Top 10 Worst Signature Dishes on Hell's Kitchen
For this list, we're looking at the dishes from the signature dish challenge that incurred the wrath of Chef Gordon Ramsay. They can be bad because of the dish itself, but if the demeanor and attitude of the contestant was also poor, we will be factoring that in.
#10: Holli’s Wrapped Halibut Season 7
Three things Gordon Ramsay can’t stand: unearned arrogance, BS, and bad food. With Holli’s Halibut dish, he got all three. Things got off to a bad start when Ramsay was taken aback at the dish’s appearance. Holli, instead of admitting she was in over her head, chose to steer into the skid, explaining that the dish was a classic from India. It’s not. Was she going for a bold bluff, or just a little delusional? Who can tell? Gordon was quick to spit out the food, then called it a disaster, and into the garbage it went. Suffice it to say, Holli didn’t win the round.
#9: Monique's Mo's Pasta Season 14
Step one in a cooking competition: cook! Apparently, Monique missed the memo with her pasta dish, because as Gordon was taking his first bite, she explained that the marinara sauce was from a jar. Everyone in the room, including audience members, knew that that was a big mistake. We’re not sure what’s more shocking: that she had the gall to try and pull this off, or the fact that she seemingly didn’t understand the severity of the misstep. Even worse, she tried to make it Ramsay’s fault for not warning her not to use premade sauce. Yikes.
#8: Jen’s Dungeness Crab Risotto Season 4
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Jen came into the competition ready to blow Gordon Ramsay away with her cooking, and her lack thereof certainly did the job. As he took the first bite of her dish, you could really see him savor– oh, no wait, he spit it out. Her risotto was raw. Not undercooked. Not “needed just another minute”. RAW. It was a rocky start for Jen, especially when Ramsay put two and two together and accused her of not knowing how to cook because she was a Garde-Manger. Sure enough, Jen fired back with attitude, and that went just about as well as you’d expect.
#7: La Tasha’s Grilled Watermelon Season 13
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There’s a long list of things Gordon loves off the grill… but watermelon ain’t one of them. At least not in this context. You can’t give the fruit a hickory rub, slap it on the grill, and call yourself a chef. As soon as the name of the dish is said, Ramsay can’t even! In the signature challenge, you’re aiming to impress, which is what makes this culinary concoction so misguided. It would be nice to say A for effort, but this dish unfortunately has no redeeming qualities. Luckily, La Tasha bounced back quickly and ended up winning Season 13.
#6: Colleen’s Smoked Chicken Enchilada Season 5
Attitude is everything… and a bad one bodes very poorly for you on this show. Upon seeing Colleen’s dish, Ramsay was quick to point out that it resembled a diaper. When prompted to explain her background, Colleen stated that she trained chefs, although she was not a trained chef herself. Needless to say, this didn’t impress the Michelin-starred chef. It didn’t help that the dish was bad enough for Ramsay to spit out. Colleen apparently didn’t appreciate Gordon’s criticism, and went on to criticize his manners. He had some thoughts to share on that as well.
#5: Raj’s Seafood Pancake Season 8
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Raj was… unique. On our list of worst Hell’s Kitchen contestants, he actually made number 2! And make no mistake, his signature dish was a sign of things to come! A seafood pancake. While popular in some cultures, this particular dish requires a skilled hand, perfect seasoning and the right cook in order to achieve the desired results, and unfortunately… Raj did not check many of those boxes. Even though the seafood itself was decently cooked, it wasn’t enough to save this utter mess of a dish. It was cluttered and covered in oil, and the seafood was buried underneath.
#4: Louie’s Sausage Gravy over Biscuits Season 6
From the very beginning, Louie was in way over his head in Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen. Serving his signature diner dish, Gordon’s initial reaction was funny enough to stop right there. Things went from bad to worse though when Louie explained that he sells his sausage gravy by the gallon. Gordon tried it, gave it a good chew...and back out it went. Every other contestant looked on in disbelief, as Louie – with complete nonchalance – asked “what’s wrong with it?” Don’t worry buddy, Ramsay will explain. Louie’s hundreds of guests can’t all be wrong… right?
#3: Mike’s Packaged Tortellini Season 12
We’ve already talked about chefs who had the audacity of serving Gordon Ramsay store-bought food for their signature dish. When Kevin served packaged pizza dough in season 15, he at least had the humility to admit that he’d made a mistake. This was not the case with Mike, though, who served packaged tortellini alongside canned tomatoes. When called out on the culinary faux-pas and his lack of respect for the competition, Mike thought it wise to cuss out the celebrity chef behind his back. But out of the kindness of his heart, Ramsay let it slide. Just kidding.
#2: Matt’s Exotic Tartare Season 4
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Different does not always mean better, new and exciting, and calling it “exotic” does not change that. Any good chef knows that. Matt, unfortunately, was not that sort of chef. Matt thought it was a good idea to combine raw venison, scallops, caviar and white chocolate to create this raw surf n’ turf… thing. Matt was wrong. Gordon Ramsay was hesitant to even taste this bizarre concoction, and when he did… he hurled it. This is what happens when chefs who don’t have a clue what they’re doing try to be experimental… they make Gordon Ramsay sick. Before we move onto our number one pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions. Chrissa's Ginger Cookie Chicken Season 14 Gaurav's Tuna Steak Season 12 Mieka's Shrimp Cake with Asparagus and Peach Salsa Season 14
#1: Antonia’s Mardis Gras Gumbo Season 8
Antonia’s career on Hell’s Kitchen was one of the shortest of all time, and it’s pretty obvious why. Straight out the gate, Chef Ramsay asked that one burning question: “Is it supposed to look like liquid shit?” Now looks can be deceiving, but that was not the case here. Gordon Ramsay reluctantly took a bite of the gumbo, which quickly caused him to spit it back up. Not only did he admonish Antonia for making an inedible dish, but he had every single contestant take a bite to better understand the depravity of what he’d eaten.
