Sakari Smithwick was a contestant on Season 21 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 7th place.
Season 21[]
Episode 1/2[]
- Main article: Episode 2101 - Let the Battle Begin
- Main article: Episode 2102 - Just Wingin' It
The eighteen new chefs arrived in Los Angeles in two separate limos heading to Hell's Kitchen. The limos arrived at Hell's Kitchen, where Marino was waiting for them. Marino greeted the chefs and introduced them to their Sous Chefs Christina and Jason. They explained that there would be obstacles, but you can't let them get in your way. Later, Ramsay was on a monster truck and crashed into a car, shocking the contestants. Ramsay used it as an example of not letting anything get in your way. Ramsay explained like how the limos got them where they wanted to go, he wanted a chef to take him where he wanted to go. Ramsay was questioning whether to hire a chef in their 20s or a chef in their 40s and told them that this season would be a battle of the ages. Ramsay told the contestants to separate between a group of 20s and a group of 40s. Ramsay announced the Signature Dish Challenge and gave the chefs 45 minutes to cook their dishes.
Christina asked Sakari what he was working on during the Signature Dish Challenge. He said he was making an oyster potato stew, which Christina thought was lovely. He said he worked in some of the world's best restaurants after starting at a fast food place. He felt like his dish may seem pretentious, but he did not care what other people thought about the dish. He wanted to prove to Ramsay that he was ready to be his head chef. He was the third person from the red team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Nicole. He said Ramsay is a legend, but he cooks for other chefs, so he was excited, not intimidated. He revealed that he is a black and brown community pop-up chef. Ramsay asked how much he charged, and he said bout $125 per plate, seven courses. He presented an oyster stew with a confit cod. When Ramsay asked about the sauce, he revealed that he made oyster fat and potato leek. When Ramsay asked how he cooked the fish, he said he confit it with some lemon zest. Ramsay deemed it a complex dish and was sad he could only give him five points. He danced a little about getting a five and felt like he had the best dish ever. When Sommer performed poorly, he was not sure they would win, and he did not want to be punished since he got a five.
The challenge ended up as a 31-point tie, and it was between Sakari and Alex. The red team won the challenge, with his dish having the edge. He was happy he won it for his team and felt he was the best chef there. They were rewarded with a dinner cruise with Chef Ramsay.
The following day, When Ramsay revealed that the person that lost the wing challenge would go home, Sakari felt like that proved how real this competition was.[1] During the Creative Chicken Wing Challenge, he made an unknown dish. He lost the challenge as he was not called as part of the top three.
During dinner service, Sakari was at the meat station with Cheyenne. At one point, he tried to quiet down Alyssa and Ileana from arguing since Ramsay was calling out an order. Then he brought up two beef wellingtons before the salmon came and garnish due to the lack of communication. The red team won the service.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 2103 - Clawing Your Way to the Top
During the Whole Lobster Prep Challenge, Sakari was the fifth person from the red team to have his attempt judged, and he scored a point. The red team won the challenge 6-5, and they were rewarded with driving European Sports Cars. At the end of their meeting, he told the red team they must stick together and reminded them that they had won the challenge.
During dinner service, Sakari served a special New England lobster Caesar salad in the dining room with Alyssa. He was not seen that night, and the red team won the service. After elimination, Ramsay called everyone downstairs and announced that the battle of the sexes would begin the following day. He, Alejandro, Brett, and Vlad were reassigned to the blue team.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 2104 - Slipping Down to Hell
During the Creative Sliders Challenge, Sakari cooked the salmon sliders with Abe, but his dish was not chosen for judging. The blue team won the challenge 16-14, and they were rewarded with a trip to Palm Springs. He was revealed to be the only one not married during the reward. However, Alex jokingly commented that he had nine children out of wedlock.
During dinner service, Sakari was at the appetizer station with Billy. He was not seen that night, and the blue team won the service.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 2105 - Breakfast 911
Before the Emergency Workers Breakfast Service Challenge, Sakari revealed that his parents were retired police officers, and they gave him a sense of respecting the community and discipline. He was at the appetizer station with Billy, and he revealed that he had started cooking breakfast meals. He wanted everything to go out perfectly, and he got his salads to the dining room. The blue team lost the challenge, and they were punished by participating in trash sorting day.
During dinner service, Sakari was at the fish station with Brett. When Vlad did not respond to his questions, he felt that the former was not listening to anyone and did not have a voice. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate three people for elimination. During deliberation, he considered Alejandro the third nominee, which Alex agreed with as the latter struggled on steaks that morning.
