| “ | IT'S GAME TIME! | ” |
Vincent "Van" Hurd was a contestant on Seasons 6 and 17 of Hell's Kitchen. On Season 6, he ranked in 6th place, and on Season 17, he ranked in 10th place.
Season 6[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 601 - 16 Chefs Compete
When receiving some tips from Season 3 contestant Aaron and a clip of him crying before service, Van called him a sissy. Then, Ramsay revealed himself and ordered all the chefs to cook their signature dishes. While getting in the kitchen, he declared it was game time.
Before tasting the signature dishes, Ramsay announced that for the first time, the Signature Dish Challenge would occur as a regular team challenge, with each contestant going head-to-head. Van was the last person of the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Sabrina. He served his seared Foie Gras with minted caramel, which Ramsay praised for its creativity and complexity. He won the round against Sabrina and clinched the victory for his team.
The blue team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a dinner on the Hell's Kitchen patio, where they would eat dishes from Ramsay's London West Hollywood, in Los Angeles. During the reward, Van dared Louie to jump in the hot tub and drank a lot of champagne. The next morning, because the blue team drank too much and not studied the menu, they were slow to do their prep, with him saying he had to chill out a little bit and that there was something in the champagne that was good. He was seen lost while peeling a piece of cheese.
During dinner service, Van was on the fish station with Jim. He was not seen much, except at one point when he and Andy rallied behind Louie, who was struggling on the meat station. After the latter's elimination, he compared the situation to a bad dream, and Ramsay shut down both kitchens.
When the teams were lined up, Robert joined the blue team, and Ramsay declared the blue team winners for serving a few entrées out, compared to the red team's zero. At elimination, Van and his teammates said goodbye to Robert, who was just integrated on the red team.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 602 - 15 Chefs Compete
The next morning, both teams got down in the blue kitchen, where Ramsay introduced the Shrimp Cleaning Challenge. During the challenge, Van was annoyed by Lovely's way of cheering her team while sitting out, saying she should shut the fuck up. He was the second person from the blue team to have his shrimps judged by Ramsay and scored 9 points.
The blue team won the challenge 45-44, and they were rewarded with a day at Newport Beach for a lunch of seafood, shrimps and raw bar with Ramsay, and a dessert on a 40-foot mega yacht. Van was excited as he never saw the Pacific Ocean before in his life, and said he was California dreaming. On the yacht, he talked, along with Jim, about how cool it was receiving tips from one of the best chefs in the world.
When the teams were lined up, Van was dedicated to serving the shrimp scampi tableside during service. He was excited, stating that his charisma would help him get through service, while Ramsay told him to not bench-press the tables and give the customers an old-fashion Texas smile. When service began, Joseph, Kevin, and himself motivated each other, and before he went to the dining room, he asked Ramsay for some rags. But, Ramsay told him to fuck off in the dining room, before asking who would get him toilet paper after he sat down on the toilet, which he answered himself would get some. He also acknowledged he had to stop asking Ramsay for stuff, before going to his station in the dining room. When Tony served his scallops, Ramsay told him he could fire up his shrimps in the dining room, but moments later, Tony came to tell him the scallops were raw and he had to refire them. He did not appreciate and told Tony to move.
Later, Jean-Philippe came to Van and gave him some tips, but he did not appreciate that interfering and aggressively told Jean-Philippe he was working. Ramsay spotted the argument between the two of them and went into the dining room to ask them to keep it cool in front of the customers. After, he picked his cart and went to a red table, which Jean-Philippe told Ramsay about. Ramsay called him to the hot plate and asked him to give a scampi special to the right table, before asking what was the matter between him and Jean-Philippe. The latter told there was a language barrier, but Ramsay reminded him he was speaking English like him before Jean-Philippe told it was because he was from Texas. After that, he apologized to the red table before going to the right one. Moments later, he was working on his scampi appetizers by telling the customers to watch their eyebrows and that his shrimp was "Van-licious". However, at one point, his pan dropped and shrimps fell on the floor, and when he tried for a second time, the same thing happened. When he went back to the kitchen to get another pan, Jean-Philippe told him not to run in the dining room, but he did not appreciate that comment saying he would not let him tell what to do. When he was about to go back to the dining room, Jean-Philippe started to lose his patience and aggressively asked him to listen. The two of them were about to fight each other before Ramsay pulled both of them in the pantry room. Jean-Philippe told Ramsay that he was not having any respect for the dining room, but he did not even care what Jean-Philippe was saying. Ramsay schooled both of them and asked them to do their own jobs so they would come together. Near the end of service, he went to go help Tony, who was struggling at the fish station.
Because there were five men on the fish station and a lot of struggle in both kitchens, Ramsay ordered both teams to send shrimp cocktails to the dining room and shut down both kitchens. When both teams were lined up, Ramsay named both teams joint-losers and asked them to nominate two people each for elimination. During deliberation, Van was considered by Jim for almost punching Jean-Philippe in the face. He confronted Jim, saying he would punch him in the face and that he could suck his dick. After that, he angrily mimicked Jim, left the conversation, and was calmed down by Robert, before going on the patio.
