Will Lustberg

 

“

I'm a technician when it comes to culinary, you know what I'm saying? I don't worry about somebody eating my food. I do it, and I do it right.

”

Hometown/Residence	Jersey City, NJ
Occupation	Sous Chef
Culinary Education	Culinary Institute of America
Statistics
Signature Dish Challenge Score	1 out of 1
Blind Taste Test Score	1 out of 4
Challenges Won	9
Services Won	3
Times as BoW/Announcer	3
Times Nominated	0
Placement	Runner-up

William "Will" Lustberg was a contestant on Season 9 of Hell's Kitchen. He was the runner-up of that season.

Season 9

Episode 1

Main article: Episode 901 - 18 Chefs Compete

During the introduction of the season, Will was one of the five chefs who were seen receiving their acceptance letter, and cheered while being proud to represent New Jersey.

When the chefs arrived in Los Angeles, they were greeted by James on the bus ride, and Will acknowledged that he was not there to make friends as it was everybody against everybody. Then, the bus pulled over to the Orpheum Theatre, where they would be given a standing ovation by a live audience. However, when the curtain was pulled up, they discovered that the room was completely empty, much to their disappointment, before Ramsay revealed himself applauding very slowly. After the latter revealed the grand prize of the season, the chefs were asked to get back to Hell's Kitchen and cook their signature dishes.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Will knew that it was surreal to cook in Hell's Kitchen, but that basically, it was the same shit in a different environment. He was the first person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, went up against Carrie, and revealed that his heritage was a mix of Italian and Jewish, even stating that his girlfriend called him a pizza bagel. After, he served his sheep milk gnudi, claimed that he was a culinary technician as he did not worry about somebody else tasting his food because he was doing it right, and his dish was deemed delicious by Ramsay. He won the round over Carrie.

The blue team won the challenge 6-5, and they were rewarded with a dinner at the LA Market, in downtown Los Angeles, along with Season 8 winner Nona. Arrived there, they were greeted by Nona, and during the dinner, she gave them advice on how to compete. After she left, the men toasted to their victory. The next day, both teams went to the kitchens to begin prepping for the opening night, and they were given their ankle knives set. During prep, Will noticed that Jason was having breathing problems, came over to ask him if he was okay, but Jason answered that he was not feeling good and dizzy. When Jason went to the back hallway, he admitted that he looked like shit, decided to help him with the medic, and acknowledged that he had to take it down a notch as he was sweating a lot. While Jason was with the medic, he dedicated Chino to the dessert station, and admitted that despite caring for Jason's health, he could not stop working because they still had a service to pull off. When both teams were lined up, he learned that Jason was at the hospital, and would not return to Hell's Kitchen.

During dinner service, Will was on the appetizer station with Steven. When the latter was ready with his first appetizers, he convinced him not to send them to the pass as they were for the next table, without success, and he told that Steven was easily flustered but did not have the time to argue about it. When he sent his first appetizers to the pass, they were accepted, and later, he was not impressed with Brendan's loudmouth, while adding that he sucked, and service shut down after some customers walked out.

The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people. During deliberation, Will reminded that Paul and Jonathon were the bests, and considered Steven, despite the latter disagreeing. Moments later, Tommy acknowledged it sucked, but he reminded that it was what they signed up for and that one of them would go home.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 2

Main article: Episode 902 - 16 Chefs Compete

Back in the dorms, Will reminded that it was a reality check for everybody as they would fight deeper every time they would fight, and compared Brendan and Paul to little girls when they were fighting in front of Ramsay.

The next morning, the chefs were woken up by a young guitarist and very loud amplifiers, and they were ordered to get outside. Arrived there, Ramsay introduced the Meat & Grill Challenge, where each pair would have to cook a medium-rare New York strip, a medium rib-eye, a medium-well filet mignon, and a well-done burger. During the challenge, Will was on his own as the blue team was one member down, and he was the first person who was done and letting his meat rest. During Jonathon and Brendan's turn, he questioned their professionalism as they only scored two points out of four, and later, he was the last person to compete for the blue team. After scoring with his New York strip, rib-eye, and filet mignon, he arrogantly said goodbye to the girls by waving at them, and after, his burger was deemed perfect, and he clinched the victory for the blue team 11-10, making him proud as he was there to be perfect or nothing.

