| “ | It hurts to get kicked out of here like this. It really, really does. I don't want to go home. I don't want to go home. I don't. | ” |
Nilka Hendricks was a contestant on Season 7 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 7th place.
Season 7[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 701 - 16 Chefs Compete
When the chefs entered Hell's Kitchen, they were greeted by press reporters and photographers, and Nilka already felt like a celebrity. During the Signature Dish Challenge, she was the last person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Andrew. When she introduced herself, she said she became a chef because of her passion, and that she wanted to show her three kids that they had to go for the things they wanted in life. After, she served her sweet and spicy chicken wings, but they were not well received as they were too hot for Ramsay. She admitted that she used half a bottle of Tabasco, Ramsay drank a glass of water, spat it out, she apologized, and he declared it would blow her asshole. Neither her or Andrew scored a point.
The red team lost the challenge 3-4, and they were eventually punished by cooking breakfast in bed for the blue team the next morning. Back in the dorms, all the women were focused on studying the menu for the opening night while being confident about it.
During dinner service, Nilka served Caesar salads tableside. Because very little food was served, she constantly had to apologize to the customers for the long wait by telling them to be patient, and after three of her teammates were kicked out, she was reintegrated in the kitchen and assigned on the meat station with Siobhan. After a fourth teammate was kicked out, the red team merged with the blue team to serve all the remaining customers. On the last tickets, she worked very closely with Ed, who gave her clear instructions, and the service was completed.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people. While going back to the dorms, Nilka was pissed that they lost and had to put two people on the chopping block. During deliberation, she considered Maria for being a little bit frazzled, annoying the latter.
She was not nominated for elimination.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 702 - 15 Chefs Compete
The next morning, at 5 am, the chefs were awakened by an alarm clock amplified all over the dorms by Sous Chefs Scott and Andi, and Nilka thanked God that she was wearing a bra at that moment. During the Egg Relay Challenge, she was paired with Maria, and they were the first pair to compete for the red team. They gave a perfect performance of four out of four, and later, she was insulted when Siobhan accused the whole team of putting pressure on her to cook her eggs.
The red team lost the challenge 10-11, and they were punished by taking a delivery of a giant tuna, cutting it, cleaning it, and gutting it for the next service. While going back to the dorms, Nilka was pissed that they lost to eggs and told that even though Autumn convinced Siobhan to accept help, the latter had to push her away and follow the instructions. On the patio, she told Autumn that Siobhan threw her under the bus completely. When the tuna arrived, she was impressed as she never saw a fish that big before, and the next day, during prep, she told Siobhan exactly what to do, much to the latter's annoyance.
During dinner service, Nilka was on the garnish station. At one point, she was pissed when Siobhan was arguing with Ramsay and angrily told that they did not have time for that as they lost three times in a row already. Later, despite her teammates sending their entrées to the pass, she was not ready yet with her garnishes, and she gave a minute and a half, much to Ramsay's frustration. She declared that she had the crab mash, but Ramsay did not want to hear it and stated that he would not wait and shout for everything. She acknowledged that she was lost, and Holli asked her for a time while acknowledging that she froze and was not talking. After that, Ramsay exposed a clear lack of communication between her, Jamie, and Holli, and asked them to get it together.
When both teams were lined up, Ramsay told Nilka that she was lost on garnish, which she agreed, both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate one person each. During deliberation, she was considered by Jamie, which she felt okay with as she acknowledged her mistakes.
She was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 703 - 13 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Nilka tried to calm Jason down as he was having a meltdown while stating that he just went out of control. The next morning, the chefs went to the dining room, where Ramsay introduced the Marching Band Lunch Service Challenge while revealing they would be serving the marching band of the University of Southern California. During prep, she was motivated to win after losing all the challenges since the beginning, by saying that they had to stay focused, synchronized, and just do it. During the challenge, she was not seen much, except at one point when she aggressively asked Jamie for the burgers.
The red team won the challenge and celebrated by cheering and hugging each other. They were rewarded with a day at the Malibu Beach Inn, being driven there in vintage cars, and a soccer match against Ramsay and his own family. Back in the dorms, while getting ready, Nilka was asked if she knew what milf meant by Fran. After the latter revealed its meaning, she called her stupid.