Van was not nominated for elimination, which was delayed until the following episode because of the infamous Joseph incident.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 603 - 14 Chefs Compete
After Joseph's departure and Tony's elimination, Van and his teammates welcomed Robert, who has just been transferred to the blue team as they were two men down.
Back in the dorms, the chefs went to bed, trying to get some sleep, but very early in the night, alarm bells started to go, Sous Chef Scott, holding a flashlight, told everybody to get out of the restaurant immediately as an emergency was called. Then, fire trucks arrived at Hell's Kitchen and the chefs got outside. But, Ramsay was standing with the firefighters, revealing that it was a fire drill. He introduced the Firefighter Pasta Meal Service Challenge, and all the chefs got back in the dorms to change. Van was pumped and excited to feed the firefighters and work as a unit. During the challenge, he was working on entrées and declared the blue team could not lose, while cheering for Andy by telling to push.
The blue team eventually lost the challenge, and they were punished by cleaning the fire trucks left by the firefighters, as well as their equipment, and they would continue by cleaning the dining room inside. Arrived outside, Van, along with Jim, Andy, and Dave, was dedicated to cleaning the trucks. After the punishment, he expressed concern about Kevin and Dave, who sustained injuries during the day, as both of them were two of the blue team's best cooks, and added that dinner service would go down because of their injuries.
The next day, during prep, Van was confident and said the blue team needed to move fast during service. When both teams were lined up, he was pumped as he jumped up and down a couple of times. During dinner service, he was on the appetizer station. When Ramsay called out the first ticket, he was confident to be on appetizers and that he had to set the momentum for the team. He became very vocal quickly, communicating with Robert and telling him to drop his scallops. Then, he took a big bite of pasta to taste and yelled at Robert to go fast. However, Ramsay was not impressed by his shouting as it was confusing everybody, he apologized, sent his first risotto to the pass, which was deemed delicious by Ramsay. He celebrated, Ramsay urged him to continue that way, and he and Kevin gave each other a fist pump. The blue team eventually won the service for having 83% above average rating from the customers, compared to the red team's 81%.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 604 - 13 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Van trash-talked about Andy, saying that he was hanging by a thread, that he could not hand the pressure, and that he almost lost the service for the blue team. In his bed, he talked with Kevin about it, saying that they should get those fools out of there.
During the Sausage Strings Challenge, Van was paired with Andy, much to his dismay as he compared him to a knucklehead, and said he would rather be paired up with anybody else from his team. While they had communication problems, they were able to get two of their strings accepted, with him yelling that failure was not an option for the blue team. Despite that, the blue team lost the challenge 4-6, and they were punished by cleaning up the dorms, which included the bathrooms, carpet, and kitchen. Back in the dorms, he and Kevin were frustrated with their loss but told Kevin and Robert to keep it together when they were arguing. During the punishment, he complained about how most of the chefs were slobs for leaving all their dirty dishes and food everywhere, and the terrible smell in the bathroom, all while calling it hell.
During prep, after Dave told the team that he had to leave to get a cast for his fractured wrist, Van said that the blue team could not afford to lose anybody else and that they were crippled. During dinner service, he was on the garnish station. He got annoyed with Jim who was taking too long on the amuse-bouche, and during the final ticket, he received help from his teammates, and the blue team eventually won the service. Later, he thanked his team for their help and mocked Suzanne's play by play request, along with his teammates.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 605 - 12 Chefs Compete
When Ramsay announced that their next service was a Welcome Home Party for Staff Sargent Otis James, Van deemed it as a real honor. During the Welcome Home Planning Challenge, he was not seen much, but the blue team won the challenge 2-1. They were rewarded with an activity of flying in fighter jets. At the airfield, he said that he had a need for speed. During the reward, he had fun by simulating shooting his teammates.
During the Welcome Home dinner service, Van was on the appetizer station with Andy. They managed to serve all of their appetizers without any problems. Later, one of his pans was smoking, leading Ramsay to help him out. The blue team had to help the red team out in the red kitchen when they finished serving their own entrées and won the service by a mile over them.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 606 - 11 Chefs Compete
During the 700 Calories Challenge, Van paired with Jim on the entrée dish. The blue team eventually lost the challenge 1-3, and they were punished by collecting the ingredients for the red team's dishes at a local supermarket on a conference bike and had to prep both kitchens for the next service. During the punishment, he got aggravated because things were going poorly for the team and got concerned over Robert's health, who left for the hospital before service began.
During dinner service, Van was at the dessert station. He was not seen much, though he did say that Jim was cooking like a zombie without showing any emotions. Both teams were named joint-losers and had to nominate one person each for elimination.