The blue team was rewarded with a lunch on the top of Palm Springs with Ramsay, and being taken there in a private jet. During the ride, Will revealed that he had a fear of flying, thought that he would shit himself, and Ramsay joked that he could cook meat temperatures perfectly, but not fly. During the lunch, he was excited to see Ramsay from a badass in the kitchen to a normal human being outside, mocked Brendan's constant talking, and told him to shut up.

During dinner service, Will served Caesar salads tableside. He was not seen much, but at one point, he was pissed off about his teammates not being able to send an entrée out, and moments later, he called it ridiculous when Tommy served overcooked duck. Later, he was furious about Brendan serving raw sea bass, told twice that the latter sucked, and because of that mistake, the blue team was kicked out. Back in the dorms, he said wished to have his ass be sent home while calling it the worst pussy bullshit he ever experienced, declared that he did not sign up to lose as cooking was the only thing he was good at, that he did not come to the competition to be made a fool of, and that they should have taken notes to the women on the red team. The blue team lost the service, and finally, he targeted Brendan and Tommy for the communication issues.

Will was not nominated for elimination, and despite him and his teammates trying to convince Ramsay not to, the blue team learned that a woman would be joining them the following morning.

Episode 3

Main article: Episode 903 - 15 Chefs Compete

While going back to the dorms, Will claimed that his pride was hurt because Ramsay said they needed help. The next morning, the chefs were woken up by clowns, which he was angry about by declaring that it was the wrong way for him to be woken up, and when both teams were lined up in the dining room, Sous Chef Scott revealed that they were woken up by clowns because they were cooking like clowns. After taking a delivery of naan bread with the other chefs, he and the blue team welcomed Natalie as a new teammate, which he showed a disappointed face about while declaring that he did not want a new team member, but reluctantly agreed to deal with what Ramsay would throw at him.

During the Mommy & Me Lunch Service Challenge, Will felt a lot of pressure as they sucked as a team, urged his teammates to pick it up, and his leadership helped his teammates to go up to a fast start. Near the end, the blue team had a slight advantage over the red team, he was worried as they were close but confident at the same time, but then, a sandwich was rejected for having chicken in it when not supposed to. He was disappointed as it was not rocket science and rallied his teammates to create evenly layered chicken. After the blue team succeeded to send their last ticket before the red team, he congratulated his teammates for finally communicating and gave a warm welcome to Natalie by calling her a rock star. The blue team won the challenge, and they were rewarded with a day and lunch at Medieval Times, as well as sword fighting themselves.

During the Family Night dinner service, Will was on the fish station. At one point, he tried to convince Tommy not to send his burned chicken tenders without success, and because of that, he decided to vocally lead the latter by aggressively telling him to not send his unacceptable food to the pass. He added that he would work on fish and garnish if he had to as he was tired of losing, declared that he would be pissed if his teammates would fuck up the next order, and when Tommy apologized, he told him to just focus and cook. Because of his leadership, entrées were being served at a good pace, and after the blue team succeeded to send all of their tickets as well as the red team's, he called it redemption.

The blue team won the service by a mile, and while being dismissed, Will was determined to keep the winning streak going, while keeping the red team five feet under like prisoners.

Episode 4

Main article: Episode 904 - 14 Chefs Compete

The next morning, the chefs were woken up by Sous Chefs Scott and Andi, who brought them special farm outfits to wear, and were told to get outside. Arrived there, Ramsay introduced the Chicken Creation Challenge, and during the first part, Will revealed that where he was coming from, they were chasing chicks instead of chicken. Also, he was impressed when Chino vigorously caught his chicken despite not being the strongest cook. During the second part, he was paired with Jonathon, and they worked on the sautéed chicken course. They were the second pair from the blue team to have their dish judged, he did not present their lemon-herbed sautéed chicken, but they tied the round with Krupa and Jennifer.

The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by creating a chicken stock from scratch for the next service. During the punishment, Will jokingly thought that the red team would be likely to believe that go-kart would be like bumper cars, and later, he decided to simulate a dinner service because they had two losses already, but when they did, Chino still found the way to struggle, much to his dismay because the latter could not even imagine being a good cook.

