| “ | I didn't necessarily know how the Greeks would want it, I just put it how Randy would want it. | ” |
Randolph "Randy" Bell was a contestant on Season 14 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 8th place.
Season 14[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1401 - 18 Chefs Compete
On the way to Hell's Kitchen, Randy revealed that he was a retired military veteran, but not as a chef, and admitted that this was a dream come true for him and that he was more nervous than he was at boot camp. When the chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, the doors were locked, and they noticed that Ramsay was on the roof. Then, Ramsay said that in order to see if the chefs were 100% committed, they would jump onto an air mattress from the roof. While he was more eager to jump off after seeing Enrique and Ruth doing it, Ramsay revealed that it was not necessary as those two were stunt people, and asked the chefs to cook their signature dishes.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Randy was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and he went up against Mieka. Before judging his dish, Ramsay asked when the last time was he had a complete fucking disaster at his banquet, and he jokingly answered it was now despite him not being there. After, he presented his salmon with raspberry bourbon barbecue sauce, and while Ramsay said that the presentation looked plain, he praised the fish for being delicious, and he scored three points. The blue team won the challenge 31-28, and they were rewarded with a Hummer limousine ride to Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach to meet William Shatner and had a picture taken with him and Billy Sherwood. Before meeting Shatner, he admitted that he was nervous over meeting his first celebrity, despite meeting numerous generals in the past.
During dinner service, Randy was on the garnish station with Brendan. He was not seen that night, and the blue team won the service.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1402 - 17 Chefs Compete
During the Crabs Challenge, Randy was pumped about the challenge as he did a lot of boating and crab fishing back in Louisiana. He was seen on a boat with Bret, Josh, and Michael during part one, and they collected six crabs. During part two, he was paired with Josh, and they were seen getting two of their attempts accepted. The blue team lost the challenge 7-10, and they were punished by prepping shrimp, clams, and lobster for a seafood special during the next service.
During dinner service, Randy was at the dessert station. He was not that night, the blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.
He was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1403 - 16 Chefs Compete
During the Alaskan Fish Challenge, Randy was paired with Nick, and they were seen quickly getting their cod pieces matched. After the blue team won part one, he knew that if he lost a fishing competition, his friends back home would not have let him live it down. They were the third pair from the blue team to have their dishes judged, and they went up against Christine and Sarah from the red team. He made fish and chips, and while they were praised for having a delicious fish, they lost that round to the red team. The blue team lost the challenge 1-3, and they were punished by taking part in seafood Delivery day, prep the fish for the following service, and eat peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches.
During prep, Randy reminded Nick that he fished a lot and knew how to clean a fish. However, he accidentally cut his finger to the bone and was sent to the hospital to get stitches. Later, he came back with two stitches on his hands and swore that he would not let an injury slow him down. During dinner service, he was on the appetizer station with Adam. He was not that night, both teams were named joint-losers, and were asked to nominate two people each.
He was not nominated for elimination.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1404 - 15 Chefs Compete
During the American Classics Challenge, Randy was on the burger, he was confident on the burger, and wanted to make sure he collected the football that had bacon on it. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Meghan. He made cheese and chili stuffed burger, it was criticized for being well done instead of medium rare as he wanted, and he lost that round to Meghan. The blue team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 4, and they were punished by taking in deliveries of 500 pounds of onions, and prep them for the next service.
When Randy found out that the next service was Family Night, he got excited as he had two kids back home and knew how important it was to cook for your family. During dinner service, he was at the dessert station. He was not seen much, and the blue team won the service.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1405 - 14 Chefs Compete
During the International Cheese Challenge, Randy went up against Sarah, and their dish was lasagna. He was the sixth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and presented his lasagna with ricotta cheese. It was praised for being perfectly done, and he scored that round over Sarah. The blue team eventually lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by taking in a giant wheel of Parmesan cheese, breaking it down, and grating it for the following service.
During dinner service, Randy was at the dessert station. He was not seen that night, and the blue team won the service.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1406 - 13 Chefs Compete
When Randy saw the firefighters pull up to Hell's Kitchen, he compared the sacrifices they made to the ones he made in the military. During the Firefighter Service Challenge, he was on the grilling station. He was not seen, the blue team won the challenge, and they were rewarded with a tour at the Malibu vineyard which included a safari tour, and dinner. During the reward, he pointed out that they would have never known Nick dated a girl before after seeing the latter reunite with his ex-girlfriend.