During dinner service, Nilka was on the appetizer station with Maria. After the latter sent her second unacceptable risotto, she acknowledged that Maria was lacking self-confidence. So, she decided to help her, and because of her help, Maria's third attempt was accepted. Later, after a beef was sent back for being overcooked, she told that Fran fucked the team up as she did not know her temperatures, and everything was sent back and added that she let her nerves get to her. After that, she and Maria told Autumn to leave Fran alone because she was insisting to see the latter's injury, and after Fran left to see a medic, she and Maria took over the meat station for a quick moment.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people. While going back to the dorms, Nilka was pissed to have lost again, stating that it sucked, and during deliberation, she declared Fran as the obvious first nominee, but was stuck on the second person.
Nilka was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she told the blue team must watch out as all the red team's dead weight was gone.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 704 - 12 Chefs Compete Part 1
The next morning, the chefs went downstairs, where Ramsay introduced the Craps Challenge. Nilka was the second person to roll the die for the red team, landed on S, and chose shallots. During the cooking, when she was about to slice the duck, Autumn interfered with her job by telling her how to do it and wanting to do it herself. She was annoyed, considered Autumn a control freak, and reminded that they all had knife skills. During the judging, she described the red team's dish.
The red team lost the challenge, and they were punished by cleaning the front entrance of the restaurant, which included the floor, the carpet, and the mirrors, as well as prepping both kitchens for the next service. Nilka apologized to her teammates for not properly cooking the duck, and stated that she hated losing while wanting to die. During the punishment, she told that sweat was pouring out of her face, and when Jean-Philippe did his quality control with his white glove, she was told that there was still dust on some of them and that she was sweating a lot, which she acknowledged by saying that she was working hard.
During dinner service, Nilka was on the meat station. When she started to work on her entrées, she was determined to have all her temperatures perfect as she knew there was a lot of pressure on meat. She was motivated by Autumn, and when she sent her beef to the pass, it was praised for being perfectly cooked, which made her very proud of herself. Moments later, she was amused when Autumn was being yelled at, mockingly calling her a princess, and after, she sent perfectly cooked Wellingtons to the chef's table while being very proud of herself as she did not work a lot with Wellingtons before. Because of her strong performance, entrées were flying out of the red kitchen at a good pace, and after the service was completed, she was very proud and felt that they kicked butts all over the world.
Both teams were named joint-winners, but Nilka was singled out by Ramsay, who said that she did a good job and cooked all the meat to perfection despite not having a lot of experience in fine dining. She was named "Best of the Best" for the red team and was asked to nominate one of her teammates for elimination. While going back to the dorms, she told that she did not expect that request from Ramsay, but that she would take that responsibility. On the patio, she immediately targeted Autumn for being yelled at a lot on fish, despite the latter disagreeing. Later, she declared that she was determined to make her own decision by herself, while not letting anybody make her go against her instinct.
Nilka named Autumn as her nominee for elimination, and said goodbye to the latter, who was transferred to the blue team while welcoming Scott as a new teammate.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 705 - 12 Chefs Compete Part 2
Back in the dorms, Nilka was happy to welcome Scott in her team, and when he convinced that they would all work as a team and kill it, both of them gave each other a fist pump.
The next morning, the chefs were woken up by Sous Chefs Scott and Andi, who gave them butchering outfits to wear for the Pork Creation Challenge. During the first part, Nilka was the first person from the red team to grab her pig. She wanted to grab the one with the bacon collar but struggled a lot as it was really fast, but eventually, she grabbed the one with the blood sausage collar. When Fran grabbed prunes, she was not convinced it would work as it did not sound appetizing. During the second part, she was paired with Fran, and during the cooking, she was not confident about the dish as neither of them has worked with blood sausages before. When she took them out of the oven, they were busted, which dismayed her, and Scott told her that she had to click them before baking them. When everybody plated their dishes, only she and Fran were not confident in theirs.