During dinner service, Will was on the garnish station. He was not seen much, except at one point when he stopped an argument between Monterray and Jonathon by aggressively telling them to just cook the food, and that despite liking to watch them bitch at each other, they were hosting two Olympic medalists at the chef's table. After a lot of mistakes, the blue team was kicked out of the kitchen, and while going back to the dorms, he was furious because of how the blue team sucked. Both teams were named joint-losers, they were asked to nominate two people each, and during deliberation, he was seen comforting Natalie who was crying.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 5

Main article: Episode 905 - 13 Chefs Compete

During the Fire and Water Challenge, Will cooked with the salmon, was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and went up against Jamie. He made a salmon with double a boiled egg, it was praised for having a great balance of texture and flavor, ad he scored that round over Jamie. The blue team won the challenge after a tie at 2 each, and they were rewarded with a spa day at Beverly Hills’ Montage. During the reward, he decided to get his eyebrows waxed as his wife did it back home, but experienced the pains of waxing.

When the blue team came back from their reward, Will was ready for that night as he got his eyebrows waxed. During dinner service, he was on the appetizer station with Paul. He was not seen much, except for expressing annoyance at Monterray's raw Wellington as the former got it right before. Both teams were named joint-losers, and were asked to nominate two each.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 6

Main article: Episode 906 - 12 Chefs Compete

During the 20 Year Reunion Planning Challenge, Will had total faith in Paul, and when the latter was giving out the information to the blue team, his surf and turf dish was shot down after Paul revealed that one of the women was a pescatarian. He was the final person from the blue team to present his dish, presented the blue team's fish entrée, and went up against Elise. He made a banana leafed steamed opa with a coconut chili wine sauce, it was heavily praised for tasting delicious, looking pretty, and made the committee want more as it took their palates on a journey. He won that round over Elise, the blue team won the challenge 3-0, and they were rewarded with a day aboard a superyacht. After coming back from the reward, he felt that Natalie was a worthwhile member.

During the 20 Year Reunion dinner service, Will was on the meat station with Tommy. He was not seen much, but after the blue team was forced to refire a table due to Paul's poor performance, he told them to pick it up. The blue team lost the service after getting kicked out of the kitchen, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 7

Main article: Episode 907 - 11 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Will said that he wanted to see Krupa have some fun during her drunken antics.

During the Creative Beer Challenge, Will got dismayed after seeing Jonathon's dish as it reminded him about the latter’s drunk punch chicken from the Signature Dish Challenge. His dish was ranked 2nd for the blue team, was the fourth person to have his dish judged, and went up against Elizabeth. He made a Lambic infused venison loin, he scored that round over Elizabeth, and the blue team won the challenge 3-2. They were rewarded with a VIP day at the Long Beach Grand Prix Indy Car Racing. During the reward, he said that Paul had to work on his game after the latter's failed attempt at flirting with Simona De Silvestro.

During dinner service, Will was on the garnish station. After Natalie struggled on the scallops, he shockingly felt that the latter was sinking them like the titanic, and after helping her, the blue team finally got their appetizers out. After Jonathon's Wellingtons came out raw, and when the latter blamed Tommy, he commented that Jonathon did not know how to cook if he served a raw Wellington and told the latter to man up. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two each.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 8

Main article: Episode 908 - 10 Chefs Compete

After Krupa's elimination, Ramsay asked both teams to name a leader. Back at the dorms, Will was named the leader by everybody from the blue team, making him feel honored, promised to take the blue team to the promised land, and was willing to become the front runner.

The next day, Will was named the blue team's leader, but when Ramsay asked him to name the blue team's weakest leader, he deemed Tommy the weakest for not being vocal. During the American Classics Challenge, he cooked the spaghetti and meatballs, was the third person to have his dish judged, and went up against Elise. His dish was criticized for having the entire pasta lifted with one fork movement due to the lack of salt, and he did not score that round. The blue team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by cleaning and prepping both kitchens for that night’s service and clean up the dorms. During the punishment, he was disgusted to touch the red team’s garbage, before realizing that Jonathon was still at the patio.