He was not nominated for elimination.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 2106 - Til Chef Do Us Part
Before the Trenton and Macee Wedding Planning Challenge, Sakari revealed himself as one of the five chefs that was not married. He paired up with Vlad on the shrimp pasta, they were the third pair from the blue team to have his dish judged, and they went up against Dafne. He made a seafood Pomodoro, and while it had a great sauce, he lost that round to Dafne. The blue team won the challenge 4-2, and they were rewarded with a rage room experience at Rage Ground LA and lunch cooked by Suzanne Goin at Cara Cara.
During the Trenton and Macee Wedding dinner service, Sakari was at the appetizer station with Alex. When Abe and Billy struggled on the scallops, he got annoyed by the inconsistent performances at the fish station. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he and Abe voted for Billy and Brett as nominees.
He was nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 2107 - Wok This Way
During the Dome Challenge, Sakari grabbed lobster and rice for his dish. While cooking, he revealed his lobster Cantonese mustard green salad to Sous Chef Jason and planned on using everything. He was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Ileana. He made a Cantonese-styled lobster with Concón fried rice. While it looked visually appealing, Stephanie Izard felt he should have made full use of the wok and chopped it up. He did not score a point, and the blue team lost the challenge 2-4. They were punished by prepping beets for a beetroot risotto for a special that night. During the punishment, he felt Abe should not have come down on Sommer during their spat.
During dinner service, Sakari was at the meat station with Brett. He said he was there to win, but Ramsay caught him cutting into the Wellingtons too early, warning him that it would oxidize the meat. That disappointed him as he hated making mistakes, and then, Brett walked the entrées to the pass. However, the lamb was raw, and Ramsay told Brett to heat it in the pan. Brett knew he had made that mistake, and the former could tell he was disappointed. Although both teams were named joint winners, Ramsay still asked them to nominate two each. During deliberation, Brett considered him for elimination due to the raw lamb.
Sakari was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Abe as the first. They joined Mindy and Ileana from the red team. During his plea, he called himself a selfless chef and learned from his mistakes. He survived elimination.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 2108 - Game On!
During the Game Meat Challenge, Sakari went up in the final round of the ingredient games, but he failed to get it. During the cooking, he cooked the boar with Alex. Before the judging, his dish was chosen as Alex's dish was undercooked. He was the first chef to have his dish judged, and he went up against Dafne. He made a rack of boar with creamy polenta and Brussels sprouts. It was praised for having the citrus freshen up the meat, but Vinny Dotolo found the polenta too creamy. Still, he scored that round against Dafne. The blue team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by pitting olives and making two pounds of olive tapenade and pesto. During the punishment, he was told by Tara that she hated Alex for using his Punishment Pass on her.
Because Sakari had his dish judged earlier, Sakari did not participate in the Cook For Your Life Challenge. While watching the live stream, he saw how nervous Tara was looking for pans.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 2109 - Putting the Carne in Carnival
Before the Creative Steak Challenge, Sakari said goodbye to Brett as the latter was reassigned to the red team. During part one, he went up against Dafne on the hanger steak round, and they played skeet ball. He beat Dafne 210-200 and won the five-minute head start, mockingly telling the latter to better her skeet ball game. He made a jerk rub for his hanger steak during the cooking to bring out his Caribbean roots. He was the first person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and he made a Caribbean-inspired hanger steak with jerk street corn, pineapple salsa and Guinness Jus. Although the dish looked unappealing, Ramsay liked the sauce. He lost that round to Dafne, and the blue team lost the challenge 2-3. They were punished by cleaning the dorms and prepping vegetables for Steak Night. During the punishment, he felt humiliated to be wearing a maid apron. When the blue team prepped the vegetables, Alex bet he could not finish preparing all the carrots in an hour. He took that bet and finished with a minute to spare. However, the good moment was ruined when Sous Chef Jason came in with another produce box.
During the Steak Night dinner service, Sakari was at the garnish station. He was not seen that night, and both teams were named joint losers. They were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he nominated Vlad and Alejandro for elimination.
He was not nominated for elimination.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 2110 - Everyone's Taco'ing About It
During the Creative Taco Challenge, Sakari cooked the shrimp tacos. During the cooking, he decided to make Caribbean shrimp tacos and warned the red team that the blue team was coming for them. He was the second chef from the blue team to have his dish judged, and he went up against Tara. He made roti curry shrimp tacos. They blended well, and Trejo did not find them overpowering. He scored that round over Tara. The blue team lost the challenge after a tie at three each, and they were punished by prepping a hundred pounds of corn and making fresh tortillas for a taco special in that night's service.