Nilka and Fran were the first pair from the red team to have their dish judged, and she presented their blood sausage with a prune purée, but Ramsay noticed that she was not looking very happy from the start, and she revealed that she was not happy with the plate. When Ramsay tasted the dish, he was disgusted, spat it out, and asked who had that terrible idea of mixing prunes with blood sausage to the red team. She was waiting for Scott to take responsibility as he had the idea, but he never spoke. Moments later, she stated that she would have rather served an empty plate, and Ramsay called the dish a fucking disaster. She and Fran lost the round to Benjamin and Ed.
The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by cleaning the pig pen outside and giving the pigs a bath while wearing farming clothes. While going back to the dorms, Nilka told Fran how mad and embarrassed she was about serving the dish they served, and during the punishment, everybody struggled to wash the pigs as all of them were excited and constantly moving around. The next day, during prep, she already fried an entire tray of chicken, much to Ramsay's dismay. He schooled the red team by saying they were a fine dining restaurant and not a fast-food chain and said that they were fucking themselves before the service even started. She was annoyed at Ramsay's yelling over chicken, declared that she could not take it, Ramsay told her that she was soaking like a teenager, but she reassured him that she was good.
During the Barbecue themed dinner service, Nilka was on the dessert station during the first seating and a waitress during the second. At one point, Fran tried to communicate with her, but she did not hear the first time, and on the second, she aggressively told that the crab was ready, leading to an argument between the two of them where she told Fran that she did not hear her. She was angry as she did not like to be talked to like that, and the argument erupted between everybody. When the customers entered for the second seating, she acknowledged that being a waitress was not an easy job as there was too much shit to do at once. Moments later, she was already having fun with a table of customers when one of them told her they were having more fun than she had, which she agreed. The red team lost the service, and Fran was named "Best of the Worst".
Nilka was Fran's second nominee for elimination, with Maria being the first, but she was furious about that decision, and said to Fran to not just come up with that decision on-the-spot and surprise her. They were called down with Scott, but she survived elimination as she was immediately sent back in line for not having a service as bad as the two others. While being dismissed, she hoped that Fran felt like a jackass and added that she did not want to work with her anymore.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 706 - 11 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Nilka was furious and told all of her teammates to kiss her fucking ass because Fran never told her she would be nominated and added that she would do what she had to do in the kitchen. Her teammates tried to calm her down without success, and when Fran tried to sit next to her, she aggressively told her not to as she would never do something like that to her.
The next morning, everybody went to the dining room, where Ramsay introduced the Mother Sauce Challenge, and when Ramsay asked Nilka to name one of the five mother sauces, she correctly answered tomato. She worked with the demi-glace sauce, and during the cooking, she was still angry about being nominated the previous night, so she chose her ingredients without consulting her teammates before. She said that she did not care and that she would use her own shit as she wanted to shine as an individual, much to Siobhan's annoyance. Because there was a lot of tension between every member of the red team, she tried to motivate them at one point, without success. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged, went up against Jason, and served a pan-roasted steak seasoned with salt and pepper, and mushrooms. It was deemed lovely by Ramsay's mother, and she won the round over Jason.
The red team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 2, and they were punished by deep-cleaning both kitchens, and prepping them for the next service, while wearing anti-nuclear combinations. While going back to the dorms, Nilka was reminded by Ramsay that her dish was delicious, and on the patio, she was pissed that they lost again, and just wanted to visit California while feeling the air in her hair. During the punishment, she declared that the ovens were disgusting, before adding that she could not take the punishments anymore while struggling to take off her goggles. Moments later, she was unapologetic when Siobhan started to suffer from an allergic reaction, and said that she should just get her shit done. During prep, she was annoyed because all of her teammates were getting on her nerves and because they could not get it together.
During the Family Night dinner service, Nilka was on the appetizer station. On the first ticket, she acknowledged they did not win one single service yet, was ready to kick that shit out, but when she sent her first risotto, it was rejected as it was not having any lobster in it. After saying a curse word, Ramsay ordered her not to in front of children, to wake up, and just cook. Later, she continued to swear in front of the children, dismaying Ramsay, but appetizers were finally being served at a good pace. After a lot of mistakes by the red team, all of them were kicked out of the kitchen, and when she asked if she could stay, Ramsay ignored her. When the service was finished, they came back to the kitchen to clean up.
