Gordon Ramsay is one of the best chefs in the world and thanks to him one of the most popularmany television quiz series, including Masterchef and Masterchef Junior, 24 Hours to Hell and Back, and of course Hell's Kitchen.
Hell's Kitchen rose to popularity after it aired in 2005, a year after the UK version debuted, thanks to Ramsay's foul-mouthed way of dealing with contestants. Season after season he has been seen yelling profanities, throwing pieces of raw chicken against the wall and calling competitors "donkeys" or telling them to "wake up" while throwing away what they want to pass off as food.
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In its 18 seasons to date, with a 19th filmed at the new Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas this year, there have been many fantastic and deserving winners, some of whom continue to work at Ramsay's restaurants.
But who was the best? Here is a ranking of the top 10.
Michael Wray
It seems fitting that we start the list with the original winner of the show's first season. The tattooed villain was more of an outsider, impressing his competitors and Ramsay with his vast talent and palette.
Although he was offered the chance to work with Ramsay as part of his award, he turned it down for family reasons and went on to work as executive chef at The Standard in Los Angeles. She then ran a knife company and taught cooking. Sadly, she's had a rough time ever since, chronicling her struggles with drugs and addiction, divorce, and the loss of her newborn child all rolled into one.GoFundMe Pagelooking for money for a second chance.
heather west
As the Season 2 winner, she was strong, confident, and instantly recognized as a leader. Consistent in her cooking and with a lively and fun personality, it's no wonder she took home the grand prize, even at her young age of just 25 at the time.
She then worked as executive chef at the Terra Rossa restaurant at Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino inLas Vegas. He even returned in season 6 to serve as the red team's sous-chef.
Danny Veltri
Boisterous and arrogant, 23-year-old Veltri has fooled many people, including Ramsay. But once he conquered his own ego, he quickly revealed an open mind to learning and showed his true talent to back that attitude. And that eventually led to him winning in Season 5.
Veltri landed the position of Sous Chef at Fornellotto at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. He later started his own catering business and worked at a local bar and grill.
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Kimberly Ann Ryan
As of season 16, the 29-year-old has won the grand prize and managed to land a job as executive chef at the Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Funny and consistent with a great attitude, it took her a while to find her groove and her voice. But once he did, Ryan was unstoppable.
According to the latest review, she still works at Yardbird and continues to be a positive role model for the women on the show. In HK, she always made it clear that she was in the running for her four-year-old daughter and she wanted to show her that you don't have to hate your job, you can actually love what you do.
Scott Comings
Any winner who lands a job at one of Ramsay's namesake restaurants deserves to be ranked among the best. And Commings, then 36, was given an illustrious position as head chef at theGordon RamsayPub & Grill at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas.
These qualities and his desire to always maintain high standards led him to win in Season 12. Not afraid to take chances, he has an impeccable palette and has had to miss more than once. But he is considered one of the greatest chefs in the series so far.
cristina machamer
One of the few winners with her own Wikipedia page, Machamer, now 37, won the show's fourth season when she was just 25. She struggled to rise to the top as one of the less experienced chefs in the competition. But she also showed that she had the most potential.
Following his win, Machamer began working as executive sous chef at Ramsay's new London restaurant, West Hollywood. He stayed there until the restaurant was sold to the LVR Hotel. He later studied wine in Napa Valley and began working at Bouchon in Beverly Hills. He eventually moved to Napa Valley, where he works at B Cellars and manages Caldwell Vineyard.
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Rahman "Rock" Arpista
emerge asstrong cookFrom the start, the 30-year-old Harper was consistent and focused. He was prone to angry outbursts, but this did not affect his performance.
His natural abilities led him to victory in season three, after which he became executive chef at Terra Verde restaurant at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa near Las Vegas. He then went on to work as a chef at Ben's Next Door in Washington and even wrote a book called 44 Things Parents Need to Know About Healthy Cooking for Kids. He also led a course at Stratford University, proving that if you can do it, you can teach.
Dave Levey
Considering the man pulled off a win after having to cook with one hand for most of the season, Levey is certainly one of the series' top winners. He broke his wrist at first and had his arm put in a sling, but he decided to keep competing and it was fascinating to watch him spin around the competition despite this handicap. Taking home the trophy in season six at the age of 32, his injury didn't slow him down.
Nicknamed the "one-armed bandit" by Ramsay, he worked diligently and in excruciating pain to get things done without missing a beat. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, he worked at Araxi Restaurant & Bar in Whistler, BC, but was assigned the role of Executive Chef instead of Executive Chef. Soon after, he returned to his home state of New Jersey.
michelle tribble
If you've ever had the special pleasure of dining at Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, you know that Tribble earned every penny of her earnings when she landed the job as executive chef there, acknowledging her ability to cook such delicious Serve food that meets Ramsay's strict standards.
As one of the youngest winners, she appeared in both season 14, where she finished third, and season 17, where she ultimately took home the grand prize. Despite being young and inexperienced (26 when she won), she proved competent and strong.
cristina wilson
The then-32-year-old won season 10 and has been a close associate of Ramsay and the show since her win. She was an executive chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak in Paris, Las Vegas and later became an executive at Gordon Ramsay Burger at Planet Hollywood Casino in Vegas. She also returned as a sous-chef for the red team in seasons 15, 17 and 18 and appeared in other Ramsay series including Hotel Hell and 24 Hours to Hell and Back.
Forced to deal with drama, fighting and aggressive players throughout her season, Wilson kept her calm and focused on what really matters: flaunting her talent, consistent cooking and effective leadership. She paid off because she not only went home a winner by winning the show, but she also worked with Ramsay on many other ventures.
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