The Signature Dish Challenge is the first challenge the contestants must do for Chef Ramsay when they enter Hell's Kitchen.
Overview[]
The purpose of this challenge is for Chef Ramsay to see the chefs' cooking abilities now and to give them knowledge of his standards and expectations.
History[]
Season 1[]
The first season featured the first time the Signature Dish Challenge took place. It used the early rules of the challenge by having everyone cook as individuals before the teams were made. There were no winners or losers, only for Ramsay to gauge the chefs of their skills early on. Of the twelve dishes Ramsay tasted, he deemed Carolann's dish the best of the group.[1]
Season 2[]
The second season followed the same format. Of the twelve dishes Ramsay tasted, he deemed Giacomo's dish the best of the group.[2]
Season 3[]
The third season followed the same format. Of the twelve dishes Ramsay tasted, he deemed Melissa and Tiffany's dishes the best of the group. This season was also noteworthy for having the first dish that used pre-made ingredients, as Rock used frozen gnocchi for his dish.[3]
Season 4[]
The fourth season followed the same format. This season featured Matt's dish that led Ramsay to vomit after tasting it. Of the fifteen dishes Ramsay tasted, he deemed Rosann and Vanessa's dishes the best of the group.[4]
Season 5[]
The fifth season followed the same format. Of the sixteen dishes Ramsay tasted, he deemed Carol, Ji, Paula, Andrea, Coi, and Ben's dishes the group's best.[5]
Season 6[]
Season 6 marked the first time the Signature Dish Challenge was used as a team challenge, and the chefs went head-to-head. Neither Suzanne nor Dave scored a point in the first round, but Tek scored over Louie. Tennille scored over Joseph, but Tony and Jim scored over Amanda and Melinda, respectively. Then, neither Kevin nor Ariel scored a point, along with Andy and Lovely. For the final pair, Van scored over Sabrina, and the blue team won 3-2. They won dinner from Ramsay's London West Hollywood restaurant while the red team cleaned both kitchens for the opening night and ate bologna sandwiches.[6]
Season 7[]
Season 7 kept the changes the previous season had. Maria scored over Salvatore in the first round, but Benjamin scored over Holli. Neither Jamie nor Scott scored a point for their teams, but Siobhan and Mikey tied. Then, Jay scored over Stacey, and so did Jason over Fran. Lastly, Autumn scored over Ed, while neither Andrew nor Nilka scored a point. The blue team won the challenge 4-3 and received breakfast in bed that the red team had to cook.[7]
Season 8[]
Season 8 kept the changes the previous seasons had. Emily and Russell tied in the first round, while Vinny scored over Nona. Neither Antonia nor Curtis scored a point, but Jillian scored over Rob. Neither the pair of Trev and Gail nor the pair of Louis and Lisa scored a point on their rounds, but Boris scored over Melissa. Lastly, Sabrina scored over Raj, leaving it a three-point tie. The blue team won the tiebreaker after Ramsay heavily penalized the red team because Antonia had the night's worst dish. The blue team won massages at the dorms, while the red team cleaned both kitchens for the opening night.[8]
Season 9[]
Season 9 kept the changes the previous seasons had. Will scored over Carrie in the first round, while Amanda and Brendan tied in the second. Jennifer beat out Jonathon, but Paul scored over Krupa. Neither Jamie nor Steven scored a point, but Elise scored over Chino. Then, Monterray and Natalie, and Elizabeth and Tommy, tied in their respective rounds. Lastly, Jason scored over Gina, making the blue team win 6-5. The blue team had dinner at LA Market and met with Season 8 winner Nona, while the red team cleaned both kitchens for the opening night.[9]
Season 10[]
Season 10 kept the changes the previous seasons had. Robyn scored over Don in the first round, while neither Tiffany nor Guy scored in the second round. Royce and Roshni tied in the third, while Justin beat Danielle on the fourth. Then, Kimmie and Brian failed to score, along with Barbie and Chris. Briana and Patrick tied in their round, while Dana beat Tavon. Lastly, Christina scored over Clemenza, and the red team won the challenge 5-3. They had a steak dinner cooked by Season 3 and 6 winners Rock and Dave, while the blue team cleaned both kitchens for the opening night.[10]
Season 11[]
Season 11 kept the same changes as the previous seasons but with a few changes. For that season, the chefs cooked their signature dishes in Las Vegas and presented them to Ramsay in an auditorium full of people. Danielle and Barret failed to score in the first round, but Nedra scored over Sebastian in the second. Neither Jeremy nor Susan scored a point, but Ray and Ja'Nel tied in the fourth. Dan and Gina failed to score, but Jon and Amanda tied in their round. Michael beat Cyndi, but Anthony lost to Jessica. Lastly, Christian beat Mary, Jacqueline beat Zach, and the red team won the challenge 5-4. The red team received a VIP night out in Las Vegas, while the blue team returned to Hell's Kitchen on a school bus with no air conditioning.[11]
