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Hell’s Kitchen Season 23 is underway and I’ve been rewatching some of the older seasons. As I watched winner after winner open that door to their $250,000 salary and new life, it got me wondering about what has happened to previous Hell’s Kitchen champs. Viewers might be surprised to find out that some of the aspiring chefs never stepped foot in Gordon Ramsay‘s kitchen ever again.
Michael Wray – Hell’s Kitchen Season 1 Winner
Hell’s Kitchen first aired on May 30, 2005. It was an intense reality show that had people glued to their televisions. Michael Wray was the first chef to prove himself worthy of the $250K salary and Chef Ramsay’s praise.
Prior to appearing on the show, Michael was battling an addiction to prescription painkillers. Despite this, he secured a spot among the other chefs on the show and wound up winning. Shockingly, Michael turned down the opportunity to go to London and be mentored by Gordon Ramsay. However, he went on to become the head chef at a restaurant called The Standard and later opened two of his own establishments, Tatou and HK One.
Eventually, his addiction caught up with him though. He and his wife experienced the loss of their daughter, which sent him headfirst into his addiction, leading to the end of his marriage. Michael wound up living in his truck and working odd jobs in various kitchens. Thankfully, he is in recovery now and happily remarried.
Heather West – Season 2
Heather West defied the odds and won Season 2 of Hell’s Kitchen. After appearing on the show, she became the senior chef at Terra Rossa at the Red Rock Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. Heather collected her $250,000 salary for a year but didn’t stay there after that. The champ found herself moving around quite a bit. She moved to Washington, North Carolina, and California. Eventually, she settled in Port Jefferson, New York.
Today, she works as a digital creator and is a mother. On social media, she works to spread awareness about postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Rahman “Rock” Harper – Hell’s Kitchen Season 3
Rock was a favorite from the beginning of Season 3 and, ultimately, he proved himself to Chef Ramsay and took the win home. He went on to serve as the executive chef at Terra Verde with a $250,000 annual salary. After that, he relocated to Washington, D.C., and worked as the executive chef at Ben’s Next Door.
Rock worked a few other restaurant gigs before he began teaching at Stratford University. He’s written a book called 44 Things Parents Should Know About Healthy Cooking for Kids. Today, he’s just as involved as he ever was in the world of food. He is a James Beard Award nominee. Rock is also the proud owner of Queen Mother’s Kitchen and Hill Prince Bar as well as a podcast host and author.
The Hell’s Kitchen winner has also made several television appearances since winning Season 3, including eight returns to HK.
Christina Machamer – Season 4
Season 4 of Hell’s Kitchen saw Christina Machamer face Louis Petrozza in the finale. Her win was actually a bit of an upset with some fans. She only had three years of experience at the time, and many people thought she needed more time in the industry to earn a top-level chef position.
Christina has moved on to the world of hospitality. Today, she holds events that celebrate women in the culinary and hospitality world. The former HK champ frequently shares what she’s up to on social media, including some beautiful plates.
Danny Veltri – Hell’s Kitchen Season 5 Winner
Danny Veltri was one of the first winners of Hell’s Kitchen that didn’t receive the entirety of the promised prize. Everyone who competes on the show is told they stand to win a $250K salary along with a head/executive chef position. Although Danny got his $250,000, he wound up being offered a sous chef position instead. He took the job and worked for a few months before moving on.
The HK champion started his own catering company and assisted in opening a beachside restaurant called Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill. Finally, he landed an executive chef gig at Vince Carter’s Restaurant in Daytona Beach, Florida. Now, he’s working as the head chef of Salt Life Food Shack in Jacksonville.
Dave Levey – Season 6
Dave Levey experienced a fairly major setback during his time in Hell’s Kitchen. He fractured his wrist, but he was able to show Chef Ramsay and everyone else that it wouldn’t slow him down. Obviously, he went on to win the competition.
Following his time on the show, he went to British Columbia to take his job as head chef at Araxi Restaurant & Bar. You’ll begin to see that what’s offered isn’t always what the chefs wind up being given though. Upon his arrival, Dave was offered a line cook position. While he took the position, he eventually left and now lives a rather humble life as a chef and baker.
Holli Ugalde – Season 7
Holli Ugalde stood to win one of the most coveted prizes yet in the history of Hell’s Kitchen. During Season 7, she battled her way through and won a chance to become head chef at Savoy Grille in London. Unfortunately, there were issues with her visa and she wound up just settling for the prize money.
She went on to take a position at B Ocean’s in Florida as the executive chef. However, she didn’t stay in the kitchen. According to her LinkedIn profile, Holli is now working as an organic farmer at Green Acres Culinary Farm. She also serves as a design manager at Beaumont Electric and owns a lighting company.
Nona Sivley – Season 8
Like many of the previous Hell’s Kitchen winners, Nona Sivley (now Nona Johnson) took her winnings and went on to do something else. She started working at LA Market in Los Angeles, stating that she wanted to “introduce LA to the South.” Nona worked there for several years before moving to Las Vegas to work at a restaurant called Pork & Beans.
Along with her wife, Nona owns her own company called Sizzling Peach, which is marketed as a “luxury catering service.” The couple is also rumored to be working on a specialty grocery store together.
Paul Niedermann – Season 9 Hell’s Kitchen Winner
Paul Niedermann went on to win the coveted position at BLT Steak, but like many other chefs, was not offered the head chef position upon arrival. He worked there for a while but wound up pursuing executive-level chef jobs elsewhere. The Hell’s Kitchen winner landed an executive chef position at Hudson at Waterway East. Paul also worked as an executive chef at Racks Restaurant Management Group.
Today, Paul holds two executive-level chef positions in Florida at SALT7 and The Jupiter Grill.