The red team lost the service by a mile, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. While going back to the dorms, Nilka wondered what was happening with the red team, did not want to feel like that as she had it, and called it very bad. During deliberation, she was considered by Scott, but she reminded that the risotto without lobster only came back once. After Scott was voted as the obvious first nominee, she could not decide because her mind was blown.
Nilka was not nominated for elimination, and when she was asked why Fran was nominated over Siobhan, she answered that it was because the latter was moving faster, showed more progress and more teamwork, but Fran argued against it. After, when Scott considered himself as the best cook on the team, she quickly disagreed by saying that he was talking more than cooking. Moments later, she and her teammates welcomed Benjamin on the red team, as a new teammate.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 707 - 10 Chefs Compete
On the patio, Nilka apologized to Benjamin because she knew that he was not happy about being transferred to the red team. The next morning, the chefs went to the dining room, where Ramsay introduced the 50th Wedding Anniversary Planning Challenge, where they would update three dishes served at Sal and Marcy's wedding reception 50 years ago. During the challenge, she was paired with Siobhan on the steak Diane dish, but she revealed that she had no idea what a steak Diane was, and struggled to blow out the fire that erupted in her pan.
Nilka and Siobhan were the first pair from the red team to have their dish judged, and went up against Ed and Jason. She presented their steak Diane with crab, mushroom, red wine, and parsley, but Ramsay told her that they did not go with the traditional steak Diane as there was no cream, cognac, or mustard. Nilka was embarrassed as she looked like a fool, and she admitted that she did not know what a steak Diane was. Despite that, Sal and Marcy appreciated her dish, but they lost the round to Ed and Jason.
The red team won the challenge 2-1, and they were rewarded with a day at the World Famous Frisco's Carhops diner, while wearing red shirts from the 1950s, and being driven there in 1950s style convertibles. While being dismissed, Nilka was excited to have Benjamin on her team and compared him to Lebron James. On their way out, she wanted the blue team to know how it felt like losing, so she walked by the dance floor while they were working on it, jokingly claiming that she wanted to check if it was steady. Arrived at the diner, she declared that it just felt good to be out of the restaurant, and later, she was not excited about the hula-hoop competition as she could not do it when she was a kid, so she just rolled it around her neck the entire time.
During the 50th Wedding Anniversary dinner service, Nilka served steaks Diane tableside. She was ready to redeem herself and added that she loved the challenge of cooking a steak Diane, which she did know what it was the previous day. Before going to the dining room, she tried to help Benjamin, who was struggling on fish, but she was aggressively pushed away by him, much to her annoyance as she did not want to be spoken to like that. Moments later, she received her first order of steak Diane, went to the hosts' table, started working on her steak, and Ramsay urged her to hurry up. All of the entrées were served at the same time, being perfectly synchronized with her, and the hosts were satisfied. Later, she went to another table, loosened up, and chatted with Jean-Philippe and the customers, with Jean-Philippe asking her if she knew where Dijon was. After saying that Jean-Philippe knew how to play with a woman's nerves, she answered that she did not know, and one of the customers correctly answered France. Then, he asked her where Cognac was, but she still did not know, and customers correctly answered France one more time, making her laugh because she wondered why Jean-Philippe was putting her in the spotlight the way he was.
After both teams went into the dining room to give a standing ovation to Sal and Marcy, the red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people. During deliberation, Nilka considered Siobhan and Fran without giving valid reasons, and moments later, she admitted that she knew two of her teammates should go the fuck home but would agree with the group decision.
She was not nominated for elimination.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 708 - 9 Chefs Compete
The next morning, the chefs went on a field trip to the Philippe's restaurant, in Los Angeles, where they tasted the classic French dipped sandwich with Ramsay. When she tasted her sandwich, Nilka stated that it was melting in her mouth, and after the tasting, Ramsay introduced the Gourmet Sandwich Challenge. During the challenge, she was the last person from the red team to have her sandwich judged and went up against Autumn. She served her roasted pork sandwich with red onions and mayonnaise, which was deemed adventurous but delicious by Ramsay, and she won the round over Autumn.
The red team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 3, and they were punished by making peanut butter and jelly from scratch, by grinding 50,000 peanuts by hand, for an amuse-bouche that would be served during the next service. On the patio, Nilka noticed that Siobhan was lacking a lot of self-confidence, but that her being pissed was what she needed. When the blue team came back from their reward, she noticed how drunk they were because Ed was dancing, and Jay could not keep his head straight.