Van was not nominated for elimination but was called to reveal the blue team's nominee, which he answered by asking where Robert was, before finally nominating Andy.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 607 - 10 Chefs Compete
Before the Craps Challenge, Van asked what the covered object behind Ramsay was, and knew that Hell’s Kitchen was unpredictable. After, it was revealed the object was a craps table. He rolled an A and chose angel hair pasta. During the challenge, he felt that Dave was trying to compensate for choosing figs in the first place by prepping them, but he and Kevin were amazed when the figs added to the tomato sauce tasted great. The blue team won the challenge over the red team, and they were rewarded with a trip to Las Vegas, which excited him as he never went there before. They went to the Palms Casino and Resort and stayed at the Hardwood Suite.
During prep, Van noticed that the red team's mood was low, and said that the blue team did not need Robert. He and the blue team were not happy to see the latter come back. During dinner service, he was on the fish station. Despite his confidence as he was working as a fish cook, one of his sea bass was sent back for having plastic on the skin. On his second attempt, it happened again and he was lectured by Ramsay to pay more attention to his dishes. He also took the chef's table's order for the fish entrée but struggled to explain what the items were exactly. The blue team lost dinner service after Ramsay shut the kitchen down, he was reminded of his poor performance, and Dave was named "Best of the Worst".
Van was Dave's second nominee, with Robert being the first. They were eventually joined by Andy. Ramsay reminded him about his plastic incident, and when asked if he had peaked, he answered that he had not, and stated that Ramsay’s twenty years of experience could help him spot talent. He survived elimination as Ramsay sent him back in line.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 608 - 9 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Van was shocked that Robert was eliminated, and agreed with Dave about Andy being eliminated if he would be nominated again.
During the Blind Taste Test, Van was the first person from the blue team to compete and went up against Ariel. He could only get leeks correctly, and the blue team eventually lost the challenge 4-6. They were punished by making palate-cleansing sorbet for the following service, as well as cleaning the sorbet glasses and taking in deliveries of fruit. During the punishment, he was the only one not to complain about drinking a smoothie made of duck and risotto and got angered when the red team came back from their reward giggling and bragging about it.
During dinner service, Van was on the meat station. When Kevin temporarily left the kitchen to serve the sorbet, he was moved to the appetizer station. His first risotto was rejected for tasting bland, and while he recovered with some extra mascarpone cheese, they were not well received by the customers. Despite that, his performance on the meat station went without problems, and the blue team won dinner service.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 609 - 8 Chefs Compete
During the Crepe Challenge, Van struggled to make his crepe as he could not spread out his batter properly. He went up against Ariel in the breakfast round and served a bacon and quail eggs crepe. Despite being praised for having a tasty filling, the crepe itself was spongy. He lost the round to Ariel, and the blue team eventually lost the challenge 2-3. They were punished by prepping both kitchens for the next service while eating boiled cow tongue, stale baguette, and head cheese for lunch.
During prep, Van found out about Andy's injury, and complained that the blue team had three people injured while believing that they may be cursed. During dinner service, he was on the garnish station. He was not seen much, except when he expressed surprise of Dave's quick performance between the appetizer and meat stations while remarking that despite having one working arm, he could cook. Both teams were named joint-losers, and Ramsay asked both teams to agree on two nominees between them.
Van was not nominated for elimination. Later, he welcomed Suzanne as a new teammate, much to his dismay.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 610 - 7 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Van, along with Kevin, warned Suzanne that there was no more throwing people under the bus unless she wanted to be under the bus as well.
During the Fifteen Canadian Ingredients Challenge, Van was the final person from the blue team to present his entrée and went up against Sabrina. He served a grilled shrimp with kale and roasted tomatoes and sunchoke purée, but stumbled on describing the dish, and got help from Sabrina. It got mixed reviews as, despite the shrimp being praised for tasting sweet and delicious, was criticized for being thick. Despite that, he won the round over Sabrina, and the blue team won the challenge 4-2. They were rewarded with a day at Campanile and got Whistler beanies that Ramsay picked up on his trip.
During the menu planning, Van inputted some ideas that were accepted by his teammates. During dinner service, he was on the fish station. He made seven scallops instead of six that were ordered, and Ramsay called him Dumbo after a quick math lesson. Later, he brought up the sauce for the halibut, but accidentally spilled some on the pass, and got lectured by Ramsay for that. When he chuckled over that, Ramsay lectured him again, while urging him to fight back. Later, his halibut was rejected for being raw, and his mistake led to a standstill. Despite his confidence in the second attempt, it was raw again as Ramsay angrily smashed it before getting ordered to get another one going, which did not happen as Ramsay eventually decided to shut down both kitchens. Both teams were named joint-losers, and Ramsay asked to choose one nominee each for elimination.
Van was the blue team's nominee and joined Sabrina from the red team. Despite Ramsay believing that he could not go any further, he said that he was not finished yet, and survived elimination.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 611 - 6 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Van claimed that he fought for his life to stay as it meant everything for him to stay and win while knowing that he could not make any more stupid mistakes. The next day, he was still upset over the previous night but knew that he had to let it go. In the living room, he found gift boxes, and when he showed them to Dave and Kevin, they were containing black jackets.
