The fifteenth season of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen premiered on Fox on January 15, 2016, and concluded on April 29, 2016. Gordon Ramsay returned as host and head chef, while Aaron Mitrano debuted as the Blue Team's sous-chef, replacing James Avery, and season 10 winner Christina Wilson returned as the Red Team's sous-chef, replacing Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec. Marino Monferrato returned as maître d'. Jason Thompson returned as narrator for the first time since season 12.
The season was won by country club chef Ariel Malone, with line cook Kristin Barone finishing second.
Chefs Eighteen chefs competed in season 15. Contestant Age(s) Occupation Hometown Result Ariel Malone 26 Country Club Chef Hackensack, New Jersey Winner Kristin Barone 27 Line Cook Chicago, Illinois Runner-Up Ashley Nickell Chef de Cuisine Orlando, Florida Eliminated before Finals Jared Bobkin 28 Line Cook/Professional Poker Player Oak Park, MichiganEliminated after Fourteenth Service Amanda "Manda" Palomino 30 Sous Chef Atlantic City, New Jersey Danielle "Dannie" Harrison Line Cook/Amateur Boxer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Eliminated after Thirteenth Service Frank Cala 25 Marine Chef Brooklyn, New York Eliminated after Twelfth Service Jackie Fuchs 32 Line Cook Jersey City, New Jersey Eliminated after Eleventh Service Chad Gelso 25 Sous Chef Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Eliminated after Tenth Service Joe Ricci 31 Eliminated after Ninth Service Hassan Musselmani 24 Catering Executive Chef Detroit, Michigan Eliminated after Seventh Service Eddie Jaskowiak 27 Sous Chef Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Eliminated after Sixth Service Alan Parker 42 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Eliminated after Fifth Service Kevin Ridlon 29 Culinary Manager Warwick, Rhode Island Ejected during Fifth Service Melissa "Meese" Davis 25 College Chef Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania Eliminated after Fourth Service Vanessa Soltero 33 Airport Chef Los Angeles, California Eliminated after Third Service Sherkenna Buggs 30 Personal Chef Grand Junction, Tennessee Eliminated after Second Service Mark Paras 27 Line Cook Anaheim, California Eliminated after First Service Notes
Contestant progress No.Chef Original teams 1st switch 2nd switch 3rd switch Individuals Finals 1501 1502 1503 1504 1505 1506 1507 1508 1509 1510 1511 1512 1513 1514 1515 1516 1Ariel WIN NOM LOSE LOSE LOSEBoW LOSE WIN NOM LOSE LOSE WIN WIN IN IN WINNER 2 Kristin WIN LOSE LOSE LOSE NOM NOM LOSE WIN LOSE LOSE LOSE WIN WIN IN IN 3 Ashley WIN LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE WIN LOSE LOSE NOM WIN WIN IN OUT Kristin's team 4 Jared LOSE WIN WIN WIN LOSEBoW NOM NOM WIN LOSE WIN NOM LOSE OUT Ariel's team 5 Manda WIN LOSE LOSE LOSE NOM LOSE LOSE NOM WIN LOSE WIN LOSE NOM OUT Ariel's team 6 Dannie WIN LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE NOM WIN WIN LOSE WIN LOSE OUT Ariel's team 7 Frank LOSE WIN WIN WIN LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE WIN LOSE WIN OUT Kristin's team 8 Jackie WIN LOSE LOSE NOM LOSE NOM LOSE WIN NOM LOSE OUT Ariel's team 9Chad LOSE WIN WIN WIN LOSE LOSE NOM LOSE LOSE OUT Kristin's team 10Joe LOSE WIN WIN WIN NOM NOM LOSE LOSEOUT Kristin's team 11 Hassan LOSE WIN WIN WIN LOSE LOSE OUT 12 Eddie LOSE WIN WIN WIN LOSE OUT 13 Alan LOSE WIN WIN WIN OUT 14 Kevin NOM WIN WIN WIN EJEC 15 Meese WIN NOM NOM OUT 16 Vanessa WIN LOSE OUT 17 Sherkenna WIN OUT 18 Mark OUT
Episodes
Controversy Following his exit at the end of episode 12, Frank, an active-duty Marine chef, stated his dislike for female chefs during his plea and claimed he never allowed any to work under him, saying, "The blue team never had any drama until the females came aboard and that's when the ship sunk. And that's exactly why I get fucking female Marines and I send them back wherever the fuck they came from." Following his comments, Marine public affairs representative Bryan Nygaard stated Frank's comments regarding female Marines "are not consistent with the Marine Corps' values of honor, courage and commitment," and he would "notify my chain of command as well as Sergeant Cala's chain of command to ensure that corrective action is being taken." Several days later, Frank was removed from his position with the Commandants' staff and transferred to the Enlisted Aide Program.
Ratings The fifteenth-season premiere of Hell's Kitchen premiered to an audience of 3.43 million, 660,000 lower than last season's premiere, and down 10,000 from season 14's finale. +U.S. Nielsen ratings No. Episode Originalair date Timeslot (EST) Rating/share18–49 U.S. viewers(millions) DVR18–49 DVR viewers(millions) Total 18–49 Total viewers(millions)Source(s) 1 January 15, 2016 Friday9:00 p.m. 1.1/4 3.41 0.6 1.52 1.7 4.93 2 "17 Chefs Compete" January 22, 2016 1.3/4 3.61 1.49 5.11 3 "16 Chefs Compete" January 27, 2016 Wednesday9:00 p.m. 1.4/4 4.16 0.6 2.0 4 "15 Chefs Compete" February 3, 2016 1.5/5 4.60 0.6 2.1 5 "14 Chefs Compete" 1.3/4 4.40 6 "12 Chefs Compete" February 17, 2016 1.2/4 3.97 0.7 1.9 7 "11 Chefs Compete" February 24, 2016 1.3/4 4.23 8 "10 Chefs Compete" March 2, 2016 1.0/3 3.38 0.7 1.7 9 "10 Chefs Again" March 9, 2016 1.2/4 3.76 10 "9 Chefs Compete" March 16, 2016 1.1/4 3.57 1.44 5.01 11 "8 Chefs Compete" March 23, 2016 1.2/4 3.54 12 "7 Chefs Compete" April 1, 2016 Friday9:00 p.m. 0.8/3 2.61 0.6 1.59 1.4 4.20 13 "6 Chefs Compete" April 8, 2016 0.8/3 2.66 14 "5 Chefs Compete" April 15, 2016 0.9/3 2.98 15 "3 Chefs Compete" April 22, 2016 0.9/3 2.96 16 "Winner Chosen" April 29, 2016 1.0/4 3.13
References