During dinner service, Nilka was on the meat station. At one point, Siobhan was talking back to Ramsay over some boiled scallops, and she told that she should shut the fuck up as Ramsay would just put his foot deeper in her ass. Later, she sliced her chicken, brought it to the pass, but it was raw, and she was berated by Ramsay, who smashed the chicken with his hand. She was mad at herself as she did not want to fuck up, but later, the red team was kicked out of the kitchen after a lot of mistakes.
When both teams were lined up, Nilka acknowledged that she fucked up the chicken, both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each for elimination. During deliberation, she considered Siobhan and Fran, much to the latter's annoyance, and explained that Fran was too slow. Moments later, she was considered by Fran, but she retorted that she only had one raw chicken incident, and she was convinced that she did not have to be nominated because of that.
She was not nominated for elimination.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 709 - 8 Chefs Compete
The next morning, the chefs went to the kitchen where they tasted chicken gorgonzola prepared by Ramsay, and during the tasting, Nilka told that it was melting in her mouth. However, it was revealed that the dish was actually frozen, and Ramsay introduced the Blind Taste Test, which excited everybody before she revealed how confident she was as she thought she had a good palate. During the challenge, she was not convinced when Fran said she had a good palate as she did not give any correct answers, and she was the last person from the red team to compete. She went up against Jay, but she only scored one point out of four for correctly identifying cilantro, the red team lost the challenge 3-4, and they were punished by taking part in Delivery Day.
During the punishment, Nilka told Jay to go fuck himself as he was walking by to his reward, and later, she thought she would collapse as she could not breathe, and called it the worst punishment ever. When the blue team came back from their reward, the red team opened their box from the special delivery, and they had to create their own menu that would go against the blue team's. During the menu creation, she revealed that she did not know a lot of dishes that Benjamin proposed, while also declaring that she did not know how to cook mussels arugula. Later, she was annoyed by Benjamin's aggressive leadership as she knew that all of his ideas were shit, and when she proposed to serve rice as a side, he rejected it as he thought rice was poor food, which she called fucking crazy. Then, she was angry to not have any inputs on the menu, but she did not care at that point. Ramsay was not satisfied with the menu, but they decided to stick with their original ideas anyway.
During dinner service, Nilka was on the garnish station. At one point, she tried to help Benjamin on appetizers, but she was pushed away by him, which annoyed Ramsay, who asked why they were not communicating. She revealed that she tried to help Benjamin but he did not want her help, but Ramsay did not care because nobody was helping him. So, she reluctantly helped him, but when she was plating the salad, he pushed her away, which she did not appreciate, but she did not want to argue with him, so she counted to ten in her head, calmed down, and went back to her station. Later, she wanted to make some adjustments to her team's menu, but she was caught boiling asparagus instead of grilling them, much to Ramsay's dismay. He schooled her about the fact that she was serving cafeteria food, and she told that she said "Yes Chef" so often that she could not even say it any longer as she struggled to correctly pronounce it several consecutive times.
Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate one person each. During deliberation, Nilka had an argument with Fran as the latter thought the communication sucked, while she thought it was good enough. After, she targeted Benjamin for not having any inputs on the menu as all of her ideas were shut down.
Nilka was not nominated for elimination, and during Fran's plea, she had another argument with her, where she sarcastically told her that she should have told her how to slice her chicken so she would not be nominated at that moment. Later, she welcomed Autumn back in the red team, as a new teammate.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 710 - 7 Chefs Compete
When the 10-Pound Lobster Challenge was introduced, Nilka was called down to grab the red team's lobster, which was jokingly named Siobhan, she kissed it, and declared that she was excited about that challenge as she knew how to cook lobster. During the challenge, she and Benjamin wanted to work with the tail, and she was dismayed when he ripped it apart, as she was left with a tiny part which she did not know what she would do with. Because the red team had one more member than the blue team, Nilka volunteered to sit out as she was not satisfied with her dish, but she was angry as she wanted to prove herself and show what she was capable of. When Ramsay asked what she made, she answered that she made a potato purée lobster, and he told the red team they made the right decision as it sounded disgusting.