During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Van was paired with Ariel. While he initially believed that the fish protein was sea bass, he ultimately went with turbot. Their other ingredients were calamari, celery root, and starfruit. Near the end of the thirty minutes, he dropped his cooked turbot, but quickly got another one cooked. While he and Ariel were in the top two, they ultimately lost to Dave and Suzanne. He was punished by prepping for a Couples Night Service, as well as helping Jean-Philippe to decorate the dining room. During the punishment, he jokingly commented that Dave and Suzanne were going on a date, was pissed that he did not get the chance to spend some time with Ramsay and instead had to be with Jean-Philippe, who he called whistle britches.
During prep, Van noticed that the mood has changed as everybody was eyeing up their competition, and announced that he was ready to take advantage of that. During dinner service, he was on the fish station. While he was determined to make sure his fish was cooked properly, Ramsay caught him searing a sea bass instead of cooking the scallops, and he got warned that Ramsay would be watching him like a hawk. However, he started to sweat in his scallops, and Ramsay yelled at him before forcing the team to start the ticket over. Because of that, the kitchen received an overflow of tickets as very little food was being served, and Ramsay yelled at him for that. Later, he was caught dragging a halibut in a non-sizzling pan, sent a raw halibut, and got disappointed by his poor performance. Then, Ramsay sent him to the pantry room, and while he was urged to get a grip, Ramsay warned him that one more mistake could get him ejected. When Ramsay and Sous Chef Scott left service after a frustrating time, he was forced to plate his own dishes after Suzanne refused to. He did not communicate with Tennille properly and did not like how he was being treated like a girl. When Ramsay and Sous Chef Scott returned, he, along with Suzanne and Ariel, were ejected from service. Back in the dorms, he yelled that he worked his ass off despite getting yelled at by Ramsay, and went off to calm himself down.
Van was not nominated for elimination, but when Ramsay asked Tennille for her opinion, she said that he should have been nominated, and he was called down with Ariel and Suzanne. Despite saying that he was trying his best and hated being nominated, he was eliminated for his back-to-back poor performances on the fish station. Before he left, Ramsay told him that while he could cook, he needed to keep his cool and let his food do the talking. During his exit interview, he received a retrospective montage of his run.
Ramsay's comment: "Van may be a poissonier, but his performance on fish was anything but Van-tastic." [11]
Episode 15[]
- Main article: Episode 615 - Winner Announced
Van returned for the final dinner service of the season. He was Kevin's first pick, followed by Amanda and Sabrina. He hoped that he could redeem himself about the poor performances that led him to be eliminated.
During dinner service, Van was on the appetizer station. He got off to a good start by communicating with Kevin, and later, was moved to the fish station after Amanda's struggles on scallops. Later, he was sent back to the appetizer station when Amanda was struggling again, and it was because of him that appetizers were finally leaving the kitchen. Later that night, he noticed that Kevin's change to a calmer approach was getting things clicked. Kevin would eventually lose the finals to Dave.[12]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Win |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Win |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Nominated |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Week 10 | Nominated |
| Week 11 | Nominated |
Season 9[]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 913 - 5 Chefs Compete
Van returned in Season 9 to compete against the current final five black jackets, along with other returning chefs such as Ben (Season 5), Tennille (Season 6), Jillian, and Trev (both from Season 8). When the veterans worked on their menu, he knew that as veterans, they had an understanding of one another.
During dinner service, Van was on the meat station. At one point, he was pumped to show the rookies how things were, but later that night, he sent up an undercooked lamb. While he felt that nothing has changed since last time, Ramsay reminded him how he could be good on meat temperatures, as the latter rebounded and sent out perfect filets. The veterans lost the service as they had an 83% approval rating compared to the black jackets 96%, and he was a little disappointed that he did not win on his second time around.[13]
Season 17[]
Episode 1/2[]
- Main article: Episode 1701 - All-Stars Arrive
- Main article: Episode 1702 - Raising the Bar
Van was one of the five chefs that were seen during the opening and agreed to Ramsay's offer as he was down for an All-Stars season. He was the tenth All-Star to arrive at Hell's Kitchen and revealed that after Season 6, he moved up to Connecticut, before declaring that they could not keep a country boy down and that he was going to win. During the introductions, Michelle called him the male version of Robyn.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Van received lobster as his main ingredient, was the seventh person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Elise. Before tasting his dish, Ramsay jokingly asked him what his problem was with maître d’s, recalling how he and Jean-Philippe had a fierce argument at the second service back in Season 6. When he asked where whistle britches was, Ramsay said that he had an Italian maître d now, and made him promise not to hit Marino. He made a poached lobster with succotash, it was heavily praised for a beautiful presentation, being able to slice through it like butter, and he was awarded the first perfect 5 of that night, which he admitted felt good. The blue team won the challenge 28-27, and they were rewarded with a trip to the sky slide in downtown Los Angeles, and dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s WP24 restaurant. During the reward, he felt like a millionaire but got confused at what the Hollywood hard body was when Ramsay mentioned the place.[14]
During the Bar Menu Challenge, Van was called up as the third chef from the blue team in the top four, and he presented his carne al tacos. Ramsay praised the steak for tasting delicious, and he replaced Jared in the top four. He lost the challenge to Milly.
