Season 18 | Hell's Kitchen: Rookies vs. Veterans

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Hell's Kitchen: Rookies vs. Veterans
Airdate:	September 28, 2018 – February 8, 2019
Number of Episodes:	16
Number of Contestants:	16
Winner:	Ariel Contreras-Fox
Runner-Up:	Mia Castro
Season Chronology
Previous Season:	Season 17 (All Stars)
Next Season:	Season 19 (Las Vegas)
Images of Season 18

Season 18 of Hell's Kitchen (stylized Hell's Kitchen: Rookies vs. Veterans) aired on FOX between September 28, 2018 and February 8, 2019. Ariel Contreras-Fox, who ranked 3rd place on Season 6, was the winner of the season, and was awarded the Executive Chef position at Hell's Kitchen at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, with a $250,000 salary.

Contestants

16 chefs competed that season, but with a new twist. For that year, eight new contestants (dubbed the Rookies) were in the red team, while eight former contestants from previous seasons (dubbed the Veterans) were in the blue team. This marked the first time since Season 1 both teams were not divided by gender at the start of the season until episode 4, Chef Ramsay decided to split the teams of rookies and veterans in their separate gender in opposite kitchens, with the men in the red kitchen and women in the blue kitchen.

Rookies

Contestant	Age	Occupation	Hometown
Gizzy Barton	31	Sous Chef	Atlanta, GA
Mia Castro	28	Private Chef	Miami Beach, FL
Jose DeJesus	34	Chef de Cuisine	Bronx, NY
Kanae Houston	25	Sous Chef	Los Angeles, CA
Scotley Innis	33		Atlanta, GA
Chris Mendonca	25	Executive Chef	Boston, MA
Chris Motto	35		Baton Rouge, LA
Scott Popovic	39		Cleveland, OH

Veterans

Contestant	Age	Occupation	Hometown	Original season	Rank
Ariel Contreras-Fox	35	Chef de Cuisine	Brooklyn, NY	Season 6	3rd Place
Kevin Cottle	43	Executive Chef	Middletown, CT		Runner-up
Roe DiLeo	36	Head Chef	Dallas, TX	Season 13	5th Place
Jen Gavin	33	Private Concert Catering Chef	Chicago, IL	Season 4	4th Place
T Gregoire	34	Director of Operations Chef	Draper, VA	Season 14	Runner-up
Bret Hauser		Personal Chef	Fort Lauderdale, FL		11th Place
Trev McGrath	37	Lead Chef	New York, NY	Season 8	4th Place
Heather Williams	28	Executive Chef	Easton, PA	Season 16	Runner-up

Contestant progress

At the end of each episode, one chef is eliminated from the losing team by Ramsay.

#	Chef					Original Teams			First Switch							Second Switch	Black Jackets		Finals
						1802	1803	1804	1805	1806	1807	1808	1809	1810	1811	1812	1813	1814	1815	1816
1					Ariel														WINNER
2					Mia							NOM					NOM		RUNNER-UP
3				Bret							NOM				NOM			OUT
4				Motto														LEFT
5				Heather						NOM	NOM						OUT
6		Kanae														OUT
7		Trev						NOM					NOM	NOM	OUT
8	Jose					NOM					NOM		NOM	OUT
9	Scotley								NOM		NOM		OUT
10	Roe										NOM	OUT
11		Gizzy						NOM			OUT
12	T									OUT
13	Chris					NOM		NOM		LEFT
14		Kevin						NOM	OUT
15	Jen						EJEC
16	Scott					OUT

Final Service Brigades
Mia	Ariel
Roe	Kanae
Trev	Bret
Jose	Motto
Heather	Scotley

Color Legend
NOM	Regular Nomination	Ramsay Nomination	Voided Nomination
OUT	Regular Elimination	Ramsay Nomination	Without Nomination
MISC	Ejected during service	Quit or Hospitalized	Best of the Best/Worst

Episodes

Here is the list of the episodes of that season, with links to detailed pages.