During dinner service, Sakari was at the meat station. When the blue team got to their final order, he felt they were close and had Alejandro walk his steak. However, the steak was raw, and Sakari was forced to refire the steak. He got the refire accepted after the red team finished first, and he knew it was his fault as he did not let that steak rest, and he rushed it to win. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Alex told him that he should have told them the steak was not ready, and Abe knew it was why they lost. Still, he felt he did not deserve to go home on that mistake and believed he was one of the best chefs in the competition. He received nomination votes from Abe and Alejandro.
Sakari was the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with Abe as the second. During his plea, he felt he had discipline and drive. He survived elimination, and then, he welcomed Brett back to the blue team as the latter was reassigned to the blue team. While being dismissed, he knew there were no more passes for him and said it was time for him to step it up.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 2111 - 21st Annual Blind Taste Test
During the Blind Taste Test, Sakari was the first chef from the blue team to compete, and he went up against Dafne. He failed to score a single point, resulting in Alejandro getting all three punishments. During Alex's turn, he received all three punishments. The blue team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by baking hundreds of macaroons. During the punishment, Brett tried to give him and Alex pointers on how to make it despite this being the former's first time.
During the Charity Night dinner service, Sakari was responsible for the soft scrambled eggs topped with caviar. He and Dafne agreed on eight minutes for their course, but he felt a lot of pressure as he led the night's first course. So, he pushed the men to get the scrambled eggs ready. He got his dish plated and sent out his course. After service, Ramsay named him the "Best of the Best" for the blue team as he finally found his voice. He was tasked with holding private meetings to help decide on two nominees for elimination. During deliberation, he found it a weird position to be in. Still, he knew he could not be afraid of confrontation and hoped he gained the respect of his teammates to listen to him. He spoke with Alejandro first, and the latter knew the risotto course could have gone better due to the inconsistencies. He felt Alejandro should have stepped up that night for his course, but the latter said it was weird to see him take control after starting the competition quietly. Then, he felt that Alex needed to have more presence in his leadership, but the latter thought he was not verbal himself. Still, he wanted to be misunderstood so that people would underestimate him. Lastly, he told Brett he had passion, but he felt the latter second-guessed himself and slipped up in the past few services. In contrast, Brett thought he was a weak chef and a weaker leader and thought he should be going home that night.
Sakari nominated Brett and Alejandro for elimination.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 2112 - What in Hell's Kitchen?
The following day, the Sous Chefs had the chefs prepare a display for some guests Ramsay invited. Once everything was ready, everyone saw skydivers drop down from the sky and land on the purple carpet they laid out. Ramsay introduced the chefs to the HK Fliers and revealed that they brought an important message to them. They turned around to show letters that spelt black jackets, exciting everyone as it meant the Black Jackets Challenge had arrived.
During the first Black Jackets Challenge, Sakari said his dish meant a lot to his mother, especially because he lost his father due to Covid complications and said family meant a lot to him. He was the final chef to have his dish judged by Ramsay and presented his shellfish lobster broth with butternut squash puree. Ramsay found the puree exceptional, but he had a big concern with the cook of the lobster as it was thirty seconds off from perfection. That disheartened him as it was close to being a great dish. He lost the challenge to Sommer and Dafne, and he was forced to compete in the second challenge.
During the second Black Jacket Challenge, Sakari got the Lucky Cat menu and chose to cook the grilled miso salmon. During the cooking, Sous Chef Jason was skeptical about his decision to confit his salmon, and he was nervous going up against four talented chefs. Despite never making the dish before, he pressed forward to try and get out of his comfort zone. He was the final chef to have his dish judged by Ramsay and presented his miso-cured salmon with coconut soy braised sauce and fish crumble. While Ramsay liked the taste of the salmon, he did not like how he covered it in the sauce. That left him regretting his decision to over plating his sauce. He lost the challenge to Alejandro and Alex, and he was forced to compete in the final challenge.