During dinner service, Van was on the appetizer station with Josh. He was not seen that night, the blue team won the service, and he excitingly boasted that they rocked it out that night.[15]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1703 - Tower of Terror
Back at the dorms, Van called the red team ratchet girls for their failure to get along after witnessing Elise and Robyn's argument.
During the Seafood Tower Challenge, Van was paired up with Giovanni, and they were the first pair from the blue team to compete. They got their first attempt accepted, and the blue team won the challenge. They were rewarded with a seafood lunch at the Ocean Club in Malibu, and playing soccer with Alyssa Naeher and Julie Johnston.
During dinner service, Van was on the fish station. At one point, he was late on the salmon, and despite the blue team’s impatience, he got his salmon accepted. The blue team won the service after completing the red team's tickets.[16]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1704 - Just Letter Cook
Back at the dorms, Van met up with Barbie and Elise and charmingly asked how his Nubian princesses were doing, which made Barbie giggle. He admitted that he liked strong black women, deemed Barbie sexy, and claimed that he could charm the fangs off a rattlesnake.
During the Chance Challenge, Van asked Benjamin what he was supposed to do with Maraschino cherries after the blue team was given that ingredient by the red team. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and presented his filet with syrup and cherry sauce. While it was praised for a nailed steak, it was criticized for having too many cherries on the plate, making it too sweet, and he scored 3 points. The blue team lost the challenge 25-26, and they were punished by taking in deliveries of potatoes, sorting through garbage, and eating a smelly fish sandwich. During the punishment, he called it the worst punishment he had to do in his entire run thus far.
During prep, Van got angry at Josh's statement that the latter worked only 3 hours a day as he worked 16 hours a day, and he said that he could not respect Josh’s job as he gave a lot for his job. During dinner service, he was on the appetizer station with Josh. When Josh was forced to eat his extra portions of risottos at Paige Vanzant's table, he said that it was not a punishment, and told Josh to get the fuck back to his station. After, Josh’s frazzled performance led to an argument between the two, who he called the former a little bitch, but Nick defused it. When working on the twelve top, he told Jared to get it together. The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination.
Van was not nominated for elimination, and later, said goodbye to Josh as the latter was reassigned to the red team while welcoming Robyn as a new teammate.[17]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1705 - Josh Josh Josh
During the Wood Plank Cooking Challenge, Van was chosen to cook alone, and his fish was the barramundi. During the cooking, he revealed to Sous Chef Jocky that he planned on making a Nicoise salad which involved boiling the eggs over the pit, and while he admitted it was risky, he believed that he had it despite Sous Chef Jocky’s concern. He was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against the pair of Dana and Josh. He made a cedar smoked barramundi with Nicoise salad, it was praised for the salad idea, and that the eggs were cooked perfectly, and he tied that round with the pair of Dana and Josh. The blue team won the challenge after a tie at 3, and they were rewarded with a horseback ride at Apex Ranch. After hearing that reward, he was excited as going to a ranch was like going back home for him.
During dinner service, Van served a smoked salmon rillette tableside. He was not seen that night, and both teams were named joint-winners.[18]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1706 - A Little Slice of Hell
Back at the dorms, the chefs relaxed at the hot tub, and Van slipped into it at one point.
During the Pizza Fusion Challenge, Van went up against Manda, and their country was Vietnam. He was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged and presented his Banh hoi inspired pizza. The thing that the judges took notice of was the weird shape as he had a bit of crunch time, with Ramsay and Marino comparing it to a football and the Texas state respectively. While the dish was praised for having mind-blowing flavors, he lost that round to Manda. The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by ironing the tablecloths ahead of night’s Italian Night dinner service, and prep the oils and Parmesan cheese for each table.
During the Italian Night dinner service, Van was on the meat station with Giovanni. At one point, he and Giovanni thought that their lamb was good, but Ramsay discovered that it was very raw, and brought the blue team into the pantry room. There, Ramsay accused him of giving up. When the blue team came back into the kitchen, he told Ramsay that they could get the refire ready in three minutes, but later, Giovanni announced that they needed three minutes to rest the meat, with a dismayed Ramsay calling it a joke. Then, Ramsay caught him smiling throughout that, brought him back into the pantry, and asked the latter if he was ready to go home. He said that he was not, and apologized for smiling, as he laughed whenever he was nervous. After Jared lied about a cut, he said that he would have seared off his cut on the flat top. After the blue team got kicked out of service, he called that night a nightmare and dismayingly commented that all he could do was smile about it.
The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Van was reminded by Jared about the raw lamb, was considered for elimination by Milly. However, he said that he was not ready to go home as he could cook, and considered Robyn and Jared for elimination.