The red team won the challenge after a tiebreaker at 1, and they were rewarded with a caviar tasting experience at the Petrossian Paris and a $1000 shopping spree at Kitson. During the reward, Nilka revealed that she never tasted caviar before, was very excited to taste some like that with some champagne saying it was beautiful and called the shopping at Kitson priceless while wandering around in golden pants.
When both teams were lined up, Ramsay announced that they would cook in the red kitchen together with a two and a half hours time limit. During dinner service, Nilka was on the fish station. When the first ticket was called, she was allowed by Autumn to drop her scallops and revealed that she was excited and eager to show Ramsay what she was made of. However, her scallops were raw, and she was ordered to put them back in the pan, while Ramsay urged her to wake up despite her saying that she was already. After, she was not ready when Autumn sent her salads, and when she sent her turbot, it was raw, much to Ramsay's dismay. But, instead of putting it back in the pan as he expected, she threw it on the floor, which made Ramsay believe she gave up. Then, she started to be nervous despite Jay trying to comfort her, she told that she did not want to go home. Later, she was not ready with her lobster despite Jason being ready with his meat, went to the convection oven to grab her lobster, but dropped the metal plate on the floor, with Ramsay thinking one more time that she gave up. He urged her not to give up, and she convinced him that she was not, while knowing that she was fucking up. When she sent her lobster to the pass, it was rejected as she sent the wrong sauce with it, and she was pulled in the pantry room where Ramsay asked her why she could not come back. She tearfully answered that she was mad at herself as she did not come in the competition to lose, Ramsay urged her to get a grip, and threatened her with elimination if she would not, which she acknowledged he was right. She returned to her station, was comforted by Benjamin, and told Jay that she was very mad at herself.
Later, Nilka was asked for the scallops by Ramsay, she gave thirty seconds, Jay reassured her by saying that she just had to communicate, and when she sent her scallops, they were accepted. Later, she was still very nervous, started to panic, and ran into one of her containers. Jay tried to calm her down, but when Ramsay asked for the turbot, she was not ready yet, and Jay told her to not flip it as it was not having enough colors. When Ramsay asked for the turbot one more time, she was still not sure how much time she would need and had trouble communicating with Jay. When she sent her lobster to the pass, she was hesitating to put it down, so Ramsay grabbed the tray from her hands, and when she returned on her station, she started to panic more, pushed everybody who was trying to help her away, but moments later, it was revealed that the lobster was raw. When she tried to convince that she just took it out of the pan, Ramsay was fed up, and she was eliminated on-the-spot. Then, Ramsay ordered her to take her jacket off and get out, but she tried to convince him to not say that twice, before smashing a wet floor sign on the floor.
Moments later, Nilka returned to the kitchen to convince Ramsay to stay, much to his annoyance, and she was reminded that they were in the middle of service and to take her jacket off. But, she refused to leave by saying that winning the competition was her destiny and all she wanted, and Ramsay was annoyed by her presence in the kitchen. She tried to jump back on her station when Ramsay called the next ticket, but he aggressively ordered her to get out, and she refused once again as she just wanted to cook. Ramsay was tired, asked Benjamin to get her out for him, which the latter did, and she reluctantly stepped out of the kitchen while saying that she did not want to leave. Finally, she added that she gave her whole life for that, that it hurt to be kicked out like that, and that she was mad about going down like that. She accepted her fate and went back to the dorms to pack her bags.
When she finished packing her bags, Nilka told that she did not want to go home as she came in the competition for a reason, and left by the delivery dock with her bags. Ramsay was waiting for her beside the taxi cab, told her to keep her head up high and continue to follow her dream outside of the competition, which she answered that she was just mad at herself because she thought she was ready for the job at the Savoy. After, Ramsay reminded her that she did well, and thanked her for her great overall performance before both of them hugged. Ramsay concluded by requesting her jacket, and she entered the cab while he reminded her to keep her head up high and to never stop following her dream. She received the coat hanging and burning picture sequence at the end of the episode.
