| “ | Guess what? Love's not a fucking ingredient, asshole! | ” |
Aaron Lhamon was a contestant on Season 13 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 9th place.
Season 13[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1301 - 18 Chefs Compete
When the chefs were riding on a bus to Hell's Kitchen, Aaron disagreed with Sade's boast that a woman would win that season. Then, the bus pulled over to Pacific’s Cinerama Theatre as Ramsay wanted to show the chefs an inspirational video before going to Hell's Kitchen. He was one of eight chefs shown receiving their acceptance invitation. After Ramsay revealed the grand prize of the season, he asked the chefs to cook their signature dishes.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Aaron was the eighth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Janai. He made a hazelnut financier, but Ramsay was not impressed as he was looking for a head chef and not a pastry chef, to which Aaron said that his workplace required him to go both ways. After tasting the dish, Ramsay deemed it dry and not properly put together, and he scored only 1 point out of 5. The blue team lost the challenge 23-24, and they were punished by setting up the dorms for both teams, and carrying the red team's luggage when they would come back from their reward.
During dinner service, Aaron was on the appetizer station with Fernando. While he admitted that he had not made a risotto since culinary school as his French restaurant did not make them, he was confident in his abilities. However, he did not communicate with JP and JR about the time, and got annoyed when JR sent scallops, as he was not ready yet. When he sent his risotto, it was under-seasoned, and Ramsay reminded him to season his dishes. His second attempt was overcooked, and an angry Ramsay compared the blue team to kindergartners, before forcing them to restart their ticket. The blue team lost the service after they got kicked out of the kitchen, and they were asked to nominate two people.
Aaron was the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with JP being the second. During his plea, Ramsay reminded him about his dreadful performance and how he let go of the reins, and he promised not to let that happen again. Later, he said that he was passionate despite being thrown into the weeds, but when JP blamed him for causing the blue team's loss, he reminded him that he himself, at least, owned up to his mistakes, while JP did not. He survived elimination, and Ramsay told him to wake up. While being dismissed, he was relieved to have survived, but knew that he had to step up, or else he would go home.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1302 - 17 Chefs Compete
While going back to the dorms, Aaron swore that he would not leave, and would not be nominated ever again.
During the Geoduck Challenge, Aaron was not seen participating during the first part, but during the second part, he was paired with Steve. Out of their two attempts, they got one accepted as the second was two grams short. The blue team lost the challenge 14-15, and they were punished by cleaning all the sand outside the restaurant, prepping the remaining geoduck for the next service, and eating a boiled salt cod for lunch.
During dinner service, Aaron served geoduck chowder tableside. He was not seen much, both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
He was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1303 - 16 Chefs Compete
During the Jacket Challenge, Aaron was the third person from the blue team to compete, and went up against Ashley. He won the round over Ashley, and the blue team won the challenge 6-4. They were rewarded with a trip to the Venice Beach boardwalk, a zip line experience, and lunch on top of the Erwin Hotel. During lunch, he compared the men to royalty as a lot of the ingredients were expensive.
During dinner service, Aaron was on the meat station with Santos. He was not seen much, except when he communicated well with Frank on the first ticket, with Ramsay calling it their best start so far. The blue team won the service.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1304 - 15 Chefs Compete
During the Brunch Service Challenge, Aaron was not seen much, but the blue team lost the challenge. They were punished by grinding chorizo sausages for the next service. Later, he, Steve, and Santos labelled half of their teammates as dead weight, and agreed to sabotage them in order to cause a repeat of their last service.
During dinner service, Aaron was on the dessert station. He was not seen much, except for admitting that the plan was sort of working as, despite half of the blue team getting kicked out, Sterling was still in the kitchen. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he tried to chime in that Steve’s first risottos were beautiful, but got labeled a kiss-ass by JR.
He was not nominated for elimination.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1305 - 14 Chefs Compete
During the Protein Identification Challenge, Aaron competed on his own, and participated in the fourth round. He randomly landed on the alligator chili, but struggled to taste the protein due to the numerous spices in it. After two failed attempts, he decided to listen to Sterling, and got the correct protein. The blue team eventually won the challenge 7:09-7:41, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica.
During the Family Night dinner service, Aaron was on the fish station. On the first ticket, he said that he needed three minutes as he did not have his scallops on, much to Ramsay's and Steve’s dismay. After a quick lesson from Ramsay, he managed to get his scallops in time, and appetizers were leaving the blue kitchen. On their last ticket of appetizers, he sent raw scallops, and failed to give a straight answer to Ramsay, but managed to rebound. The blue team won the service, but Ramsay reminded him how he served raw scallops despite being shown how to cook them.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1306 - 13 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Aaron asked Katie why she nominated herself, and who she thought the weakest chef on the red team was.
