Hell's Kitchen (American season 9)
Season 9 of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen premiered on July 18, 2011, on Fox and concluded on September 19, 2011, with a two-hour season finale. Jr. sous-chef Paul Niedermann won the season and was awarded a "head chef" position at BLT Steak in New York City, New York.
Gordon Ramsay returned as head chef, as Scott Leibfried and Andi van Willigan remained as sous chefs, as did James Lukanik as the maître d'.
The entire season took about six weeks to film. It also saw the show return to its original one season per year schedule, having run two seasons each in 2009 and 2010 due to the after-effects of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.
Opening sequence
The intro features Ramsay playing pinball with the chefs inside trying to dodge the pinball and the machine's bumpers.Contestants
18 chefs competed in season 9.| Contestant | Age1 | Occupation | Hometown | Result |
| Paul Niedermann | 27 | Jr. Sous Chef | Davie, Florida | Winner |
| William "Will" Lustberg | 31 | Sous Chef | Jersey City, New Jersey | Runner-Up |
| Elise Wims-Harris | 26 | Line Cook | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Eliminated before Finals |
| Thomas "Tommy" Stevens | 31 | Line Cook | Brewster, New York | Eliminated before Finals |
| Jennifer Normant | 34 | Chef de Cuisine | Boston, Massachusetts | Eliminated after 14th Service |
| Elizabeth Bianchi | 27 | Line Cook | New York, New York | Eliminated before Black Jackets |
| Natalie Blake | 23 | Sous Chef | Harrodsburg, Kentucky | Eliminated after 11th Service |
| Carolina "Carrie" Keep | 31 | Pantry Chef | Dallas, Texas | Eliminated after 10th Service |
| Jamie Gregorich | 24 | Sous Chef | Bradenton, Florida | Eliminated after 9th Service |
| Jonathon Plumley | 34 | Head Cook | Memphis, Tennessee | Eliminated after 8th Service |
| Krupa Patel | 30 | Private Chef | Queens, New York | Eliminated after 7th Service |
| Monterray Keys | 34 | Line Cook | Darby, Pennsylvania | Eliminated after 6th Service |
| Regina "Gina" Melcher | 34 | Restaurant Consultant | Cape May, New Jersey | Eliminated after 5th Service |
| Hee Jun "Chino" Chang | 39 | Executive Chef | Hatboro, Pennsylvania | Eliminated after 4th Service |
| Amanda Colello | 26 | Personal Chef | Sun City, California | Eliminated after 3rd Service |
| Brendan Heavey | 31 | Head Chef | Hoboken, New Jersey | Eliminated after 2nd Service |
| Steven Paluba | 44 | Sauté Chef | Ridge, New York | Eliminated after 1st Service |
| Jason Zepaltas | 29 | Line Cook | Chicago, Illinois | Left before 1st Service |
;Notes