During prep, Will noticed that Jonathon was still not around, and was pissed that the latter was slowing down due to a bad neck. During dinner service, he was on the fish station. At one point, he accused Natalie and Jonathon of floundering the blue team, and when Ramsay told them how they were way behind the red team, he was embarrassed as he felt they were better than the red team. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he complained that after eight dinner service, the blue team has yet to have a decent one, before immediately considering Jonathon for not helping on both the punishment and prep.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 9

Main article: Episode 909 - 9 Chefs Compete

Before the Creative Dessert Challenge, Will revealed to be one of the two chefs that were married at the time, after Elise. During the cooking, while he was not comfortable making desserts, he knew that the only person that could beat him was himself. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Jennifer. He made an unknown dish, it was criticized for lacking any distinct colors, having a rancid taste, and he scored 2 points. The blue team lost the challenge 13-14, and they were punished by decorating the dining room for Date Night, and prep for a raw bar. During the punishment, he wanted to be stabbed twice and felt down for letting his team down. Later, he and Tommy were cleaning roses up, pricked himself on a thorn and made puns about it, and danced the tango with Paul.

During prep, Will told his teammates that from now on, there were no more excuses, and wanted to step up his game after his two poor challenge performances. During the Date Night dinner service, he was on the appetizer station. After Paul served raw chicken and asked about it, he expressed annoyance, and when the latter was kicked out, he took over meat. At the end of the night, he saw the proposal in the dining room, and call it awesome. The blue team won the service.

After elimination, Will threatened to fight out of Jamie’s situation even if security came to stop him.

Episode 10

Main article: Episode 910 - 8 Chefs Compete

During the Blind Taste Test, Will was the second person from the blue team to compete and went up against Elizabeth. He could only get mushy peas, and the blue team lost the challenge 4-5. They were punished by taking in a delivery of 200 pounds of grapes and make jam out of them for the Steakhouse service. During the punishment, he complained about the tedious work they had to do for the grapes. When the red team came back from their reward drunk, he accused Carrie of smelling of wine, before hoping that they would wake up hungover the next day.

During the Steakhouse double dinner service, Will was on the fish station during the first seating. He was not seen much during that seating. During the second seating, he was a waiter and told Tommy to get his head in the game after the latter sent up a messy ticket. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, he considered that night to be a tough choice to nominate somebody

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 11

Main article: Episode 911 - 7 Chefs Compete

After Carrie's exit, Ramsay asked everybody to take off their jackets, and to their shock, announced that Hell’s Kitchen was closed as he was not convinced they each had the drive to become the head chef of BLT steak. In order to spark inspiration, he was flying them all to New York to see the prized restaurant first hand.

During the King of the Hill Challenge, Will got scallops, polenta, mango, broccoli, and asparagus, and his country was Italy. He was the sixth person to have his dish judged and presented his prosciutto-wrapped scallops seared in olive oil and prosciutto fat. It was not only deemed delicious, but it was the best dish so far. While he dethroned Elise, he was quickly dethroned by Jennifer, and the blue team lost the challenge. They were punished by prepping both kitchens for that night’s dinner service, and during the punishment, he was pissed that it was the fourth time in a row they had to do that. Later, Tommy asked him a prep question.

During dinner service, Will was on the meat station. He was not seen much, except for telling Natalie to get her head in the game after the latter's struggles. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate one each.

Will was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, he knew that the blaming game was over with both teams having three chefs each.

Episode 12

Main article: Episode 912 - 6 Chefs Compete

The next day, both teams gathered at the patio, and Will pointed out that with six people left, there was no more room for mistakes.

During the Time Limit Challenge, Will cooked with 10 minutes, and he directed Tommy on the latter’s lamb dish as he wanted to light a fire in Tommy’s ass. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, went up against Elise, and wanted to win in order to show everybody he was the biggest threat. He made a lemon seared spotted prawns, and while the dish was praised for having a beautiful cook on the prawns, it was criticized for overdoing the vegetable with garlic. Despite that, he won that round over Elise, and the blue team won the challenge 2-1. They were rewarded with a shopping spree at Ted Baker’s and rode in a limousine. During the reward, he was ready to spend Ramsay’s money, but at Ted Baker’s, he was stumped over what to buy as his wife did his wardrobe.

