Hell's Kitchen Australia is an Australian cooking reality competition television series which premiered on the Seven Network on 6 August 2017. The series was hosted by British chef Marco Pierre White, who previously hosted two seasons of the British version of the format and appeared on MasterChef Australia.
Production
The series began casting for celebrity contestants in late 2016, and filmed in Sydney for six weeks in March and April 2017. It is produced for the Seven Network by ITV Studios Australia.
Program sponsorships include Aldi, Airtasker, Diaego, Lurpak and Sony Pictures.
Celebrities
The following ten celebrities have been competing in the series to win AU$50,000 for their chosen charity.
Celebrities Known for StatusDebra LawranceActressWinner5 September 2017 Gaz Beadle Geordie Shore starRunner-up5 September 2017 Willie Mason Former NRL playerEliminated5 September 2017 Lincoln Lewis ActorEliminated5 September 2017 Sam Frost The Bachelorette Australia star & radio presenterEliminated4 September 2017 Issa Schultz The Chase Australia chaserEliminated29 August 2017 Jess Fox Olympian David Oldfield One Nation co-founderEliminated22 August 2017 Pettifleur Berenger Real Housewives of Melbourne starEliminated15 August 2017 Candice Warner Former IronwomanEliminated8 August 2017
Results and elimination
Celebrity was on the Blue Team Celebrity was on the Red Team Celebrity was on the White Team Indicates that the celebrity won the series Indicates that the celebrity finished runner-up Indicates that the celebrity finished in third place Indicates that the celebrity was in the bottom 3 Indicates that the celebrity was evicted immediately (no bottom three)
+Elimination results per celebrityNo.CelebrityWeek 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Grand Final Night 1 Night 21Debra Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner(Week 5)2Gaz Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up(Week 5)3Willie Safe Safe SafeSafe Safe Third Place(Week 5)4Lincoln Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated(Week 5)5Sam Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated(Week 5)6Issa Safe Safe Eliminated(Week 4)Jess Safe Safe 8David Safe Eliminated(Week 3)9Pettifleur Eliminated(Week 2)10Candice Eliminated(Week 1)Bottom three CandiceJessPettifleur DavidDebraPettifleur DavidIssaWillie IssaJessLincoln NoneEliminated Candice Pettifleur David Jess Sam Lincoln Willie Gaz Issa Debra
Series details
Week 1
Services
Episodes 1 to 3 Airdates - 6 to 8 August 2017 Description - A celebrity from the losing team in two dinner services and a lunch service (60 covers), based on their performance that night, is chosen by Marco to go into an elimination challenge at the end of the week. Winners of the first challenge gain immunity, winners of the second can be excused from doing prep work for both kitchens. Before service 1, each person must make an egg dish, Debra won immunity, and they get masterclasses to get new menu. In a relay challenge before service 2, a member from each team must finely chop an onion, garlic, parsley, slice a big mushroom and truss a chicken with the head chopped off and wishbone removed, in which Blue team won 3–2. Service 2 always featured Marco and/or the sous chefs leaving the kitchen mid-service, and anyone working the pass must relay, expedite and co-ordinate orders and manage the dessert orders and clear-downs on their own. Before service 3, which is always the more hectic lunch service, everybody is assigned to a different position, and the red team's steamer leaked water, making it out of order. Debra was out during service as she badly cut herself trying to grab a knife to cut fruits for the dessert.
Service Scores Worst performer Reason Blue team Red team 1 Candice Problems with the fish station 2 Jess Problems with the beef, on the Pass and didn't help the team. 3 Pettifleur Wasn't a team player and communication issues.
Last chance cook-off Episode 3 Airdates - 8 August 2017 Description: - In a "Taste it & Make it" elimination challenge, the three celebrities had to taste a dish that Marco had created, which was a chicken skewer with spring onion and madras curry powder cooked in olive oil, and remake it.
Celebrity Dish Position Reason Result Jess Chicken skewer with curry powder and spring onion. Very similar to Marco's dish. Pettifleur Chicken skewer with curry powder, salt, pepper and spring onion cooked in butter. The chicken was dry, wrong seasoning, cooked in butter, but everything else was fine. Candice Chicken skewer with cumin and spring onion. The chicken was undercooked, and she had the wrong spice.
