Hell's Kitchen (American season 8)


The eighth season of Hell's Kitchen, an American reality competition television series starring Gordon Ramsay, premiered on the Fox Network on September 22, 2010, and continued until December 15, 2010. Sous Chef Nona Sivley won the competition, earning a position at the L.A. Market restaurant at the JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, as well as an opportunity to be a spokesperson for Rosemount Estate Wines. This is the last season to feature 16 contestants, until season 17.
Sabrina Brimhall holds the record for the worst nomination record of any black jacket chef on the show. Being nominated every time she was eligible for nomination, she beats Runner-Up of season 2 Virginia Dalbeck with 1 more nomination compared Virginia's 6.

Format

The first half of each episode consists of a team challenge, in which the winning side gets a reward of some sort of leisure activity, while the losing side has to clean up and prepare both kitchens, as well as some activity that is not so pleasant. Afterwards, the teams compete in executing a dinner service, during which Ramsay can impose additional punishments or kick chefs out of the kitchen. The losing team nominates chefs to be considered for elimination. Ramsay can also nominate chefs, and ultimately sends a chef home. At six chefs left, the teams merge to one, and the chefs compete as individuals.

Staff

returned to the series as the head chef, as well as sous chefs Scott Leibfried and Andi van Willigan. James Lukanik served as the maître d', replacing Jean-Philippe Susilovic, who had been serving as a restaurant director at Ramsay's restaurant in London, Petrus. Seasons 7 and 8 were taped a year apart, resulting in other staff changes.

Broadcast

Hell's Kitchen was planned to air weekly from September to December 2010. However, due to Fox's televising of the Major League Baseball playoffs and the World Series in October and November, the show was broadcast with double episodes from September 22 until October 13 in addition to double episodes on November 10 and single episodes from November 17 until the finale on December 15. This is the first time that the series took more than a week off while the competition was in progress. Cablevision did not carry Fox during the first sixteen days of the hiatus due to a carriage dispute.

Opening sequence

Unlike the previous intros, this is the first that doesn't take place in a kitchen. The opening sequence is inspired by the tale Gulliver's Travels where the chefs are shown tying up a giant Ramsay while launching various food-related attacks on him.

Contestants

16 chefs competed in Season 8. Ages shown are at the start of competition.
ContestantAge OccupationHometownResult
Nona Sivley29Sous ChefFort Worth, TexasWinner
Russell Kook II29Sous ChefMadison, WisconsinRunner-Up
Jillian Flathers28Sous ChefPagosa Springs, ColoradoEliminated before Finals
Trevor "Trev" McGrath30Line Cook/BartenderChicago, IllinoisEliminated before Finals
Abigail "Gail" Novenario28Executive ChefWantagh, New YorkEliminated after 12th Service
Sabrina Brimhall22Prep ChefMoreno Valley, CaliforniaEliminated after 11th Service
Vincenzo "Vinny" Accardi29Line CookMaspeth, New YorkEliminated before Black Jackets
Robert "Rob" McCue36Law Firm ChefMassapequa, New YorkEliminated after 9th Service
Boris Poleschuk38Catering ChefBrooklyn, New YorkEliminated after 8th Service
Melissa Doney31Executive Sous ChefAlbany, New YorkEliminated after 6th Service
Emily Kutchins29Senior Home Executive ChefChicago, IllinoisEliminated after 5th Service
Louis Repucci28Children's Camp ChefDiamond Bar, CaliforniaEliminated after 4th Service
Ranjit "Raj" Brandston49Personal ChefQueens, New YorkEliminated after 3rd Service
Lewis Curtis26Executive ChefBeebe, ArkansasEliminated after 2nd Service
Elisabeth "Lisa" LaFranca48Corporate Food DirectorBrooklyn, New YorkEliminated after 1st Service
Antonia Boregman40Line Cook/BeauticianChicago, IllinoisLeft before 1st Service

;Notes

Contestant progress

Episodes