Scott Popovic

“

Saving the best for the last, that's how we roll up in here!

”

Hometown/Residence	Cleveland, OH
Occupation	Executive Chef
Culinary Education	Johnson & Wales University
Statistics
Signature Dish Challenge Score	2 out of 5
Challenges Won	1
Services Won	0
Times as BoW/Announcer	0
Times Nominated	1
Placement	16th
Episode Eliminated	A Fond Farewell

Scott Popovic was a contestant on Season 18 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 16th place.

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. Scott was the seventh rookie to explain his credentials, and when he revealed that he already owned his own restaurant, Ramsay asked what the fuck he was doing there, then he listed off a lot of employers he worked with in the past, boring everybody in the process.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Scott was the third person from the red team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Roe. He made a roasted black bass over root vegetables, it was criticized for being overcooked, and after Ramsay commented that his restaurant was closed for the time, he scored 2 points. The rookies won the challenge after a tie at 29, and they were rewarded with dinner at Josiah Citrin’s Charcoal, joined by Ramsay and Citrin.

During the Creative Risotto Challenge, Scott was confident about his risotto and was ready for some feedback. He was the final rookie to be called up by Sous Chef Christina, and he believed that she saved the best for last. He made a blistered tomato risotto with parmesan cheese and butter, and while it tasted good, he lost the challenge as he did not dethrone Mia. After Bret's emotional boasting back at the dorms, he mocked it in his confessional before saying that the former could calm down.

During dinner service, Scott was on the fish station with Jose. At one point, he sent up shrimp that was only enough for one order as he thought he heard one instead of two earlier. When he asked Ramsay what he needed, the latter yelled that he needed the other shrimp for the second risotto, before being forced to send out one complete risotto out. However, he argued that he was confused on what Ramsay wanted, and wanted the latter to slow down, before sending out six shrimp even though he only needed three more for the other order, much to Ramsay and Sous Chef Christina’s annoyance. Then, Ramsay caught him cooking more shrimp when he already had them out, but he revealed that he was cooking them for tableside. However, Ramsay reminded him that tableside was Scotley’s responsibility, and took him to Scotley to prove his point, much to his embarrassment. After Jose sent up a raw halibut, Ramsay warned him and the former to either get a grip or they would be kicked out through the front door and berated them for acting like idiots instead of professional chefs.

The rookies lost the service, with Ramsay berating Scott for being lost, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Scotley accused him of being lost that night, and while he owned up to his mistake, he also wanted to prove why he deserved to stay.

Scott was named the rookies' first nominee for elimination, along with Chris as the second, and they were joined by Jose. During his plea, Ramsay asked him if that was him at his best, but he argued that it was not, before stating that he knew beef pretty well, leading Ramsay to sarcastically comment that he should be a butcher. Despite that, he argued that he wanted to prove what he had. He was eliminated for being confused all night and cooking the table side dish in the kitchen, and before he left, Ramsay told him that the good news was that he could open his restaurant the following night. During his exit interview, he admitted that his ego was pretty bruised and that he closed down his own restaurant to compete.

Ramsay's comment: "Scott remembers working with some of the biggest named chefs in the world, but whether they would remember him is another matter entirely. I know I won’t remember him by tomorrow."

Nomination history

Week 1	Nominated

Post Hell's Kitchen

• After his appearance on the show, Scott became a Chef instructor at Polaris Career Center teaching culinary arts.

Trivia

• He is the third contestant to be eliminated on the opening night who did not score a 1 out of 5 in the new format of the Signature Dish Challenge, following Pat (Season 16) and Ben (Season 17). He is also the first member of the red team to do so.
• He is the twelfth male contestant to get eliminated on opening night, following Dominic (Season 4), Wil (Season 5), Louie (Season 6), Steven (Season 9), Tavon (Season 10), Sebastian (Season 11), Gaurav (Season 12), JP (Season 13), Mark (Season 15), Pat (Season 16), and Ben (Season 17). He is also the first male contestant to this date to get eliminated on opening night as a member of the red team.
• He is the only contestant in the season who never had to do a punishment.
• He is the third contestant from the state of Ohio, following Jason (Season 4) and Koop (Season 16).
• He is the last contestant to date to be ranked 16th place which ranked last on his season.

Quotes

• "Saving the best for last, that's how we roll up in here!"
• "I am confused Chef, what do you need?"
• “Well… I know beef extremely well.”
• (After being eliminated) "My ego right now is totally bruised. I'm the only one out this whole group that owns their own restaurant, closed it down to come here, and I'm the one standing out here…going home."

Gallery

• Chef
• Dishes

Scott in Rookies vs. Veterans Intro Spot

Scott in Red Jacket

Scott's Confessional

Scott, Chris, and Jose Nominated

Scott Eliminated

Scott's Signature Dish (Episode 1)

Scott's Risotto Dish (Episode 2)