Week 2
Services
Episodes 4 to 6 Airdates - 13 to 15 August 2017 Description - A celebrity from the losing team in two dinner services and a lunch service (70 covers per service), based on their performance that night, is chosen by Marco to go into an elimination challenge at the end of the week. The menu is completely different from last week. In the cases were teams draw even, Marco nominates the weakest celebrity from both teams, then chooses the weakest overall to send to elimination. Issa won the immunity challenge before the first service as he beat Debra on the 'Perfectly Cooked Skinless Salmon Fillet Challenge', despite Debra made a perfect Ceviche to strategically save her injured hand from contacts with heat and water. Before service 2's relay challenge, they were at Sydney Fish Market to learn to prepare shellfish as they were special items on the menu. The teams must unshell and de-vein the shrimps, shuck oysters from the back (the English method) with sea water retained, devein, gut and cut the marron into halves, and one will separate and gut the already-cooked crab, with the claws separated and one piece of shell cracked open. Sam sits out the challenge as Red team has a one-person advantage. Pettifleur secured the win 3–1 overall after her crab retained more of the claws' meat than Issa. This time, with Red team's win, they can choose to cook for the portion of guests out of 70 for the dinner service, but they forego the number's advantage in that regard and split it fairly (35 for each team), in which Marco said that David should have listened to Lincoln and took on 5 extra covers given the extra-person advantage, rather than trying to hamstring them by increasing their workload. Pettifleur is taken away from the red team as she must prepare and serve the extra starter: The 70's style shrimp cocktail table-side for both red and blue team unassisted from the kitchen crew. During service 2, Lincoln's mother was amongst the guests, and Marco had to shut down an incorrect claim by a customer where the salmon starter was frozen, and ask David not to engage because she was incorrect, and has never tried salmon confit-style, before walking out to monitor them from his office. After that service, Jacqueline, Lincoln's mother, fuelled the State of Origin-like rivalry,Lincoln's father, Wally, was a Queensland representative, while Mason was a New South Wales representative. Lincoln and Mason also are on opposite teams. while Issa met his fan. In service 3, David and Gaz's partners and friends were amongst the customers.
Service Scores Worst performer Reason Blue team Red team 1 Pettifleur Poor performance on the pass and arguing with Marco Debra was picked from blue team because Issa was immuned, and was notably slow serving the starters and desserts. 2 Debra Poor performance during service, over garnished the starters, poor organization and slow work during desserts. She nominated herself as the most likely to survive the elimination challenge. With Red team's win, David was spared from his problems as an expeditor. 3 David Didn't stay loyal to his team and left his position during desserts. Issa was picked in the blue team as the weakest of the blue team, but was spared because it was his best service thus far.
Last chance cook-off
Episode 6 Airdates - 15 August 2017 Description: - In a "Taste it & Make it" elimination challenge, the three celebrities had to taste a dish that Marco had created, which was a turkey schnitzel with Parmesan and rosemary cooked in clarified butter.
Celebrity Dish Position Reason Result Debra Chicken schnitzel with Parmesan and thyme, cooked in olive oil and then clarified butter. Cooked the best schnitzel out of everyone, despite all having the wrong protein and herb. David Chicken schnitzel with Parmesan and parsley, cooked in olive oil and butter rubbed in. The breadcrumb was too thick. However, Marco's preferred David's schnitzel over Pettifleur's Pettifleur Chicken schnitzel with Parmesan and thyme, cooked in olive oil. Uneven breadcrumb as Pettifleur did not use flour while preparing the chicken. Marco preferred David's schnitzel over Pettifleur's.
Week 3
Services
Episodes 7 to 9 Airdates - 20 to 22 August 2017 Description - A celebrity from the losing team in two dinner services and a lunch service, with the restaurant at capacity (80 covers), based on their performance that night, is chosen by Marco to go into an elimination challenge at the end of the week. Before service 1, they learn to make Venetian-style risotto with grated onion and garlic, cooked in butter, olive oil, white wine (Pinot Grigio) and rosemary, then coated in Parmesan and butter, but in a two-people team challenge, they have 45 minutes (instead of 30 in the demonstration) to make a risotto of their choice. Lincoln and Jess' risotto beat Willie and Issa's risotto that both almost replicated Marco's only with added chicken stock and mushrooms, and they gain immunity. Before service 2, they learn to make tagliatelle pasta from scratch with the dough already made by Pina, before a pairs team challenge. Using the pre-made batches of dough, they must roll and hang as much tagliatelle as they can in each 5-minute interval. Blue team lost because most of the tagliatelle became unusable after Willie and Gaz tangled them, so blue team's punishment is to make all the pasta special for both teams, which was replaced by macaroni as both team don't have enough usable tagliatelle together, while also making everyone work at station that they have yet to be in.
Service Scores Worst performer Reason Blue team Red team 1 Issa Weak cook, cannot allow Debra to protect him again, negative diner feedbacks on desserts, but had his best service thus far. 2 David Did not support Sam at the start of service. It was Issa (pass) and Debra's (meat) worst services. 3 Willie Negative diner feedback to Willie's dish, cannot allow Debra to protect him again.
Last chance cook-off
Episode 9 Airdates - 22 August 2017 Description: - In a "Taste it & Make it" elimination challenge, the three celebrities had to taste a dish that Marco had created, which was beef and pork meatballs, served with parsley and manchego cheese, and finished in the oven
Celebrity Dish Position Reason Result Willie Beef and pork meatballs with parsley and manchego cheese Best meatballs out of everyone Issa Beef and pork meatballs with parsley and manchego cheese The taste wasn't very strong, but the actual meatball was better, because he changed from lamb to pork late in cook. David Turkey and pork meatballs with parsley and manchego cheese Only person to finish the cook in the oven, but meatballs were dry, wrong primary protein and incorrect binding agent (flour instead of bread.)
Week 4
Services
Episodes 10 to 12 Airdates - 28 and 29 August 2017