During dinner service, Randy was on the appetizer station with Milly. At the start, he knew that a great leader needed respect from his teammates. After seeing Brendan's raw salmon, he said that the salmon was almost swimming due to it. After Josh got kicked out of the kitchen, he was reassigned to the meat station and managed to produce perfectly cooked lamb. The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination.
He was not nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1407 - 12 Chefs Compete
During the Greek Cuisine Challenge, Randy got concerned as he never cooked or eaten Greek cuisine before in his life. He went up against T, and their dish was chicken, much to his relief. During the cooking, he was still confused about what his dish would be, so he decided to put some stuff together in the way he wanted, though Nick moved away from him as he was a mess. He was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged and presented his seared chicken with eggplant and new potato. Despite being nervous, the dish was heavily praised for reminding Michael Psilakis of his Greek heritage, and he scored a perfect 10. The blue team won the challenge 41-40, and they were rewarded with a go-karting experience at K-1 Speed, hosted by Miss California USA 2013 Maybelynn Capeluj. During the reward, he won the race.
During prep, Randy was asked by Bret if he would perform another great service. During dinner service, he was on the garnish station. At one point, he sent up liquid mashed potatoes, Ramsay pulled him to the back pantry, and he denied ever making the mashed potatoes, claiming that somebody else made it by adding too much cream. When the two returned to the kitchen, Ramsay asked the blue team who added the cream into the mashed potatoes, but that led to a minor argument as none of them knew who did it. While Milly accused him of putting the cream in the mashed potatoes, Ramsay told him that while he did not mind the situation, he just did not want any cream in the mashed potatoes. Eventually, he got his refire accepted, and the blue team won the service.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1408 - 11 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Randy was told by Christine that she did not want to be nominated ever again.
During the Alcohol Challenge, Randy was excited to see John Ratzenberger as he was a big fan of "Cheers". During the cooking, he told Nick what his duck dish would be. His dish was not chosen for judging, the blue team won the challenge 31-30, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Moonlight Rollerway for a roller skate experience, and lunch at the Golden Road Brewery. During the reward, he got excited that he would get to do some beer tasting and got excited to eat some beer food over some fancy food.
Before service began, Randy and the chefs were heartbroken when Bret was forced out of the competition. During the Gastropub Night dinner service, he was on the fish station. At one point, he was ready to walk his scallops, but Josh did not communicate with him. Despite that, he sent up his scallops even though Josh was not ready, and Ramsay warned them that if the risotto was not up on the pass in 30 seconds, they would have to start over. On entrées, his fish and chips were ready despite Adam not being ready, and Ramsay lectured the two to be more organized, before calling them fucking useless. Then, he sent up burnt fish and chips, Ramsay demanded to know what was going on, and despite Adam promising that they would turn it around, he knew that he and the latter were screwing each other up. Then, Ramsay brought Adam and him to the back hallway, berated the two for trading off inconsistency, and they promised to bring it back around. Later, he was still struggling on the fish and chips refire, and despite saying that he had it, Milly knew that he did not. Despite that, his refire was accepted, and entrées were sent out to the blue diners. Later on, he and Josh were blamed for Adam's meat meltdown, and when he was about to walk with his dishes Josh stopped him as Adam was not ready with his meat, but eventually, the latter was ready. However, his fish and chips were too soggy, and his and Adam's mistakes got the blue team kicked out of the kitchen.
The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people from elimination. During deliberation, Josh reminded Randy how he and Adam did not communicate at all, he pointed out that the deep-fried food needed to be sent out immediately, and admitted that he had no words to describe what happened. He was considered by Milly for elimination due to his poor performance.
Randy was named the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with Adam as the second, and they were joined by Josh. During his plea, Ramsay reminded him how he screwed up on fish and chips and burgers, and despite saying that he was very disciplined and that he wanted to learn more, Ramsay warned him that he was running out of time. He survived elimination.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1409 - 9 Chefs Compete
Before the Exotic Protein Challenge, Randy was the only chef that was not afraid of the snake that fell between them. He picked ostrich meat and went up against Christine, but later felt that he screwed himself over after seeing the wild boar as he saw a lot of them when he was in service. During the cooking, he decided to make an ostrich burger, but Nick deemed him a one-trick pony. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged and presented his bacon greased ostrich burger. While it was criticized for having a crap presentation, the dish was praised for tasting great, and he scored 12 points.
The blue team won the challenge 33-32, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Lounge Spa for a spa day. During the reward, while Randy was happy they won the challenge, he admitted that he was not a spa guy and that he did not need a massage as he was not tense.
