Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 1)
| Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 1) | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | May 30 – August 1, 2005 |
| Season chronology | |
This article contains contestant information and episode summaries from Season 1 of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen. Season 1 aired starting on May 30, 2005 and concluded on August 1, 2005. Michael Wray from Fort Collins, Colorado, won the first season of Hell's Kitchen, thus winning his own restaurant in Los Angeles named Tatou (he was offered to go to London to work under Gordon Ramsay, but later declined due to family reasons). This was the only season to date in which the teams were not separated by gender at the start.
The show was taped in Los Angeles at KCOP, in a converted former television broadcast facility that previously hosted shows such as The Joker's Wild and Tic-Tac-Dough in the late 1970s to mid-1980s.
The 12 contestants were initially divided into the Blue team and the Red team, but not based on gender as in all the following seasons. The contestants were:
Each week, the best member from the losing team during the latest service period ("least bad" as determined by Ramsay) is asked to nominate two of their teammates for elimination; one of these two is sent home by Gordon Ramsay.
Each episode consisted of a challenge with a reward, a service, and an elimination.
The twelve aspiring chefs arrive at Hell's Kitchen, and get to know each other. Maitre-Di Jean-Phillipe introduces himself, and introduces them to Gordon Ramsay's Sous Chefs; Mary-Ann and Scott. They tell the chefs that their first challenge is to create their signature dish in 45 minutes.
Signature dishes: The first task for the chefs was to make Ramsay their signature dish. Carolann's chicken parmesan received praise, while Elsie's turkey tacos were deemed "not bad", but the remaining dishes were poorly received. Ramsay said Andrew's "Absolute Penne" was "absolute dogshit" and found Mary Ellen's endive dish boring, Wendy's fried rice unimpressive, Jimmy's stuffed chicken dry, and hated Ralph's tuna. Dewberry's spaghetti was overcooked, Chris's salmon was raw, Jeff's steak was overcooked despite having a good sauce, Jessica's shelled crabs were too hot and Ramsay found Michael's scallops "disgusting".
After the challenge, the chefs were divided into two teams; the red team (Carolann, Chris, Dewberry, Elsie, Jeff and Jimmy) and the blue team (Andrew, Jessica, Mary Ellen, Michael, Ralph and Wendy). The chefs are then informed that Hell's Kitchen is opening tonight, and they spend their time learning recipes and prepping their respective kitchens.
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