Season 12[]
Season 12 had the chefs cook at Hell's Kitchen in front of a live audience. Anton scored over Simone in the first round, and so did Jason over Nicole. Chris scored over Joy, while Kashia scored over Mike. Melanie scored over Richard, and so did Bev over Gabriel. Neither Gaurav nor Sandra scored in their round, but Beth scored over DeMarco. Lastly, while Ralph scored over Rochelle, Jessica beat Scott in the final round to clinch a red team victory at 5-4. The red team had dinner with Ramsay at his Los Angeles restaurant while the blue team reset the dining room for the opening night.[12]
Season 13[]
Season 13 had the chefs cook at the Cordon Bleu culinary academy and present their dishes to Ramsay at the Pacific's Cinerama Theatre in front of a live audience. This season also featured a new scoring system as Ramsay rated the dishes on a 1-5 ranking, one being terrible and five being perfect. Denine and JR tied at three each, while Sade's two beat JP's one. Ashley's three beat out Frank's one, but Fernando's four beat out La Tasha's one. Roe's four outclassed Sterling's three, but Steve beat Jennifer four to three. Then, Katie and Bryant tied for four each, while Janai and Aaron tied for one each. Lastly, Kalen's four beat Santos' three and the red team won 24-23. They won dinner at the Hotel Bel-Air cooked by Wolfgang Puck, while the blue team set up the dorms and took in the women's luggage.[13]
Season 14[]
Season 14 kept the previous season's changes and featured the chefs cooking at Hell's Kitchen in front of a live audience. Josh and Sarah tied at four each, and so did Christine and Brendan. Michelle's four beat Nick's three, but Randy scored a three over Mieka's one. Meghan scored a perfect five over Milly's three, while Michael scored a three over Chrissa's one. Adam's four beat Alison's three, but T's perfect five outclassed Cameron's four. Lastly, Bret's three beat Monique's one and the blue team won 31-28. The blue team went to Saint Rocke to meet William Shatner, while the red team reset the dining room for the opening night and sealed confirmation letters in envelopes.[14]
Season 15[]
Season 15 kept the previous seasons' changes and featured the chefs cooking at BLT Steak in Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas. Also, a live audience was present. Eddie's three beat out Sherkenna's two, the same as Frank and Ashley's dishes. Dannie scored a four over Mark's one, while Joe scored a three over Meese's one. Jared's four beat Vanessa's one, while Jackie's three beat Kevin's one. Then, Kristin scored a three over Alan's one, but Chad's four outclassed Ariel's three. Lastly, Hassan scored a four over Manda's three and the blue team won the challenge 24-22. The blue team won a ride on the High Roller and a VIP night at Drai's Nightclub. The red team peeled fifty shrimp and made 1,000 pounds of truffled mashed potatoes for Sterling Buffet.[15]
Season 16[]
Season 16 kept the previous seasons' changes and featured the chefs cooking at Hell's Kitchen in front of a live audience. Gia scored a four over Pat's three, while Aaron scored a four over Wendy's two. Paulie and Heather scored perfect fives on their dishes, while Devin and Kimberly tied at one each. Aziza scored a two over Matt's one, while Ryan's perfect five trounced Genaro's one. Then, Koop scored a four over Shaina's three, while Andrew's two beat Jessica's one. Lastly, Heidi scored a four over Johnny's three and the red team won the challenge 27-25. The red team had dinner at the Takami Restaurant and met with Season 4 and 12 winners, Christina and Scott. The blue team reset the dining room for the opening night.[16]
Season 17[]
Season 17 featured a major change for the challenge. Rather than having the All-Stars cook their intended signature dishes, Ramsay gave them new ingredients to cook different dishes and go head-to-head on proteins. Ashley and Jared tied four each on the duck round, while Barbie scored a three over Ben's two on the chicken round. Giovanni and Jennifer tied three each on the lamb round, while Michelle scored four points over Nick's three on the scallop round. Milly's four beat Manda's three on the pork chop round, while Dana scored four over Josh's three on the filet round. Van and Elise scored a perfect five on the lobster round, leaving Benjamin and Robyn to compete in the salmon round. Benjamin's perfect five beat Robyn's one, and the blue team won 28-27. The blue team had a run on the sky slide and ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck's WP24 Restaurant. The red team took down the risers at the front entrance and cleaned up the confetti.[17]