During the Charity Night dinner service, Will was in charge of both the lobster capellini course and the apple tartin tart course. On the risotto course, he told Tommy not to add the parmesan unless they were absolutely finished, but was told to go away. After he helped out, the men got their refires accepted. On his first course, he began working with on his course, and his calmer leadership led the men to serve their course with no problems. On his second course, he got the men’s course out with no other problems thanks to teamwork. The blue team won the service.

At elimination, Will received the first black jacket.

Episode 13

Main article: Episode 913 - 5 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Will hoped that all the shit from the red team was done, which the other men agreed with.

During the Presentation Challenge, Will grabbed the meatloaf plate, and during the cooking, he wanted meatloaf as his death row food. He was the final person to have his dish judged, and presented his bacon-wrapped meatloaf with fresh morel and ketchup jue. While the sauce was criticized for looking off, it was praised for tasting delicious, with even Deborah Jones agreeing despite not being a meatloaf fan. He scored 87 points and won the challenge. He was rewarded with a dining tour in Los Angeles driven in a Rolls Royce, and Ramsay allowed him to pick somebody to join him on the reward. He picked Elise as she was the runner up in the challenge. During the reward, he hoped that bringing Elise around would boost team morale, and met Wolfgang Puck at his Spago restaurant. Chef Lee Hefter gave the duo a beet sampler, and he called it his best reward yet. Later, the two dined at Eric Greenspan’s restaurant, and he told Elise to keep the red team’s drama out of the kitchen.

Later that night, the final five learned that they would be competing against a team of veterans in the following dinner service, and while Will respected the veterans, he was ready to crush them. During the menu creation, Elise proved to be difficult, he furiously screaming that he did not want the drama anymore and accused her of being the reason for the red team’s problems. After more arguing, he was willing to walk out of the competition but decided to stay in the competition.

During dinner service, Will was on the appetizer with Tommy. At one point, he directed Tommy on cleaning the plates as he wanted a fire lit on the latter’s ass, and thanks to his leadership, the black jackets were able to move forward on appetizers. After Jennifer served cold bok choy, he was forced to do the refire himself. Despite the black jackets winning the service for having a 96% approval rating over the veterans 83%, Ramsay asked them to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he considered Jennifer and Elise for elimination, the latter based on how difficult she was during the menu creation.

He was not nominated for elimination.

Episode 14

Main article: Episode 914 - 5 Chefs Compete Again

Back at the dorms, Will playfully teased Jennifer over her crush on Paul.

Before the Alaskan Salmon Profit Challenge, Will almost pooped himself after Ramsay caused a salmon to drop from the ceiling. During the cooking, he felt that Jennifer's decision to poach her salmon was not a good one. After seeing the judges, he was blown away as the trio were the top of their game. He was the first person to have his dish judged, was confident in dominating that challenge, and presented his pan-roasted wild Alaskan salmon in a tomato and garlic stew. While Donato Poto felt that the skin could have been crispier, he found the temperature solid, even though Justin Wyborn deemed the fish salty. After, he finished with an average of $28.67.

Will lost the challenge to Paul, and was punished by cleaning up the bar area for that night’s service which included polishing the glassware, restocking the bottles and ice buckets, and prepping the salmon. During the punishment, he received help from Jennifer on prepping the fish, but he was pissed that Elise stood next to them not helping. Later, he and Jennifer joked that the smell of fish would attract Paul even further.

During dinner service, Will was on the garnish station. After Jennifer did not respond to Elise's questions, he knew it was the time to man up at the final five, and managed to get her talking when Ramsay asked. When Jennifer sent up a risotto in a burnt pan he called it a day one mistake. While he managed to get a six top completed with Paul, he was bewildered when Jennifer walked Tommy's cappellini up despite the latter needing another minute. Eventually, Ramsay kicked out the final five due to multiple mistakes, but not long after, he and Paul were called back in by Sous Chef Andi, and they completed service.

After service, Ramsay asked the final five to name two people for elimination. During deliberation, Will reminded Jennifer about the burnt pan incident. Then, Elise pulled him aside, and asked him to call Jennifer as the weakest chef of the five, even promising to have his back.

Will was not nominated for elimination, and when Ramsay asked who he felt was the weakest chef, he called Elise the stronger cook between the two women, angering Jennifer. While being dismissed, he felt that he did the honest thing in admitting Elise could cook.