Van was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, he said that Robyn would be the next one eliminated as they could do better without her.[19]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1707 - Trimming Fat
During the Last Chef Standing Challenge, Van was the first chef from the blue team to leave the kitchen as he did not want to cause an argument. The blue team won the challenge 5-3, and they were rewarded with a trip at a rock climbing gym, and having lunch at Bourbon Steak at Americana. While being dismissed, he was happy that the blue team won another challenge, and mockingly told the red team, once again calling them ratchet reds, to have fun with their punishment.
Van was not nominated by Nick and therefore did not compete in the Cook For Your Life Challenge. While waiting at the dorms, he felt that Milly would be the first one to come upstairs.[20]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1708 - Welcome to the Jungle
Before the Cave Meat Challenge, Van said that the challenge was up to his alley as his father owned an arrow shooting ranch and that all he did with him was hunt for boars. He was paired up with Milly on the boar, they were the first pair from the blue team to have their dish judged, and they went up against the pair of Jennifer and Manda. He made a walnut crusted wild boar loin with southern styled braised collier greens, it was praised for the crust, and having the meat and the collier greens complement each other. He scored that round for the blue team, and he was happy to pull out a W. The blue team won the challenge 2-1, and they were rewarded with a trip to Hummingbird Nest Ranch and got sample caviar supplied by Petrossian. During the reward, he said that Milly was making love to the caviar.
During dinner service, Van was on the garnish station. He was not seen that night, and the blue team won the service by a mile. While being dismissed, he complained about the red team’s infighting and called them ratchet red’s again.[21]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1709 - Catch of the Day
During the Fishing Challenge, Van received Dover sole for his fish and was the first chef from the blue team to collect his ingredients. Since he already had an idea for a potato skinned Dover sole, he managed to find Yukon potatoes and finished with six ingredients. During the cooking, he felt good about his dish, but when he went to pull it out of the pan, the potato skin fell off his Dover sole. Despite there being less than seven minutes left in the cooking time, he decided to cook another fish, and knew that he was screwed if he did not pull it out. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Barbie. He made a potato skinned Dover sole with bacon and Swiss chard, it was praised for having a strong concept, he scored that round, and felt very lucky. The blue team won the challenge 4-2, and they were rewarded with a private jet ride to Las Vegas, got to stay at Caesars Palace, and received a ride on the tallest Ferris wheel, the Link High Roller.
During dinner service, Van was on the fish station. At one point, he was uncharacteristically quiet on an order, which Robyn noticed, and on their next order, he was once again uncommunicative with his team for the chef’s table, which made Ramsay pissed as he did not communicate about the salmon, and was accused of being too laid back. Things got worse when he sent up an overcooked salmon, causing Ramsay to accuse him of shutting down. However, he got his refire accepted, and it was sent to the chef’s table.
Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Van was nervous as he did not have a perfect service, and that it could be him up for elimination. Milly told him that he had the most struggles the entire night, and Nick felt that the latter could improve on his communication. He was considered for elimination by Robyn and Benjamin, but he refused to nominate himself and considered Robyn for being frazzled that night.
Van was not nominated for elimination, but Ramsay decided to call him up to the front, and he joined Robyn and Milly. During his plea, he said that he was a hard worker and that he only wanted to make people happy. He was eliminated for not communicating with his team, and shutting down, much to the red team’s shock, but before leaving, Ramsay urged him to keep his head up high and continue on his journey. During his exit interview, he said that while he was not the weakest chef on the blue team, he would rather not argue about it and only wanted to make people happy with his cooking.
Ramsay's comment: "Van's always had one of the loudest voices here. Tonight, not only did he lose his voice but also his dream of becoming my next head chef." [22]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 1715 - Final Three
- Main article: Episode 1716 - All-Star Finale
Van was one of the seven chefs that returned for the final dinner service. He was Benjamin's second pick, after Jennifer, and was followed by Robyn and Barbie. After being picked, he wanted to kill it for Benjamin.[23] Back at the dorms, he was rooting for Benjamin to win.
During dinner service, Van was on the garnish station. After Jennifer's sea bass came out raw, he was forced to start the garnishes over. After seeing Robyn mess up on meat, he said that she was crazy for boasting about her skills on meat and that it was not the night to perform poorly. Benjamin eventually lost the finale to Michelle, and during the celebration, he asked Marino for a stronger drink.[24]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Win |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Win |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Safe |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Win |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Nominated |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After his first appearance on the show, Van became chef at Jordan Caterers, along with Kevin, and they were on a local cooking show called "Midday Chefs".
- In September 2016, he was hired as a consultant for Taino Smokehouse to create their menu and become operational, before coming back to Hell's Kitchen for the All-Star season a year later.
- After his second appearance on the show, he returned to his position as an Executive Chef at Taino Smokehouse.
- In January 2020, he became Executive Chef at Riverhouse Catering and Perfectly Prepared.
- On January 11, 2021, he became Executive Chef at Citizen Chicken & Donuts, which is owned by Hartford Baking Company.
- He appeared in the twelfth episode of Vice Studio's "Dark Side of the Ring". It was titled "The Many Faces of Luna Vachon", and it focused on his deceased mother.
