Nicole Rutz

On the Season 12 premiere of HELL’S KITCHEN, the newest batch of twenty aspiring restaurateurs attempt to impress Gordon Ramsay and his fiery personality as they head to the kitchen. In the first challenge of the season, Chef Ramsay splits the chefs into two teams: men (blue) vs. women (red) and asks the them to present their signature dish. The winning team gets treated to an exclusive dinner with Chef Ramsay, while the losing team is left behind to scrub down the kitchen. During opening night dinner service, both teams make major mistakes and some tempers reach their boiling point. Find out which contestants are safe and who is the first to be eliminated.

Chef Ramsay teaches the chefs a lesson in teamwork when he puts them through a physical challenge involving pigs and potatoes, but the competition really heats up when the team competition continues in the kitchen. The winning team earns a luxurious day on a yacht while the losing team is tasked with bathing their new livestock friends. Later, a disorganized dinner service disappoints Chef Ramsay, and once again an entire team is kicked out of the kitchen. Find out who is eliminated.

Chef Ramsay tests the contestants' ability to work as a team by setting up a tricycle relay race during which both teams must work in pairs to accomplish basic culinary tasks. The winning team earns a trip to San Francisco, while the losing team goes carrot picking at a farm. Later, both teams fail to impress Chef Ramsay during another disappointing dinner service. Find out who is sent home for good.

The teams must create a unique pizza dish for VIP guest judge Chef Wolfgang Puck.

In the continuation of a heated elimination, Chef Ramsay asks each team to pick a team leader for the next dinner service. Each team strategizes station assignments, as they anxiously prepare for their first VIP guests in HELL’S KITCHEN. But the meal takes a turn for the worse when one chef prematurely serves an undercooked dish. Find out which team has to present two chefs for elimination and which contestant Chef Ramsay chooses to send home.

Chef Ramsay puts the contestants to the ultimate memory test when he challenges the red and blue teams to match side dishes with four different types of protein. The team that pairs the dishes successfully wins a day trip to Laguna Beach, while the losing team spends the day preparing honey taffy from scratch. Later, the contestants get an early wake-up call to prepare a breakfast reception for the first-ever HELL’S KITCHEN wedding. While some contestants rise to challenge, others scramble to complete the simplest dishes, resulting in an emotional elimination round.