Episode 15

Main article: Episode 915 - 4 Chefs Compete

While going back to the dorms, Elise told both Paul and Will that she owed them for standing up to their promise, but the men said she doesn’t owe them shit as he stated, personality aside, she could cook compared to Jennifer. The next day, he reunited with his mother and wife and told the latter how he would look at her photo every day.

During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Will used monkfish as the protein, because he was 99% sure it was, prosciutto as the ham wrapping, and mushrooms, kale, and cream as the garnish. When he presented his dish to Ramsay, he was accused of copying Tommy when he revealed he used monkfish as the protein, as they both used monkfish. While he got the garnish and the ham wrapping correct, he failed to get the fish correct. He lost the challenge to Paul as the correct protein was cod. After hearing Paul’s reward, he was despondent as he wanted to spend his time with his family at a baseball game, and only blamed himself for losing. The remaining chefs were punished by participating in moving day, which included moving out all the unneeded furniture in the dorms. During the punishment, he called moving disgusting as the women were not very clean.

The next day, when Ramsay announced that two people will be going to the finale after that night, Will was shocked by that news as it made everything more real. During dinner service, he was on the meat station. When Tommy read an incorrect ticket that had filet on the menu when is wasn’t there, he noticed it and told Tommy to call back James. On entrées, when Tommy called out one and a half minutes on garnishes, he corrected Tommy once again and told him it was two and a half minutes. When Elise was finished running the pass, he felt that he had to do everything to make sure she did not win, he was the final person to run the pass, and after given a review from Ramsay, he was ready to succeed as a leader. Then, Sous Chef Scott sent up a Wellington with lamb and a hanger steak instead of striploin, but he caught them immediately. However, when Elise sent up the spinach, he discovered raw pasta, but she had no idea how it got there, and when she sent up potatoes with black pepper in it, he accused her of sabotaging him, it led to an argument, and eventually, the entire table needed to be refired. After, nobody responded to his next order, and Ramsay accused them of switching off. However, people were starting to respond once again, but Elise accused him of barking instead of leading. Afterwards, Ramsay asked him to go back to his station, and with Ramsay back on the pass, the final tickets were finished.

After service, Ramsay asked the final four to come up with an explanation of why they deserved to be in the finals. During deliberation, Will told Elise nothing he said was personal, but the latter accused the former of fearing her.

After Tommy left, Ramsay asked Will why he deserved to be in the final two, and he believed he was born to cook. He was named the first finalist, with Paul as the second. After Elise left, Ramsay told the finalists that their biggest service was yet to come, and the episode ended as a cliffhanger.

Episode 16

Main article: Episode 916 - 2 Chefs Compete

Continuing from the previous episode, Ramsay told Paul and Will to start thinking about their menus for the final dinner service and urged them to show off their skills. While being dismissed, he celebrated his milestone for being in the final two, and while creating his menu, he wanted to win as he was born to cook, and was willing to do everything to win. The next day, he received his head chef's jacket, and talked with Sous Chef Andi about his menu. Later, Ramsay decided to give the two men a break and offered them dinner. After changing into street clothes, the two saw a limousine waiting for them, and when James opened the car door, his wife and mother came out, leaving him speechless. Arriving at the Blasco, Ramsay welcomed to the restaurant, even revealing that chefs from New York opened the restaurant only a month ago, and invited them to see the kitchen. However, once Ramsay opened the doors of the kitchen, a live audience was waiting for them, and Ramsay told the two to take in as they were officially superstars, referring to the beginning of the season, before announcing their final challenge.

During the Final Menu Challenge, Will decided to make his dishes unconventional as he refused to play it safe. On the seafood appetizer round, he made seared scallops on top of a corn purée. they were praised for being well prepared and having a nice lightness, and he scored that round over Paul. On the salad round, he made a beet salad with champagne vinaigrette, and while they were cooked well, Brian Moyers felt it need some more acidity, and lost that round to Paul. On the fish entrée round, he made a Dover sole dish, and while Johan Svensson felt that the fish could have been cooked a little less, he felt it was a nice dish. However, he lost that round to Paul. On the bone in ribeye round, he made a grilled ribeye with Briere cheese, it was deemed spot on with the seasoning, and he won that round over Paul. On the filet of beef round, he made a grilled filet mignon with butter brussels sprouts and a grape jue, he scored over Paul, and won the challenge 3-2. After, he was happy that he represented himself and his family in those dishes.