Season 18[]
Season 18 featured a different variant of the challenge. For that year, Ramsay had the Veterans choose one of the Rookie's dishes, cook a different version of it, and go head-to-head with the original chef. T and Motto tied three each on the shrimp and grits, while Kevin's perfect five trounced Kanae's three on the fish stew. Roe scored three over Scott's two on the black bass, while Bret and Chris tied four each on the duck breast. Ariel and Jose tied four each on the scallop and parsnip round, while Scotley and Trev tied three each on the snapper. Then, Mia's perfect five overshadowed Jen's two on the pork tenderloin, while Gizzy and Heather both scored perfect fives on the scallops and cucumber gazpacho round. With the score tied at twenty-nine each, Ramsay called on Mia and Kevin's dishes as they were the best of their respective teams. In the end, Mia's dish won, and the Rookies won the challenge. The Rookies had dinner at Josiah Citrin's Charcoal while the Veterans prepped both kitchens for the opening night.[18]
Season 19[]
Season 19 brought along another variant to the challenge. For that year, Ramsay had the chefs use a giant slots machine to decide what ingredients each pair would cook with. Declan scored a perfect five on the New York striploin round over Nikki's four. Cody scored a three over Syann's two on the filet mignon, while Kori scored four points over Kenneth's one on the chicken. Lauren scored three over Drew's two on the halibut, while Mary Lou and Eliott tied at two each on the salmon round. Adam scored four points over Jordan's three on the lamb, while Amber and Peter tied four each on the ribeye. Then, Fabiola's three beat Josh's two on the scallops, leaving Marc and Brittani to compete in the pork chop round. Marc scored a perfect five over Brittani's two, and the blue team won 28-27. The blue team had dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak with Ramsay and a ride on the High Roller, while the red team cleaned the Caesar's Palace fountain.[19]
Season 20[]
Season 20 brought a return to the norm as Ramsay allowed the chefs to cook the dishes they originally planned on. Also, Ramsay brought in a small audience to watch the challenge. Steve scored a four over Emily's three, while Keanu scored a four over Matthew's two. Sam scored a perfect five over Kiya's four, but Megan scored three points over Kevin's two. Antonio scored four points over Josie's two, and Trenton's four beat Brynn's three. Victoria scored a four over Payton's two, and Alex scored a three over Ava's two. Lastly, Morgana scored a perfect five over Jay's two and the red team won the challenge 30-28. The red team ate dinner at Gordon Ramsay's Steak 2.0 with Sous Chef Christina and Season 17 and 18 winners Michelle and Ariel. The blue team took in deliveries and made stock.[20]
Season 21[]
Season 21 kept the changes to the previous season but kept things private. Zeus and Brett tied at four each, while Alex scored a perfect five over Ileana's two. Sakari's perfect five beat Nicole's one, while Dafne and Charlene tied at four each. Vlad's perfect five overshadowed Tara's four, while Cheyenne and O'Shay tied at three each. Then, Alejandro scored a four over Abe's three, which was the same with Mindy and Alyssa. Lastly, Billy scored a three over Sommer's one, ending the challenge at a thirty-one-point tie. As the tiebreaker, Ramsay called on Sakari and Alex's dishes as they were the best from their respective teams. Ultimately, Sakari's dish won out, and the 20-somethings won the challenge. They ate dinner aboard a 120-foot yacht while the 40-somethings took in deliveries and cleaned both kitchens.[21]
Season 22[]
Season 22 kept the changes from the previous two seasons. Melissa scored four points over Jason's three, while Ryan scored a perfect five over Raneisha's three. Carmen received four points over Dahmere's one, and Sammi scored a perfect five over Devon's three. Johnathan scored a perfect five over Claudia's two, while Atoye scored two points over Tad's one. Jermaine scored four points over Leigh's three, and Brad's four beat Sandra's two. Lastly, Donya's four beat Mattias' three, ending the challenge at a twenty-nine-point tie. As the tiebreaker, Ramsay called on Ryan and Sammi's dishes as they were the best from their respective teams. Ultimately, Sammi's dish won out, and the red team won the challenge. The red team spent the rest of the day at a Beverly Hills mansion, while the blue team took in deliveries and cleaned up the kitchens.[22]
Trivia[]
- This is one of the few challenges to be used in both the individual format and the team format.