During the final Black Jacket Challenge, Sakari felt exhausted, but he was ready to cook for his life to get a black jacket. As he plated his dish, he decided to let the food speak for itself. He made a single pork chop with brown butter and carrot puree. After walking up his dish, Ramsay had him, Cheyenne, and Tara go to his office as the former decided to have the black jacket chefs judge the dishes. Sommer liked the sauce's sweetness as it paired well with the pork and voted for him. However, Dafne, Alejandro, and Alex found the pork undercooked, bland, and the sauce too sweet. After the judging was done, Sous Chef Jason came to Ramsay’s office to bring the three chefs back to the dining room. He was eliminated as the black jacket chefs agreed that his pork was undercooked despite loving the flavor. Still, Ramsay told him that having him in the competition was a pleasure. As he left, he received a retrospective montage during his exit interview. Ramsay did not comment on his elimination, and he did not receive the coat hanging and portrait burning sequence until the following episode.[12][13]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 2115 - A Finale for the Ages, Part 1
- Main article: Episode 2116 - A Finale for the Ages, Part 2
Sakari was one of the seven chefs that returned for the final dinner service. He watched the Final Menu Challenge with the others. He was Dafne's second pick for her team, after Sommer and was followed by Vlad and Abe.[14]
During prep, Sakari overcooked a wagyu steak that Dafne was forced to use for her demo dish. During dinner service, he was at the meat station. On entrées, he believed that Dafne was doing a good job and said she was an ideal leader. However, he sent up an undercooked steak, and Dafne told him not to rush the steaks. He began the refire and refused to sulk. However, the steak was rare again, and Ramsay warned Dafne that her dream was going to die. Sommer saw in dismay that he was dying on meat, but she could not go over to help him as she knew he must bounce back. He was not happy he was letting Dafne down, but he got his third attempt accepted. Dafne eventually lost the finale to Alex.[15]
Nomination History[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Week 2 | Win |
| Week 3 | Win |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Safe |
| Week 6 | Nominated |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Safe |
| Week 9 | Nominated |
| Week 10 | BoB |
| Week 11 | Eliminated |
Trivia[]
- He currently holds the record for the longest tenure with a new team, with nine services, and is tied with Natalie (Season 9), Amber (Season 19), Alejandro, and Tara (both also from Season 21).
- He is the ninth contestant, sixth male, and sixth non-returning chef to score a perfect 5 in the Signature Dish Challenge without making it to Black Jackets, following Van, Elise (both from Season 17), Kevin, Gizzy (both from Season 18), Marc (Season 19), Morgana, Sam (both from Season 20), and Vlad (also from Season 21).
- He is the eighteenth male contestant who switched teams without making it to the black jackets, following Robert (Season 6), Scott (Season 7), Anton (Season 12), Frank, Sterling (both from Season 13), Hassan, Chad (both from Season 15), Matt, Andrew (both from Season 16), Josh (Season 17), Kevin, Trev (both from Season 18), Payton, Sam, Antonio (all from Season 20), Vlad, and Brett (both also from Season 21).
- He is the ninth contestant and third male who received a retrospective montage of his run without making it to the black jackets, following Rachel (Season 2), Robert, Sabrina (both from Season 6), Carrie, Natalie (both from Season 9), Nedra (Season 11), Sterling (Season 13), and Nikki (Season 19).
- He is the fourth contestant to be named "Best of the Best" that didn't make it to the black jackets on their respective season, following Salvatore, Nilka (both from Season 7), and Nikki (Season 19).
Quotes[]
- (After being eliminated) "Nothing compares to the challenges and the journey in Hell's Kitchen. I cooked my heart out every single day, done things that I never thought I would do. Leaving here today on the anniversary, passing of my dad, I know he's looking down, and I have that connection with him to know that, uh, he's proud."
Gallery[]
.png "Sakari's Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (482 KB)")
.png "Sakari's Dome-Wok Dish (Lobster).png (183 KB)")
.png "Sakari's Game Meat Dish (Boar).png (225 KB)")
.png "Sakari's Creative Steak Dish (Hangar Steak).png (826 KB)")
.png "Sakari's Taco Dish (Shrimp).png (878 KB)")
.png "Sakari's Black Jacket Dish (Round 1).png (1.8 MB)")
.png "Sakari's Black Jacket Dish (Round 2).png (1.36 MB)")
.png "Cheyenne, Tara, and Sakari's Black Jacket Dishes (Round 3).png (1.58 MB)")
External Link[]
Sakari Smithwick on Instagram
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen: Battle of the Ages |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Jay Santos (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Christina Wilson (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| 40-Somethings |
| Alex Belew • Tara Ciannella • Nicole Gomez • Zeus Gordiany • Mindy Livengood • O'Shay Lolley • Abe Sanchez • Charlene Sherman • Billy Trudsoe |
| 20-Somethings |
| Brett Binninger-Schwartz • Vlad Briantsev • Ileana D'Silva • Dafne Mejia • Alejandro Najar • Cheyenne Nichols • Alyssa Osinga • Sommer Sellers • Sakari Smithwick |