Ramsay's comment: "Now, only the best chefs remain, Nilka was clearly out of her depth." [10]
Episode 15[]
- Main article: Episode 715 - 2 Chefs Compete
When she came back for the final dinner service, Nilka was the third person who entered the kitchen, and when she did, Ramsay complimented her jacket about how good looking it was. She was Holli's second pick, following Autumn and followed by Siobhan, and told she would do her thing and blow Jay's ass, before giving a high-five to Ramsay. Back in the dorms, she was really focused and studied the menu with assertiveness.
During dinner service, Nilka was on the meat station. At one point, her brioche was rejected because it was not toasted enough, and when the team moved on to entrées, she was asked for the venison, which she admitted to have never cooked before, but was willing to try hard for her first time. When she sent it up, it was overcooked, Holli was angry that she brought shit that she would not eat herself, she was berated by her venison being compared to beef jerky, and she was pushed by Holli and Ramsay for her refire. She was told by Holli that she was killing her, and Ramsay told that it started to be embarrassing. Later, she sent gorgeous venison, which she responded by saying "Alleluia!", and when she was asked to help Autumn on garnish, she was being pushed away by the latter. When Autumn claimed that it was because she did not know what she was doing, she was insulted by that statement and added that if she was as good as she thought, she would be in the finals instead of Holli. Moments later, she sent acceptable meat to the pass and helped Holli to complete the service.
When both teams were lined up, Nilka was thanked and hugged by Holli for the great service, and she was dismissed, along with the other returning chefs. Eventually, Holli won the finals over Jay.[11]
Nomination History[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | BoB |
| Week 5 | Nominated |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Safe |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Week 10 | Ejected |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Nilka became Executive Chef at Retro Lounge & Grill, in Freeport, New York, before starting her own catering company, called Chef'n it up Catering.
Trivia[]
- She is the only contestant who was eliminated mid-service to receive a "Best of the Best" nomination.
- She is the fifth contestant to be eliminated during dinner service, following Josh (Season 3), J, Lacey (both from Season 5), and Louie (Season 6). She is also the first contestant from the red team to be so.
- She is the second contestant, first female who received a "Best of the Best" nomination without making it to the black jackets, following Salvatore (also from Season 7).
- She is the second mid-service eliminated contestant who received the coat hanging and burning picture sequence at the end of the episode where she was eliminated, following J (Season 5).
- She is the first contestant ever who begged Ramsay to be kept in the competition after her elimination was officially announced, and the only contestant who was ejected mid-service to met Ramsay at the loading dock.
Quotes[]
- (To the red team) "I want to tell y'all, y'all can kiss my fucking ass, every last one of y'all, and that was FUCKED UP! Y'all should have told me I was going up on the chopping block!"
- (To Fran) "I'll talk to you in the kitchen, but until then, get the fuck out of my face and that's it, 'cause I don't roll like that!"
- Scott: "Chef, I feel like I'm the best—" Nilka: "Absolutely not! You just take over and say 'OH WELL, I DID THIS, I DID THAT!' You want to gloat and rub it in our faces. It's bullshit!"
- Gordon: "Madam! Ma-Madam! Madam!!" Nilka: "Yes, Chef!!" Gordon: "TAKE YOUR JACKET OFF AND FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!!!" Nilka: "NO CHEF, DON’T SAY THAT PLEASE! CHEF!!! PLEASE!! CHEF, PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT!!! OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!"
- "Am I gonna stop? No, 'cause this is my dream, this is my fucking destiny and this what I want."
- (After being eliminated mid-service) "You know, and it hurts to get kicked out of here like this. It really, really does. I don't want to go home. I don't want to go home. I don't. (sniffles) I came here for a reason."
Gallery[]
.png "Nilka's Confessional (Returning Chef).png (1.29 MB)")
.png "Nilka's Mother Sauce Dish (Demi-glace).png (321 KB)")
External links[]
Nilka Hendricks on Instagram- ChefNilkaHendricks on YouTube
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen Season 7 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Scott Leibfried (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Siobhan Allgood • Ed Battaglia • Jamie Bisoulis • Salvatore Coppola • Jason Ellis • Andrew Forster • Scott Hawley • Nilka Hendricks • Fran Klier • Benjamin Knack • Autumn Lewis • Jay Santos • Stacey Slichta • Mikey Termini • Maria Torrisi • Holli Ugalde |