Holli Ugalde isn’t standing alone in Purgatory. Other Hell’s Kitchen winners have gotten the short end of the stick instead of the high-profiled prize they thought they had won.Last Friday, we posted an article on Hell’s Kitchen’s lack of follow through on the prize they publicly committed to for season 7: Executive Chef of The Savoy in London. Gordon Ramsay submitted a statement stating that Holli Ugalde’s visa had been rejected. But Ramsay and show producers have not been forthcoming with the reason for the rejection of Ugalde’s alleged visa application submission (when submitting an application for a visa, the person the visa is for has to sign the paper work themselves. Ugalde claims she never received any visa documents.)
Whatever our personal feelings are about whether each contestant was worthy of the prize they were competing for isn’t a factor. Gordon Ramsay and the Producers get to make that decision and had decided that the winning contestants were worthy.
** The issue at hand is that Ramsay and the Hell’s Kitchen producers publicly announced a Prize at the beginning of each episode and failed to deliver on 6 out of 7 seasons. And, aside from the cash bonus some of them received, the restaurant positions that were actually handed out weren’t much of a step up from where the winners were prior to competing.
Here’s a recap on the winners and their prize-status by season:
Season one, Michael Wray- Promised Prize: The winner’s very own restaurant
- Did he get it? No, but it was his choice.
Season two, Heather West
- Promised Prize: Multi-million dollar restaurant in the billion dollar Red Rock resort in Las Vegas
- Did she get it? No. Heather was named senior chef (not executive chef, as was promised)
Season three, Rahman "Rock" Harper- Promised Prize: The winner will run a Multi-million dollar restaurant in the Green Valley Ranch Resort
- Did he get it? Yes – and he fulfilled his contract.
Season four, Christina Machamer- Promised Prize: The executive chef for Ramsay’s own restaurant, London West Hollywood in Los Angeles w/a salary of $250k
- Did she get it? No. But she got part of it. Christina was installed as a "senior sous chef" (not executive chef, as was promised in show-related publicity and press releases throughout the season) with a $250,000 salary.Season five, Danny Veltri- Promised Prize: Head chef at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City
- Did he get it? No. Veltri was employed as a sous chef under Stephen Kalt at Italian restaurant Fornelletto at the Borgata. However, they at least gave him a cash prize of $250k.
Season six, Dave Levey
- Promised Prize: Head Chef at Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, British Columbia
- Did he get it? No. He got the title “Head Chef”, but was treated like a line-cook, working under Executive Chef James Walt. This is a step down from the Executive Chef title he held prior to competing in Hell’s Kitchen. According to sources, Levey resigned from Araxi just a few weeks after.
Season seven, Holli Ugalde- Promised Prize: Executive Chef at The Savoy in London
- Did she get it? We wouldn’t be writing this article if she had… They did give her a cash prize of an undisclosed amount. Unrelated, Ugalde has been recruited by B Ocean Fort Lauderdale to be their Signature Chef for the new restaurant they’re opening.
What we’re trying to figure out is the following: Why publicly commit to a prize and then reneg when it’s time to hand that prize over? Does integrity mean nothing to these people? Why not just offer a cash prize and some sort of bonus? Bravo TV’s Top Chef does this and it’s worked out spectacularly for them.
I don’t know about you, but I think Gordon Ramsay and the producers of Hell’s Kitchen should feel nothing but embarrassment and humiliation for their actions. If you can't live up to public promises, you shouldn't be running a reality TV show. Ramsay, take off your jacket and go.
It looks like Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares isn’t just about the restaurant anymore. According to The Daily Mirror, the Kitchen Nightmares’ star and executive producer has added a number of irrelevant questions to the Kitchen Nightmares contestant application. How much a contestant weighs, as well as their height, eye and hair color are just a few of the questions that have been added. But my favorites of all of them are these:
- Have you ever had a restraining order filed against you?
- Does your family have a history of depression?
- Are you easily upset?
A friend of mine had filled out an application for Chef Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen (as a joke) and told me that they had similar questions on the application he filled out, which he thought was strange. Considering that Kitchen Nightmare’s is supposed to be focused on the restaurants and not the contestants, asking such personal questions doesn’t seem right.
Moreover, Chef Gordon Ramsay should be focused more on cleaning up his muddied image instead of adding to his laundry list of drama and evil doings.
Are those questions even legal? But then again, does he really care?
More on Gordon Ramsay and Hell's Kitchen:
New! Hell’s Kitchen Winners: Where Are They Now? (09/20/2011)
New! Hell’s Kitchen Season 9 Finale Recap: “4 chefs compete; One Winner Chosen.”
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares: ISO Hot Restaurateurs
New! Hell’s Kitchen Season 9 Finale Recap: “4 chefs compete; One Winner Chosen.”
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares: ISO Hot Restaurateurs
The Sharks that Gordon Ramsay Killed: The Movie (warning: video contains graphic violence)
Gordon Ramsay Tossed to the Sharks (Warning: Contains graphic photo)