Christina Wilson – Season 10
Christina Wilson is practically Hell’s Kitchen royalty at this point. She was a polarizing competitor on the show, but her victory helped her kickstart what has been an amazing career. Christina went on to take the $250,000 salary and the head chef position at Ramsay’s Steak in Las Vegas. Since then, she’s been promoted several times. Now, she is vice president of culinary for Gordon Ramsay North America, which has her overseeing the chefs in 13 restaurants across the country.
On top of that, Christina has returned to Hell’s Kitchen and become somewhat of a staple of the reality show. She serves as the sous chef in the red kitchen and has done so since Season 15.
Ja’Nel Witt – Season 11
Season 11’s winner of Hell’s Kitchen was Ja’Nel Witt. This season was a bit tougher because there were more competitors to start. There were 20 chefs competing, rather than just 18. She went on to conquer them all and won $250K, plus the head chef position at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Caesars Palace. Unfortunately, she didn’t pass a drug test and the offer for the job was rescinded.
Ja’Nel went on to work as a chef at a restaurant called Sonoma in Houston. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she built herself a list of clients as a private chef.
Scott Commings – Hell’s Kitchen Season 12 Winner
Despite facing the chopping block several times, Scott Commings ultimately won Season 12 of Hell’s Kitchen. He won the grand prize and became the head chef of Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace. After completing his year at Chef Ramsay’s restaurant, he became the executive chef at Freedom Beat at the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. His LinkedIn profile still has him listed as the executive chef there, but he’s been involved in several other culinary projects as well.
La Tasha McCutchen – Season 13
Following her victory on Hell’s Kitchen, La Tasha McCutchen took her position as head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Pub & Grill in Atlantic City. After working there for a year, she went on to explore more opportunities in the culinary world. Today, she is the executive chef and owner of her own private catering company, Entertaining with Chef Tasha Mac. The company does pop-up dining events and cooking demos.
Meghan Gill – Season 14
Meghan Gill was a fan favorite early on in Season 14 and ultimately brought home the prize. She went on to work with the Gordon Group at Caesars in Atlantic City. Meghan has said that the entire experience was life-changing for her. Now, she is the executive chef for a network of private golf clubhouses called the Dormie Network. The HK winner continues to put her creativity on the plate.
Ariel Malone – Season 15
Viewers watched Ariel Malone walk through the Hell’s Kitchen doors as she was announced the winner of Season 15. She nabbed her $250,000 prize and worked as the head chef at BLT Steak for a short time. Apparently, Ariel decided to leave the head chef job sooner than planned due to an “offer that couldn’t be refused.”
More recently, Ariel has been working as a private chef and is a mother of three. She also runs something called Three Little Birds Kitchen, which is a sort of bespoke culinary experience. Ariel documents some of her dishes and does live cooking demos online.
Kimberly-Ann Ryan – Season 16
Kimberly-Ann Ryan surprised viewers when she took home the victory during Season 16. She went on to work as the head chef at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. Kimberly-Ann frequently shares updates on social media with fans. It has also been rumored that she’s worked at The Cook’s House in Traverse City, Michigan more recently. The restaurant is well-known in the town and only uses locally grown and foraged foods.
Michelle Tribble – Season 17
After winning Season 17 of Hell’s Kitchen, Michelle Tribble went on to work as the head chef at Hell’s Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Palace for two and a half years. She left her position at HK during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she has continued working with Gordon Ramsay, serving as the director of culinary development for Gordon Ramsay North America.
Ariel Contreras-Fox – Season 18
Season 18 wasn’t Ariel Contreras-Fox’s first time on Hell’s Kitchen. She first appeared on the show during Season 6 and was given another chance. Ariel wound up turning down the executive chef position at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant at Caesars Palace after she won. Instead, she chose to find a job closer to home in Brooklyn, New York.
In 2020, she announced that she would be taking on the role of vice president of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle, Del Frisco’s Grille, and Dos Caminos. She’s also regularly appeared on television, including appearances on Hell’s Kitchen and Beat Bobby Flay. The HK winner also authored a self memoir/cookbook called Freckle-Faced Foodie: Journey of a Young Chef.
Kori Sutton – Season 19 Hell’s Kitchen Winner
Kori Sutton’s season of Hell’s Kitchen was a bit crazy. It took place during the throws of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she managed to win and took the head chef position at Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen Lake Tahoe. Outside of working at Hell’s Kitchen Lake Tahoe, Kori has been working on her own line of salsa called Mama Kori Salsa.
Trenton Garvey – Season 20
Trenton Garvey appeared on the Young Guns season of Hell’s Kitchen. All of the competitors were under the age of 24. Trenton was able to score the $250,000 grand prize and went on to work as the head chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak in the Paris Las Vegas resort. After wrapping up his time at Gordon Ramsay Steak, he went on to work at The Bedford by Martha Stewart and now works at The Blue Duck in Maplewood, Missouri as the executive chef.
Alex Belew – Season 21
After winning Season 21, Alex Belew accepted the head chef position at Gordon Ramsay’s newest Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Atlantic City along with the $250K prize. Since winning, he has landed new partnerships and has been attempting to find his niche in the industry. He’s experimented with podcasts and online recipes, continuing to make his mark in the culinary world.
Ryan O’Sullivan – Season 22
Ryan O’Sullivan won the American Dream season of Hell’s Kitchen. He was the first person to win the competition who was not from the United States. Like the others, he cashed in on the $250K and was offered the head chef position at Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas. Since then, he’s kept busy. He has been regularly updating fans on Instagram about what he’s up to. Most recently, he hosted a Culinary U event in Puerto Rico. If you were wondering, he also keeps in touch with his mate Johnathan from the show as well.
