a Livestream, and at one point, she compared Motto's presentation to having a drunken night despite looking good. After the feed cut out, she and Ariel believed that Bret and Motto would make it based on that challenge alone, and their prediction came true as the two came to the Lounge. While she admitted that Bret was not her favorite person in the competition, she was however happy to see him. Later, she welcomed Heather as the final black jacket chef, and while they were celebrating, she was grateful for learning a lot so far.[12]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 1813 - An Episode of Firsts
Continuing from the previous episode, Mia congratulated Heather for making it to the black jackets, and hugged her, despite the latter not being that grateful. The next day, the final five received breakfast, but she and Ariel stayed behind to further look at the eggs Benedict dish.
During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Mia used prosciutto and Canadian bacon, and shallots and Espelette powder to recreate Ramsay's dish. During the cooking, she was confident as the first job she worked at after culinary school was a brunch restaurant that did eggs Benedict but noticed the red tint in the sauce. During the judging, she commented that Motto’s presentation looked plain compared to her dish, while her dish was well received. She was named joint-winners with Ariel as, not only did she get both proteins correct, but she got one of the ingredients for the Hollandaise sauce, shallots, correct. She was stoked as she kept winning the challenges.
Mia and Ariel were rewarded with an indoor skydiving experience and lunch at Sweet Butter with the Sous Chefs. During the reward, she noticed that Sous Chef Jocky’s hair was sticking out of his helmet, and commented that it would be hard for her to take him seriously now. During lunch, Sous Chef Christina reminded her and Ariel that not only would they all be cooking in one kitchen, but the expectation has jumped. After, she said that she admired Ariel as a strong chef and competitor, and wanted to beat her in the finale.
During prep, Mia's constant questions and orders to Heather greatly annoyed the latter, who reminded her that they were all black jacket chefs now. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. After Heather asked Motto for help, she felt annoyed that the former asked for help when service began. After Heather's poor communication led to Motto sending up scallops early before Ariel was ready on risotto, she was not impressed with the former’s apology for not communicating with the team. Now being forced to restart the order, she compared Heather to a line cook that had no idea what the fuck she was doing. On entrées, she wanted to walk her garnish, but Heather stopped her as the latter was not ready on the halibut. On their next order, Bret tried to communicate with her on timings for garnish, but she did not respond to him, with Bret calling her out for her deer in the headlights look. Despite that, she got the garnish for the salmon up to the pass. She was one of the three people that confused Motto on fish orders.
After service, Ramsay asked the final five to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Mia considered Motto as her first nominee for being lost on the communication breakdown, and then Heather. However, Bret, Motto, and Heather considered her for elimination, she got pissed, refused to be nominated that night, and felt that Bret was trying everything to stay in the competition, before accusing him and Motto for not nominating each other as it meant they were covering each other's asses. However, Bret argued against that, and when he asked her why he should be nominated, she reminded him how he had two steaks sent back as she herself had nothing come back. But, Bret reminded her that she froze up that night, leading to an argument over her attitude, along with Bret accusing her of not burning on the line compared to challenges.
Mia was named the second nominee for elimination, with Heather as the first. After Heather claimed that she got no communication from her, she argued that she did communicate, leading to a small argument between the two. During her plea, she said that she did everything that night, despite Bret reminding her how she failed to do some callbacks that night, and that she had everything ready. Despite receiving a vote from Bret that she should go home, she survived elimination. While being dismissed, she refused to let the other chefs walk over her and that they could kiss her ass.[13]
Episode 14[]
- Main article: Episode 1814 - What's Your Motto?
While going back to the dorms, Mia accused Bret of looking only for himself and saying anything to keep himself in the competition, before calling herself going home that night bullshit. Then, she told Bret not to form an opinion of herself just based on second-hand conversations as it was their first service together, and complained that she had a lot on her station that night. When called the chefs down for some pancakes, she wanted her face pancake to become her new Instagram profile picture.
During the Tableside Challenge, Mia made cilantro, lime, and tequila shrimp scampi. During the first round, Joel Miller asked her where her shrimp came from, but she struggled to say where they were from and deemed it embarrassing. During round three, she revealed to Michael Fiorelli that she used tequila in her shrimp scampi instead of wine, but when he asked her if she had some tequila before cooking, she revealed that she did not as she wanted to be professional. After serving her dishes, she knew that she would not change anything as her game plan worked. She lost the challenge to Ariel and was punished by going on bar duty, which included washing, pealing, and zesting multiple fruits for sangrias in that night's service. During the punishment, she admitted that she was glad to spend it with Motto than with Bret, but complained how tedious the prepping was as there was a lot of fruit to prep. Later, Sous Chef Jocky teasingly welcomed her to a punishment.