When Paul and Will returned to Hell's Kitchen, James showed them a giant box, and after opening it, they found the returning chefs. Because he won the previous challenge, he got first pick of the drafts. After revealing a list of all the eighteen chefs that came into the competition, he picked Tommy as his first pick, followed by Natalie and Jennifer. When deciding between Krupa and Carrie, picked the former as his final pick as, while he knew Krupa was not the best chef of that season, he also knew Carrie and Elise did not get along, and hoped for some fireworks. During the debriefing, he admitted how uncertain he was on the following night, and drew a quail with a vagina and a penis, causing Jennifer to wonder if he was horny.

During prep, Will showed concern towards Krupa as he never worked with her before now, and when he showed Ramsay his dishes, the latter enjoyed his dishes. Before service began, he wanted that night to prove to Ramsay why he deserved to win. During dinner service, he called out the order for his team, and was confident that Natalie would pull through on appetizers, which the latter proved. Close to entrées, he told Krupa to cook off the fish in the oven, but Ramsay reminded him that the table was not even finished eating their appetizers and that it was not a race. Later, he and Ramsay discovered that Krupa's Dover sole was overcooked, and was not impressed with Krupa’s performance. When he asked Krupa for a time on her entrées, the latter did not respond until she was pushed to, leaving him to feel that picking her was not a smart decision before she accidentally spilled sea bass sauce over her hot plate. After, he told Krupa to put the sea bass back in the oven as he was not happy with how it looked, and Ramsay called out the team for failing to capitalize on their strong start before he motivated his team not to give up. After telling Krupa to reflash the sea bass, he was getting more disappointed in her poor performance, and eventually, he decided to put Natalie on fish and demote Krupa to desserts as they were behind. However, Natalie told him it could take eight minutes to cook the sea bass properly, and was not happy as he had too many bumps that night. Despite that, Natalie was able to get her dishes accepted, and after service, he said no matter what, he was proud of his performance.

After service, Ramsay congratulated Paul and Will for their strong performances, called it explementary and sent them back to the dorms while he decided on a winner. Back at the dorms, he recalled every service he had back from the very beginning and said it sucked how unknown the results were.

Later that night, Ramsay called the dorms and asked Paul and Will to meet him in his office. Once there, Ramsay called the decision difficult but praised him for being the most consistent chef of Hell’s Kitchen. After, Ramsay asked the two to stand behind a door, with only the winner’s door being the one that opened. After anxiously waiting for Ramsay’s countdown, both turned their handles, but his door did not open. He was named the runner-up, took his defeat graciously, and while he disliked losing, he was glad that he lost to Paul, and hugged the latter.

Nomination History

Week 1	Safe
Week 2	Safe
Week 3	Win
Week 4	Safe
Week 5	Safe
Week 6	Safe
Week 7	Safe
Week 8	Safe
Week 9	Win
Week 10	Safe
Week 11	Safe
Week 12	Win
Week 13	Safe
Week 14	Safe
Week 15	Safe
Week 16	Runner-up

Post Hell's Kitchen

• After his appearance on the show, Will returned to work at The Waldorf Astoria before moving on to work at The Princeton Club of New York.
• He is later a former Culinary Specialist at Hudson Table and Executive Sous Chef at Highgate Hotels.
• He is currently Executive Chef at Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke in New York, New York, since January 2024.
• He is married and now has two sons.

Trivia

• He participated in the third all-male finals of Hell's Kitchen.
• Prior to competing in Hell's Kitchen, he was in the cooking show Chopped, in the episode "Mac and Cheese, Cola, Bacon", where he placed as the runner up.
• He is the ninth runner-up and the sixth male runner-up of Hell's Kitchen.
• He is the third runner-up, and third male runner-up, to have never been nominated for elimination during the entire season, following Kevin (Season 6) and Jay (Season 7).
• He is the sixth contestant to score a point on signature dish without being nominated, following Jim (Season 6), Mikey, Jay (both from Season 7), Jillian (Season 8), and Jason (Season 9).
• He and Paul are the only two contestants to this date who were not only kicked out with team of black jackets, but was brought back by Ramsay during the second black jacket service.
• He and Paul are tied with Christina (Season 4) and Jay (Season 7) for the most challenge victories in a single season, all with 9 each. This record was beaten two seasons later By Ja'Nel (Season 11).
• He is the third finalist to run the kitchen opposite his starting team without having been a member of that team, following Virginia (Season 2) and Kevin (Season 6).