#	Image	Title	Airdate
01		Episode 1801 - Rookies vs. Veterans	September 28, 2018
		Episode Rundown: Eight newcomers and eight returning chefs arrived to Hell's Kitchen, the Signature Dish Challenge ended in a close race, and two chefs started to get on each others nerves.
02		Episode 1802 - A Fond Farewell	October 5, 2018
		Episode Rundown: Risotto was the main dish, one team showed their lack of experience on opening night, and one chef made a shocking reveal at elimination.
03		Episode 1803 - Hell's Riders	October 12, 2018
		Episode Rundown: A lunch service featuring marines took place, an advantage was used, and one chef went off the deep end in terms of their attitude, leading to a dramatic dinner service.
04		Episode 1804 - Hell Freezes Over	October 19, 2018
		Episode Rundown: Soup was the main dish, dinner service was rough on both ends, and Ramsay turned the theme of that season on its head with the first team switch.
05		Episode 1805 - Fish Out of Water	November 2, 2018
		Episode Rundown: The battle of the sexes was back on, halibut was the main ingredient, and a jaw-dropping elimination of an overwhelming fan favorite took place.
06		Episode 1806 - Hot Potato	November 9, 2018
		Episode Rundown: Potato was the main ingredient, one chef was forced to make a decision after being haunted by a previous experience, and a station meltdown brought one kitchen down during Steak Night.
07		Episode 1807 - Last Chef Standing	November 16, 2018
		Episode Rundown: The teams communication skills were put to the test, two chefs began a running feud, and six others cooked for their lives to stay in the competition.
08		Episode 1808 - One Hell of a Party	December 7, 2018
		Episode Rundown: A special Sweet 16th party took place, one chef nearly left the competition due to medical problems again, and one team dominated over the other at dinner service.
09		Episode 1809 - What Happens in Vegas	December 14, 2018
		Episode Rundown: Chinese cuisine was the main theme, one team made a comeback at dinner service, and a shocking, but satisfying, elimination of a boastful chef took place.
10		Episode 1810 - Poor Trev	January 4, 2019
		Episode Rundown: The annual Blind Taste Test took place, one chef nearly lost it after another punishment, and a private dinner service had an embarrassing moment for one team.
11		Episode 1811 - Devilish Desserts	January 11, 2019
		Episode Rundown: Dessert was the main theme, one team's dysfunction suffered at dinner service, and one chef lost their last chance to stay in the competition.
12		Episode 1812 - Break on Through	January 18, 2019
		Episode Rundown: The second team switch occurred, the remaining chefs competed in a series of challenges for black jackets, and a shocking elimination of a early front runner occurred.
13		Episode 1813 - An Episode of Firsts	January 25, 2019
		Episode Rundown: The final five competed in their first black jackets challenge, a communication breakdown occurred at dinner service, and that night spelled the end for the final returning runner-up.
14		Episode 1814 - What's Your Motto?	February 1, 2019
		Episode Rundown: The final four worked on their tableside skills, took turns running the pass, one chef made a startling announcement to the chefs and Ramsay, and the final two were revealed.
15		Episode 1815 - A Rollercoaster Ride	February 8, 2019
		Episode Rundown: Ariel and Mia reunited with their families, competed in one final challenge, and picked their teams.
16		Episode 1816 - The Grand Finale	February 8, 2019
		Episode Rundown: Ariel and Mia compete in one final dinner service, and the winner of Hell's Kitchen is revealed.

Media

Videos

Preview This Is What Hell Sounds Like Season 18 HELL'S KITCHEN

Season 18 promo

Preview Rookies Vs. Veterans Season 18 HELL'S KITCHEN

Gallery

Rookies vs. Veterans

Trivia

• This was the first season to have two people withdraw from the competition at different times since Season 12.
• This is the first season since Season 1 where the teams were not divided by gender at the beginning.
• This is the first season where none of the contestants scored a 1 out of 5 on the new format of the Signature Dish Challenge.
• This season holds the record for having the most contestants scoring a perfect 5 on the new format of the Signature Dish Challenge, with four.
• This is the second season to have a tied score at the end of the Signature Dish Challenge, following Season 8.
• This was the first season since Season 14 where Ramsay cut the final four in half for the finale, as well as the last season to do so.
• This is the first season to have a chef quit before the finale. It's also the first season to bring a chef back for the final dinner service despite withdrawing.
• This is the first season where all males were switched to the red team and all females were switched to the blue team.
• If you compare the Blue teams in other seasons, this season's blue team set the record of second most dinner service wins in a season with five, excluding joint-victories. This record is shared with Seasons 6, 7, 15 and 17.
  • This is the last season to date to have the blue team win the Opening Night Dinner Service.
• This is the first season where no contestants got eliminated after both teams were named joint-losers.
• This season holds the record for the most contestants to change teams in one night with six in total (three from each team). This record would be held until Season 21 aired four years later.
• This season marks the first instance in which both finalists took charge of the kitchen opposite to their starting team in the finale.
• This season introduced the "Punishment Pass".
• In terms of returning chefs, both Season 6 and Season 14 are tied for most at two each. Seasons 4, 8, 13, and 16 are tied for lowest amount at one each.
• Interestingly, Jen and Scott who had the lowest scoring dishes in the Signature Dish Challenge were the first to be eliminated from their respective teams.
• This is the tenth season when a contestant won without being nominated for elimination.
• Matt from Season 4 was given the opportunity to come back but declined due his wife being pregnant at the time.
• This is the last season to date to feature the short sleeve chef jackets.
• This is the last season to feature Chef Ramsay and contestants in the opening sequence.
• This was the last season to be filmed in Los Angeles, California until it returned in Season 21. The following two seasons would be filmed in Las Vegas.
• Future Reappearances: Ariel would return in Season 20 for dinner with the team signature dish winner.