During dinner service, Mia was at the meat station. After Bret failed to identify a sabotaged risotto, she said that the former should have known better as it was the latter’s challenge winning dish earlier that season. She was the third person to run the pass, and after calling out her order, she said that she could run a kitchen, and just needed Ramsay to see that. Then, she saw that Sous Chef Christina gave her a monkfish Wellington instead of a lobster Wellington, and wanted another test. However, she failed to realize that she was given a ribeye instead of the New York striploin until after she sliced it, and argued that while she knew her meat cuts, she was under a lot of pressure. After rejecting Bret's carbonara for looking broken, she said that she was rising up to become the next Executive Chef. She then told Ariel to make the mash potatoes a little looser and add a little more salt. After being sent back to the meat station, she called her experience stressful and was mad that she missed the ribeye mistake from earlier, especially as she was cooking New York striploin all night.
After service, Ramsay asked the final four to name one person that did not deserve to be in the finals. During deliberation, Mia felt that picking only one person was difficult as it was becoming very cutthroat, but knew that she came to win the Executive Chef prize, and nominated Bret for staying in his comfort zone. However, Bret said that he could outcook the shit out of her, and accused meat of lagging that night, but she said that all of her meat was perfect, before reminding him how he had appetizers being sent back.
After Motto left, Ramsay asked the final three why they deserved to be in the finals. Mia said that she was the most creative chef of the competition, and despite her mistakes, she learned from them. After Ariel was named the first finalist, Ramsay reminded her about her perfect 5 during the Signature Dish Challenge, along with her strong consistency during the challenges. But, before Ramsay could announce the second finalist, the episode ended as a cliffhanger.[14]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 1815 - A Rollercoaster Ride
- Main article: Episode 1816 - The Grand Finale
Continuing from the previous episode, Mia was named the second finalist, and she was excited as she took so much crap from a lot of people. After Bret left, Ramsay paired her up with Sous Chef Jocky on her menu, and she was still stunned over what happened, calling it crazy. When going over her menu, she had Latin inspired dishes and found it funny to explain to Sous Chef Jocky what each of the dishes were as the latter was lost. Then, Sous Chef Jocky reminded her to have faith in her team to execute her dishes, but she told him how the other chefs hated her during the competition, remembering conflicts with Heather, Bret, and Kanae, before commenting that the only thing that she could do was lead her team.
The next day, Mia received a video message from her family, received a visit from her parents, and she deemed it the best reward she could have received. While reuniting with her family, she said that food and family were her biggest passions and that her parents were her biggest fans. During brunch at République, she felt like a VIP due to eating at a private area, said that her highs were getting feedback from the guest judges that season, and getting high scores in the challenges. When she talked about her menu, it was revealed that she had a pollo a la Brasa on her menu which Ariel commented that she also had that on her menu, but she felt that her menu would edge out the latter's menu as she was the better chef. After, Ramsay left, and she and Ariel toasted to being in the final two. The two then went to Six Flags with their parents, but later, they met up with Ramsay again, who revealed that there was one more ride he wanted everybody to go on, the Full Throttle, before it opened to the public. However, as they walked up, it turned out that they were led to a stage in front of an audience as Ramsay announced that it was time for their final challenge.
During the Final Menu Challenge, Mia said that she had a lot of stuff going on as she cooked and that she was focused on her badass menu. During the cold appetizer round, she made a Hamachi sashimi with black truffle and sturgeon caviar. While Mary Sue Milliken felt that the truffles were unneeded, she praised the dish for tasting delicious, a great start to dinner, and she scored 9 points. During the hot appetizer round, she made Mofongo fried balls with plantains and pork fat, it was deemed comfort food with good flavors, but Rick Moonen felt that it needed more seasoning, and she scored 8 points. After, she said that she made her dish on the fly, but now knew how to fix them. During the seafood round, she made a cuttlefish, shrimp, and prawns’ dish, it was praised a good presentation, and she scored 8 points. However, she knew that she had to step it up as she was used to being a front runner in challenges. During the chicken round, she made a Peruvian roasted chicken, it was praised for having the right spiciness as well and being perfectly cooked, and she scored 9 points. On the steak round, she made a beef dish with plantains and roasted garlic aioli, and it was praised for having her heritage out front. In the end, she won the tiebreaker at 34 over Ariel, and she deemed it proof that her menu was a winner.
Because she won the challenge, Mia got the first pick of her brigade. She picked Roe, Trev, Jose, and Heather for her team. After, she said that she never stopped doubting herself.[15] Back at the dorms, none of her teammates had any idea what some of her dishes were due to the Puerto Rican naming.
During prep, Mia wanted her teammates to be focused, but she herself was scattered on what was going on, and after Trev did not know where the pancetta went, he told her to relax. As she became more demanding on her team, Heather said that it was not a good idea as she felt she was becoming a dictator as she was even barking out orders to Sous Chef Jocky, with the latter wondering what the fuck was going on. Later, Ramsay checked on her menu and praised the dishes for looking colorful, and most of the dishes were praised for hitting the mark.