- On February 23, 2024, he was named the Executive Chef at Fire by Forge.
- He, along with a couple of former contestants, appeared in Vice's Dark Side of Reality TV episode about his experience on the show.
Trivia[]
- He is the son of the late Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon, who is best known by her wrestling name, Luna Vachon and Dan Hurd, and has an older brother.
- He has two children: a daughter and a son.
- He is the first contestant to participate in the final service brigade in two different seasons.
Season 6[]
- He is the first and only contestant to get into a confrontation with Jean-Philippe, as he almost fought with him during service. Coincidentally in the same episode (S06E2), another confrontation occurred with a Hell's Kitchen staff member when Ramsay himself was confronted by Joseph during the elimination ceremony, leading to the infamous incident.
- He is the second contestant, and second male contestant, to have a criminal record before his appearance, following Garrett (Season 2).
- He is the only black jacket contestant to never to win an individual challenge in his season.
- He is the sixth contestant who was eliminated after Chef Ramsay overruled the initial nominations, following Gabe (Season 2), Vinnie (Season 3), Sharon (Season 4), Colleen (Season 5), and Jim (also from Season 6).
- He is the first black jacket contestant to get eliminated after Ramsay overruled formal nominations.
- He is the third black jacket contestant to be eliminated after being nominated by Ramsay, following Elsie (Season 1) and Ben (Season 5).
Season 17[]
- He is the first contestant ever who scored a perfect five on the new format of the Signature Dish Challenge without making it to the black jackets.
- He is the only contestant to date who was eliminated after being nominated by Ramsay in two different seasons.
- He is the fourteenth contestant to be eliminated after Ramsay overruled the initial nominees, following Gabe (Season 2), Vinnie (Season 3), Sharon (Season 4), Colleen (Season 5), Jim, his first time (both from Season 6), Mikey (Season 7), Curtis (Season 8), Gina, Jamie (both from Season 9), Roshni (Season 10), Nicole (Season 12), and Mieka (Season 14).
- He is the thirteenth contestant to only ever be nominated specifically by Ramsay, and never by his team, following Ralph (Season 1), Gabe (Season 2), Vinnie (Season 3), Amanda, Elizabeth (both from Season 9), Justin (Season 10), Michael (Season 11), Ralph (Season 12), Milly (Season 14), Vanessa (Season 15), Johnny (Season 16), and Ashley (also from Season 17).
- He is the fifth contestant who received fewer nominations during their second run on the show, following Robert (Season 6), Josh, Jared, and Manda (all also from Season 17).
- He is the first contestant from the state of Connecticut.
Quotes[]
Season 6[]
- (About Aaron's Crying) "Aaron is a sissy. Suck it up fat boy!"
- "IT'S GAME TIME!"
- "I think sometimes, people underestimate me because I'm just a tatted up country boy, from Texas. But I'm a beer drinker with a sophisticated palette. Hehehe"
- "GOIN' TO THE YACHT, BOYS, GOIN' TO THE YACHT!"
- "I don't have any experience in the front house, but I have CHARISMA!! I have CHARISMA, and that's what's gonna get me through the service tonight!"
- "Tony's running around like a little fly. Little Tony boy."
- "Hell yeah, that shrimp was Van-licious tonight! They were loving it, they were eating it up. It's all about charisma and finesse. I wouldn't be having too much finesse when I dropped the pan, but they still loved it!"
- (To Jean-Phillippe) "Don't touch me, bro! You better get outta my face!"
- (After losing Robert) "We're down one guy...it's gonna be a tough night; this is not gonna be for the faint of heart!"
- (About the rewards) "We're stoked and pumped, we jumped out there's airplanes everywhere. Go do some flips, we felt the NEED FOR SPEED, today baby!"
- (To Jim) " Fuck you, Jim! I don't give a fu... I'm just fucking saying, bro! (Jim: You almost punched a waiter in front of the dining room!) I'll punch you in your face!... Suck my fucking dick! What do you wanna do, bro? Stop fucking looking at me like that! You're about to get fucked up bro. "Oh, I think you should go up there." Bitch, I was out there rocking the dining room. They love Van."
- "BLUE TEAM, GO BLUE TEAM! YEAAAAAHHHH!"
- "BLUE TEAM! FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!"
- "PUNISHMENT SUCKS, I HATE PUNISHMENT!"
- "Chef Ramsay's up there speaking French with Whistle Britches. Hon Hon Hon Hon!"
- "Dave and Suzanne, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
- (Imitating Ramsay) "Van! Van! Uh! Uh!"
- (To Robert, who had asked how the collard greens tastes) "Make you wanna slap yo' mama!"