During the one on ones, Randy was the second chef to be called down. Ramsay called him a proud man, and he explained that the competition meant a lot to him as his wife used to send him tapes of the show when he was stationed in Iraq. Then, Ramsay revealed to him that his concern was the latter waiting to see what his teammates would do and that not causes them to screw him over, but also causes himself to doubt his skills. Then, Ramsay asked if he had what it took to become a leader, and while he admitted that while he was not the most experienced chef in the competition, he was trying to give 100%, and never stopped that. After, Ramsay told him that he has become one of the biggest surprises in the competition, urged him to stop worrying about his team, and worry about himself. After the report, he was deemed the weakest chef on the blue team by his teammates, even though he felt that his team was wrong about him as he knew how confident he was in his skills, and because of that, he had to participate in the Cook For Your Life Challenge, where he went up against Christine.
During the challenge, Randy said that he was furious about his teammates deeming him the weakest, and knew that he had to be on point in order to prove them wrong. he ignored his teammate's support as he was focused on his three dishes. While plating his dishes, he said that while he was confident in his cooking, he knew that he was poor at plating. He was the final person to have his dishes judged and knew that if he did not nail the three dishes, he could be going home. For the lobster risotto, Ramsay praised it for having a beautifully poached lobster and being seasoned beautifully. For the halibut, Ramsay noticed that the plating was different than what it was supposed to be, and while he admitted that he was not sure about where the mussels and clams were supposed to go, Ramsay reminded him that the halibut was supposed to be the jewel of the dish. For the bread pudding, while Ramsay said that it tasted good, he felt that it was missing a couple more teaspoons of the crème anglaise.
In the end, Randy was declared the winner, and he survived elimination. While being dismissed, he said that he experienced a wake-up call and that he had to start taking charge.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1410 - 8 Chefs Compete
While going back to the dorms, Randy was ecstatic to win the Cook For Your Life Challenge, with Alison congratulating him, and he called it a highlight in his life, before Josh jokingly stated that the challenge was harder than getting shot at.
Before the Homecoming Planning Challenge, Randy got excited that the theme was Mardi Gras as he used to be stationed at Louisiana, and wanted to make some Cajun food since the start. During the cooking, he decided to make a blackened chicken pasta and remarked that because he had two teenage daughters, he knew how much teens loved Cajun food, before stating how confident he was. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Meghan. He made blackened chicken pasta, Ramsay asked him if he made fresh pasta, but he admitted that he did not, instead of using the pasta from the kitchen. The dish was criticized for lacking seasoning, and not as light as Meghan’s dish, but praised for the sauce, and he lost that round to Meghan. The blue team won the challenge 2-1, and they were rewarded with a trip to a local pirate dinner retreat. During the reward, he got very invested in the show, which Josh took notice of.
During the Homecoming Dance dinner service, Randy was on the meat station. At one point, he forgot to add the lobster to the gravy for the chicken fried steak, and when he was surprised to find it out, an annoyed Ramsay called that response stupid, and Nick accused him of dragging them down. Then, despite causing a fire, he got his pasta accepted.
The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Randy was considered for elimination by Nick and Milly, and asked Josh why Nick should be nominated as he felt the latter did a great job that night.
Randy was the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with Josh as the second. During his plea, he believed that he improved the most of the chefs and that he could cook better dishes. He survived elimination, said goodbye to Josh as the latter was transferred to the red team, and welcomed Meghan as a new teammate.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1411 - 8 Chefs Compete Again
During the Blind Taste Test, Randy was dunked once during Nick's turn. He was the final person from the blue team to compete, went up against Alison, and admitted that he was more nervous than ever as he was afraid that he would not identify most of the ingredients. He only scored one point by getting tomato correctly, resulting in Nick getting dunked once. The blue team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 9, and they were punished by rearranging the dining room for two twelve top tables and making sangria. During the punishment, he took the blame for costing the blue team the win, but Milly reminded him that they all got incorrect answers. Later, he asked where they were putting the tables away, wondered if the blue team was stronger or weaker without Josh as Meghan was a strong chef as well, before saying that he would have to wait and see.