- Currently, the red team holds the record for the most instances winning the challenge, with 10.
- Ramsay threw up two dishes in the history of this challenge, the first dish was Matt's on Season 4 [4], and the second dish was Antonia's on Season 8 [8].
- Between Seasons 11 [11] and 16 [16], this challenge happened in front of a live audience. This would also occur in Season 20.[20]
- Seasons 11 [11], 13 [13], and 15 are the only seasons in which the challenge happened outside of Hell's Kitchen, with the edition of Season 15 happening inside the prized restaurant.[15]
- Under the new scale format, the Season 23 red team hold the record for the most points in the challenge with 40[23], while the Season 15 red team holds the record for the least number of points in the challenge with 22.[15]
- In terms of overall points across all seasons under this format, the blue team and the red team share the same number of points, with a total of 314.
- Andrew (Season 1) was the first contestant to have his dish tasted during this challenge, with Mary Ellen (also from Season 1) being the first female.[1]
- Seth (Season 5) was the first contestant to be threatened for elimination during this challenge by Ramsay [5], with Sabrina (Season 8) being the first female [8].
- Tek (Season 6) became the first contestant to score a point during this challenge, with Tony (also from Season 6) being the first male [6], Jay (Season 7) being the first runner-up [7], and Paul (Season 9) being the first winner [9].
- Jason (Seasons 9 and 12) became the first contestant ever to participate in this challenge in two different seasons. He was also the only contestant ever to score a point during this challenge on two different seasons.[12]
- JP (Season 13) is the first contestant to score a 1 out of 5 during this challenge, with La Tasha (also from Season 13) being the first female, the first contestant who did so and made to the black jackets, as well as the only winner to do so.[13] Dahmere (Season 22) is the first male contestant who did so and made to the black jackets.
- Meghan (Season 14) is the first contestant ever who scored a perfect five during that challenge and the first winner to do so.[14] Paulie (Season 16) is the first male contestant who scored a perfect five.[16] Alex (Season 21) is the first male winner to score a perfect five during that challenge.[21]
- Pat (Season 16) was the first contestant to get eliminated on opening night who did not score a 1 out of 5 during this challenge.[16] Charlene (Season 21) is the first female contestant to do so.[21]
- Van, Benjamin, Josh, Milly, Nick, and Jared are the only contestants that won the challenge in both of their seasons as in addition to Season 17[17]; Van won in Season 6 [6],Benjamin won in Season 7 [7], Josh, Milly, and Nick won in Season 14 [14], and Jared won in Season 15.[15]
- Ariel, Elise, Jennifer, Michelle, T, Ashley, and Manda are the only contestants that lost the challenge in both of their seasons as in addition to Seasons 17 and 18 [17] [18]; Ariel lost in Season 6 [6], Elise and Jennifer lost in Season 9 [9], Michelle and T lost in Season 14 [14], and Ashley and Manda lost in Season 15.[15]
- Van (Season 17) is the first contestant ever who scored a perfect five during that challenge without making it to the black jackets, while Elise (also from Season 17) is the first female contestant who did.[17] Gizzy (Season 18) is the first newcomer who did that.[18] Marc (Season 19) is the first male newcomer to do so.[19]
- Ben and Giovanni (both from Seasons 5 and 17) are the first two contestants to participate in both the individual and team format of this challenge[5], with Jen (Seasons 4 and 18) being the first female.
- Heather (Seasons 16 and 18) is the first, and the only contestant to date, that has scored a perfect five during the challenge in two different seasons.[16][18]
- Seasons 8, 18, 21, and 22 are the only seasons to have a tie at the end of this challenge.
- So far under the new scale, 16 dishes have received a perfect five from Ramsay.
- Seasons 13 and 15 are the only seasons under the new scale to not have any dishes score a perfect five.
- One of the biggest cardinal sins in this challenge is to use pre-made food. If it happens, Ramsay will refuse to taste it, or if he does, he would give it a lousy score. Rock (Season 3) is the first male contestant to use pre-made food for his signature dish, not only is he the first contestant to make it to black jackets, but he is also the only one to this date to have won his season after.[3] Mike (Season 12) is the first and only contestant to this date to use pre-made food for his entire signature dish.[12] Monique (Season 14) is the first female contestant to use pre-made food for her signature dish [14], and Kimberly (Season 16) is the first female contestant to use pre-made food for her signature dish and make it to black jackets afterwards.[16]
- Season 20 is the only season to this date where nobody made it to Black Jackets after scoring a perfect five in the Signature Dish Challenge.[20]