- (About Ramsay kicking him out of the kitchen) "Fuck that shit! I'm done, bro. I got no TIME for this shit! I'm a fucking man! DON'T FUCKING TREAT ME LIKE NO LITTLE BITCH! I'M WORKING MY FUCKING DICK IN THE DIRT AND I'M GETTING SCREAMED AND YELLED AT FROM SOME PSYCHOTIC BRITISH MOTHERFUCKER ALL THE TIME! I'm losing it, man, I'm losing it. I don't give fuck anymore, man. Can't fucking take it. Done, DONE! This it's a total mind fuck right now, but I'm not a quitter. I know I want to be here I just gotta keep fighting."
- Van: "Fuck 'em" Suzanne: "Why are you so pissed?" Van: "Because he (Ramsay) rides my fucking dick 24/7 in here!"
- (After being eliminated) "When I came into Hell's Kitchen, I came in guns blazing. I kicked ass on the signature dish, but it's a lot more to than Hell's Kitchen than just cooking. Then the stress got to me. I had fun while I was here. The main lesson I learned about myself when you get down, don't stay down. I want to go out here with my head up. I'm going to be the man one day. Van is going to be the man!"
Season 9[]
- "YEAH BABY! GAME TIME! GAME TIME! WOO!!!"
Season 17[]
- (When called up by Ramsay on the phone) "All Stars baby. Let's do it!"
- (To Ramsay during the signature dish challenge) "Where is whistlebritches (Jean-Phillippe) at?" (Gordon: "I've got an Italian (Marino) one.") "Oh, yeah, Italian one." (Gordon: "Don't hit him.") "All right, All right."
- "I don't know why the girls just won't get along. Ratchet! Ratchet girls!"
- "I could charm the fangs off a rattlesnake."
- (About the red team) "When you're walking down the hall, you can hear 'em fighting! In front of Chef, and they're still fighting! These ratchet girls are just RATCHET!"
- (About Barbie and Elise) "I like strong, black women."
- (To Barbie and Elise) "What's going on, my Nubian Princesses?"
- "I'm not laughing at Chef Ramsay. I laugh when I'm nervous, I laugh when I'm happy, I just laugh!"
- "Have fun, ratchet reds!"
- "My (Dover) sole has SOUL!"
- (About Josh eating with Paige Van Zant) "C'mon man, that ain't no punishment. He's up there like (kiss) GET THE FUCK BACK ON YOUR STATION, BRO!!!!"
- (To Josh) "FUCKING SAY THAT THEN!!!!!"
- (About Josh) "I'm going over to help you and you acting like a little BITCH right now, Josh!"
- (After being eliminated) "Hell, no, I'm not the weakest chef on the Blue Team, but I'm not gonna sit here and argue about it. I definitely came here this time to let my cooking speak for itself, but it didn't work out. Move on to the next one. I just want to make people happy with food."
- (To Marino) "Could I get a real drink, please?"
Gallery[]
_in_Blue_Jacket.png "Van (S6) in Blue Jacket.png (242 KB)")
%27s_Confessional_(Blue_Jacket).png "Van (S6)'s Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (323 KB)")
.png "Van's Confessional (Black Jacket).png (293 KB)")
.png "Van's Confessional (Red Jacket).png (387 KB)")
%27s_Signature_Dish.png "Van (S6)'s Signature Dish.png (515 KB)")
%27s_Crepe_Dishes.png "Ariel and Van (S6)'s Crepe Dishes.png (229 KB)")
_and_Van_(S6)%27s_15_Canadian_Ingredient_Dish_(Lamb).png "Sabrina (S6) and Van (S6)'s 15 Canadian Ingredient Dish (Lamb).png (259 KB)")
_in_Blue_Jacket.png "Van (S17) in Blue Jacket.png (1.43 MB)")
%27s_Confessional.png "Van (S17)'s Confessional.png (1.98 MB)")
,_Robyn_(S17),_and_Milly_(S17)_Nominated.png "Van (S17), Robyn (S17), and Milly (S17) Nominated.png (1.61 MB)")
_Eliminated.png "Van (S17) Eliminated.png (1.01 MB)")
_as_Returning_Chef.png "Van (S17) as Returning Chef.png (876 KB)")
%27s_Confessional_(Returning_Chef).png "Van (S17)'s Confessional (Returning Chef).png (1.51 MB)")
%27s_Signature_Dish.png "Van (S17)'s Signature Dish.png (1.2 MB)")
%27s_Bar_Dish.png "Van (S17)'s Bar Dish.png (738 KB)")
%27s_Chance_Dish.png "Van (S17)'s Chance Dish.png (1.15 MB)")
%27s_Wood_Plank_Cooking_Dish_(Barramundi).png "Van (S17)'s Wood Plank Cooking Dish (Barramundi).png (1.21 MB)")
%27s_Pizza_Fusion_Dish_(Vietnam).png "Van (S17)'s Pizza Fusion Dish (Vietnam).png (1.12 MB)")
%27s_Cave_Meat_Dish_(Boar).png "Van (S17)'s Cave Meat Dish (Boar).png (1.59 MB)")
%27s_Fishing_Dish_(Dover_Sole).png "Van (S17)'s Fishing Dish (Dover Sole).png (1.15 MB)")
External links[]
Van Hurd on Instagram
References[]
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