Quotes

• (When receiving his acceptance invitation to be on Hell's Kitchen) "Victory Jersey fist pump, baby! Yeah!"
• "I'm a technician when it comes to culinary, you know what I'm saying? I don't worry about somebody eating my food. I do it, and I do it right."
• "Bye bye girls! BYE BYE!"
• “Brendan wanna sit there and puff out his fuckin’ chest. ‘I know how to fuckin’ do this. I’m the fuckin’ man!’ Bullshit, bro! You suck!”
• (About Brendan) "Bluh. Bluh-bluh. Bluh-BLUH-bluh-bluh. Bluh-BLUH-bluh-bluh-BLUH. BLUH-bluh-bluh. Shut up, man."
• "Brendan, you SUCK! You SUCK!"
• "I did not come out here to be made a fool of!"
• "I don't do clowns, Chef."
• (During Jonathon and Monterray's argument) "Personally, I'd love to watch them both beat the shit out of each other. HOWEVER. We have Mark Spitz and Janet Evans in the kitchen. Two Olympic gold medalist swimmers! And... people are gonna argue? It's embarrassing."
• "I got one point. Whoop-de-fucking-doo."
• "Between Natalie and Jonathon on appetizers, it was like the fish market between all that floundering going on."
• (After Jamie's elimination) "If what happened to Jamie ever happened to me I'm telling you now, you better call security because you can guarantee that I will not be walking out of here silent."
• "This is so monotonous that I'm ready to stab myself, just for a change of pace."
• Paul: Is this shirt pink? Will: Bro, I don't think it's pink at all. Bro, I think you're colorblind. That color brings out the brightness in your eyes, bro. Paul: Oh, thank you sweetheart. Will: You're welcome.
• (Picking his last pick for his brigade for the final service) "I know that Krupa might not be the best, but I saw Elise on Paul's team and I saw Carrie still waiting to be picked. So I was like I'm gonna put the two of them together and hope for some fireworks."
• "I am ready to beat the shit out of people, kill 'em all, and sort the bodies later."
• "Same shit, different toilet."
• (About Krupa's performance in the finale) "Krupa, ehhh. Ugh!"
• (After being named the runner-up) "It sucks I much rather would've won. I didn't come out here for second, I came out here for first. But, if I have to lose to anyone man, I'm glad it was Paul.”

Gallery

• Chef
• Dishes

Will's Intro Spot

Will in Blue Jacket

Will's Confessional (Blue Jacket)

Will in Blind Taste Test

Will in Black Jacket

Will's Confessional (Black Jacket)

Will in Head Chef Jacket

Will's Confessional (Head Chef Jacket)

Will after being named the runner-up

Will's Signature Dish (Episode 1)

Jonathon and Will's Chicken Dish (Sautéed) (Episode 4)

Will's Fire and Water Dish (Salmon) (Episode 5)

Will's Beer Dish (Episode 7)

Will's American Classics Dish (Spaghetti and Meatballs) (Episode 8)

Will's Dessert Dish (Episode 9)

Will's King of The Hill Dish (Episode 11)

Will's Time Limit Dish (Ten Minutes) (Episode 12)

Will's Comfort Food Dish Presentation (Episode 13)

Will's Salmon Profit Dish (Episode 14)

Will's Final Tasting Dish (Seafood Appetizer) (Episode 15)

Will's Final Tasting Dish (Salad) (Episode 15)

Will's Final Tasting Dish (Seafood Entrée) (Episode 15)

Will's Final Tasting Dish (Ribeye) (Episode 15)

Will's Final Tasting Dish (Filet) (Episode 15)

External links

• Will Lustberg on Instagram
• Will Lustberg on Twitter