During dinner service, Mia called it crunch time as she wanted to prove that she was a leader and hoped to surprise Ramsay. Then, she tasted Trev’s risotto, told him to add salt, and wanted everything to be perfect as she accepted Trev’s risottos. Later, she was ready to begin entrées but found out that Roe's pork was raw. After, when she asked Roe for a time, the latter did not respond until she said one minute. However, she frustratingly complained that she won the challenge, and picked Roe first as she thought the latter was the strongest before calling it nerve-wracking, but eventually, Roe got her refire accepted. Later, she called for the next order, but despite feeling a little concern towards Heather due to the latter getting eliminated over her previously, the presented respectable steaks. On her final tickets, she told her team to keep up their strong pace, but while Heather brought up her dishes, Roe sent up broken sea bass. She decided to refire the entire table and told Marino what was going on. After service, she said that despite some bumps, she gave everything she had that night.
Back at the dorms, Mia felt nervous about what would happen next ate down a quart of ice cream. When she and Ariel were called up to Ramsay's office, the latter praised her for performing so strongly in the competition along with putting out some creative dishes. After, Ramsay had both of them stand in front of one door each and revealed that only the winner's door would open. After they nervously waited for Ramsay’s countdown, both turned their door handles, but her door did not open. She was named the runner-up, did not feel sad about losing, was proud to have made it that far as a rookie, and said that it was only the beginning.[16]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Win |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Safe |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Nominated |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Win |
| Week 10 | Win |
| Week 11 | Safe |
| Week 12 | Nominated |
| Week 13 | Safe |
| Week 14 | Runner-Up |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Mia went back to her private chef job and became a food photographer.
- In 2019 Mia has appeared in six videos on Chef Ramsay's YouTube channel segments "Ramsay in 10".
Trivia[]
- Along with Jose, she is the second Puerto Rican contestant of Hell's Kitchen, following Fernando (Season 13).
- Prior to competing in Hell's Kitchen, she was in the cooking show Chopped where she was the runner-up in Season 13 Episode 16.
- She is the fourth contestant, and second female contestant, to achieve a perfect score of 4 out of 4 during the Blind Taste Test, following Justin (Season 10), Milly (Season 14), and Wendy (Season 16).
- She is the fourteenth female contestant who switched teams and made it to the black jackets, following Heather (Season 2), Jen (Season 4), Suzanne (Season 6), Autumn (Season 7), Robyn (Season 10), Ja'Nel (Season 11), Rochelle, Melanie (both from Season 12), Sade (Season 13), Meghan (Season 14), Manda (Season 15), Ryan (Season 16), and Robyn (Season 17). She was also the first female contestant who was switching teams and named as runner-up.
- She is the third contestant to participate in two different team switches after Autumn (Season 7) and Trev (Season 8) and she is the first person to switch teams twice and become a finalist.
- She and Ariel are the first pair of finalists who both ran the kitchen opposite their starting team in the finale.
- She is the fourth runner-up to score a perfect 5 on the new format of the Signature Dish Challenge, following T (Season 14), Heather (Season 16), and Benjamin (Season 17).
Quotes[]
- (About the veterans) "If they were previous 'Hell's Kitchen' winners, I would be nervous. But they are previous 'Hell's Kitchen' losers."
- "Bring it... bring it to mama."
- (To Bret) "Who the fuck are you calling a munchkin?!"
- (When asked how she knows the temperature of her meat) "Because I cooked it, Chef."
- (After being named runner-up) "I'm so proud to have gotten to this place as a rookie you know I knocked out everybody but one and this isn't the end for me a bit like this is just the beginning."
Gallery[]
.png "Mia's Confessional (Red Jacket).png (1.35 MB)")
.png "Mia's Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (1.41 MB)")
_and_Mia_Nominated.png "Roe (S18) and Mia Nominated.png (1.25 MB)")
.png "Mia's Confessional (Black Jacket).png (1.82 MB)")
.png "Mia's Confessional (Head Chef Jacket).png (1.55 MB)")
%27s_Chinese_Cuisine_Dishes_(Pork_Tenderloin).png "Mia and Trev (S18)'s Chinese Cuisine Dishes (Pork Tenderloin).png (951 KB)")
.png "Mia's Final Tasting Dish (Cold Appetizer).png (877 KB)")
.png "Mia's Final Tasting Dish (Hot Appetizer).png (927 KB)")
.png "Mia's Final Tasting Dish (Fish Entrée).png (862 KB)")
.png "Mia's Final Tasting Dish (Chicken Entrée).png (1.33 MB)")
.png "Mia's Final Tasting Dish (Beef Entrée).png (1.05 MB)")
External links[]
Mia Castro on Instagram- Mia Castro on Twitter
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen: Rookies vs. Veterans |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Jocky Petrie (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Veterans |
| Ariel Contreras-Fox • Kevin Cottle • Roe DiLeo • Jen Gavin • T Gregoire • Bret Hauser • Trev McGrath • Heather Williams |
| Rookies |
| Gizzy Barton • Mia Castro • Jose DeJesus • Kanae Houston • Scotley Innis • Chris Mendonca • Chris Motto • Scott Popovic |