During the closed charity dinner service, Randy oversaw the lobster risotto course. He had the entire blue team make the risotto base, but Ramsay told them that there were too many people crowding the appetizer station, and warned them that it could lead to two different flavors. Then, he admitted that despite not knowing how to make risotto when he started, he declared it to be his favorite thing to cook. However, when they were sent up, Ramsay saw that two pans of risotto were lighter than the others, lectured the blue team to cook the same on the pan, and divide later, and he admitted that it was a dumb mistake on his behalf. When the risottos were being plated, Ramsay noticed that there were sixteen plates of risotto instead of the twelve needed, and when he asked who did that, Milly blamed him for not noticing before. As the blue team rushed to put the extra servings on under portioned plates, he said that he wanted to strangle his teammates for that mistake. Fortunately, his risottos made it to the table, but he was still angry about the extra plates. During the salmon course, Nick asked him to pick the best salmon from the tray. During the steak course, he was still sore from the plate incident earlier, and snarkily asked if Meghan meant eighteen plates instead of twelve, much to his teammate’s annoyance. While clearing down, he confronted his teammates over the extra plate incident. While Nick argued that he should have recounted the plates as it was his course, and Meghan reminding him that he had to pay attention as a chef, he warned them that if he was around the next day, they would not like him at his worst. However, Nick continued to argue that they did not sabotage him, and Milly warned him that from now on, the only thing they would be talking about was food. The blue team won the service.
Despite being on the winning team, Randy was eliminated for not having control of his course, never bouncing back afterwards, and lack of experience. Before leaving, Ramsay praised him for being one of the fastest learners in the show’s history and said he made his family, country, and himself proud. During his exit interview, he still believed the blue team left him hanging that night, but admitted he was going to leave with his head held high, and only wished he had more experience as nobody would have stood a chance against him on top of his leadership skills.
Ramsay's comment: "I loved Randy's work ethic. Unfortunately, his positive attitude couldn't camouflage his lack of experience." [11]
Episode 16[]
- Main article: Episode 1416 - Winner Chosen
Randy was one of the eight chefs who returned for the final dinner service. He was Meghan's final pick, after Michelle, Alison, and Josh, and the final pick overall.
During dinner service, Randy was on the meat station. While he was seen getting his first chicken order accepted, his next attempt was raw. After it was revealed that all his chicken was overcooked, Meghan ordered him to make some new ones. However, he was still struggling on the refire, and Meghan found out that he put sliced chicken in the oven. After getting lectured on putting the sliced chicken in the oven, Meghan got annoyed by his slow speed, and demoted him to desserts. While he was irritated by it, he decided not to say anything as it was Meghan’s kitchen. Meghan eventually won the finals over T.[12]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Win |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Win |
| Week 8 | Nominated |
| Week 9 | Nominated |
| Week 10 | Nominated |
| Week 11 | Eliminated |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After his appearance on the show, Randy became a Banquet Chef at Dave & Buster's. [13]
Trivia[]
- At age 45, he's the oldest of the season.
- He is the seventh contestant to have a military background before coming to Hell's Kitchen, following Bobby (Season 4), Joseph (Season 6), Guy (Season 10), Dan, Ray (both from Season 11), and Mike (Season 12).
- He participated in the second Cook For Your Life Challenge, and is the second contestant to have survived that challenge, following Richard (Season 12).
- He is the fifth contestant to be eliminated despite being on the winning team, following Carol (Season 5), Salvatore (Season 7), Raj (Season 8), and Jeremy (Season 11).
Quotes[]
- Ramsay: "When was the last time you had a fucking disaster in your banquets?" Randy: "Right now when I'm not there."
- "That salmon was so raw, it was almost still swimming!"
- (After getting chicken as his protein) "Thank God. I'm glad I didn't get squid."
- (About making a Greek dish) "I just tried to put stuff together, how I would want it. I didn't necessarily know how the Greeks would want it, I just put it how Randy would want it."
- (On Christine after she survived the elimination) "I like looking at you, but not up there!"
- (After being eliminated) "I really felt like my team hung me out to dry. But my head is held up high walking out of here. I just wish I had more experience in the kitchen, 'cause if I could combine that with my leadership abilities, there is nobody in here that would've stood a chance."
Gallery[]
.png "Randy's Alaskan Fish Dish (Cod).png (374 KB)")
.png "Randy's American Classics Dish (Burger).png (262 KB)")
.png "Randy's International Cheese Dish (Lasagna).png (299 KB)")
.png "Randy's Exotic Meat Dish (Ostrich).png (288 KB)")
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen Season 14 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • James Avery (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Sarah Baumert • Randy Bell • Nick Peters Bond • Monique Booker • Michael Dussault • Meghan Gill • T Gregoire • Mieka Houser • Bret Hauser • Christine Hazel • Adam Livow • Milly Medley • Brendan Pelley • Alison Rivera • Chrissa Schmerler • Cameron Spagnolo • Michelle Tribble • Josh Trovato |