During the Farm Animal Challenge, Aaron was paired with Santos for the first part, and they got pork and grits. His dish was not chosen for the second part, but the blue team won the challenge 28-25. They were rewarded with a trip to the Santa Barbara wine country, to sample wine and eat lunch.
During dinner service, Aaron was on the appetizer station with Bryant. He was not seen much, except when he commented that Steve was in the weeds due to him struggling on the halibut. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
He was not nominated for elimination.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1307 - 12 Chefs Compete
After Katie left, Aaron said goodbye to Sterling, who was transferred to the red team.
During the Italian Cuisine Challenge, Aaron competed against Sade, and their dish was linguini vonogole. With ten minutes left, he found out that his clams were not opened, and needed more time. He was the third person from the blue team to have his linguini vonogole judged. It was criticized for not having enough juice, and neither him nor Sade scored. The blue team eventually won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a $3000 shopping spree at American Rag Cie for a new wardrobe, and eating lunch at Cecconi’s.
During the Italian Night dinner service, Aaron was on the fish station. After Frank's initial mistake on meat, he felt that he had to fire everything to speed up, but did not communicate when the team and Ramsay asked for the tagliatelle, with the latter accusing him of giving up. Santos, Steve, and Fernando went to help him, but he was annoyed as there were too many hands at his station. So, he pushed Steve away from his station, but Ramsay called him fuck face and warned him to get it together as he called it embarrassing. While he did send his food, Ramsay reminded him that he had to tell the team if he was falling behind, with a warning that he would get kicked out if it would happen again.
Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. During deliberation, Aaron was considered by Fernando, but he blamed Steve’s slow start on his weak performance.
Aaron was the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with Steve being the second, and they joined Ashley and Roe from the red team. During his plea, he stated that he had a bad day and could do better the next day. He survived elimination.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1308 - 11 Chefs Compete Part 1
After Ashley left, Aaron said goodbye to Frank, who was transferred to the red team, and welcomed Sade as a new teammate.
During the Dog Show Planning Challenge, Aaron was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and presented his chilled crab cakes with daikon fraiche and pickled gnocchi mushrooms. While it was praised for tasting nice and being a well-done dish, he lost the round to Sterling, which shocked him as he described the latter's dish as fast food.
The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by setting up the dining room for the next service, and washing and grooming dogs the American Kennel Club sent over. During the punishment, Aaron annoyed Bryant with his micromanaging leadership, but argued that he knew what he was doing as he did a lot of jobs before becoming a chef. However, he proceeded to annoy his teammates further when he explained metrics as they were making dog treats.
During the Dog Show dinner service, Aaron was on the dessert station. He was not seen much, and the blue team won the service.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1309 - 11 Chefs Compete Part 2
During the Craps Challenge, Aaron said that there was no way the blue team could fuck up, rolled a D, and picked daikons. His dish was not chosen to be judged, and the blue team eventually lost the challenge. They were punished by participating in Double Delivery day, which included taking deliveries of ice, wine, and a 650 pounds halibut. When he saw Frank give Ramsay his letter, he thought that it was a love letter.
During prep, despite Aaron being confident that Steve would come back, he was disappointed when he learned that the latter was forced to withdraw because of his injury. During dinner service, he was on the meat station. He was not seen much, but said that the blue team was fucking killing it, and added that they were doing it for Steve. The blue team won the service by a mile.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1310 - 9 Chefs Compete
Back in the dorms, Aaron told Bryant that he was starting to wonder if he wanted the Head Chef prize, as he wanted to earn that position.
During the Indian Cuisine Challenge, Aaron handled the tablet for the blue team as he already used to work in an Indian restaurant. During the ingredient selection, he struggled as all his teammates were talking at once, and he could not focus. During the cooking, he boasted how he knew a lot about Indian spices, but Fernando felt that he had no idea what the fuck was going on. He was the first person to have his dish judged, and went up against La Tasha in the lamb round. He presented his lamb with a date chutney inside the filo and mango powder. While he was confident in the dish, it was criticized for the dates still having seeds in it, the bizarre concept of the filo stuffed chutney, and he scored 5 points. The blue team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 22, and they were punished by prepping for the next service, and cleaning the front entrance of the restaurant.
During prep, Aaron was accused by Sade about being an expert on everything but cooking, and Bryant teased him over his multiple jobs, though he called himself a well-rounded chef. During dinner service, he was on the fish station. Despite wanting to make sure service would go smoothly, he took the blame when Bryant sent raw scallops as it was his station. Then, his lobster tail was raw, he got frazzled, and blamed Bryant for that mistake. On entrées, he was determined to make sure things went smoothly after their rough run on appetizers. Despite Sade trying to rush him on fish, he remained absolute to care the fish with finesse. However, he sent raw halibut, and Bryant accused him of only knowing how to make desserts. Later, one of his pans caught on fire, but Bryant was able to cover it. Then, he sent raw salmon, but was able to bounce back.
The blue team lost the service by a mile, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Aaron nominated himself as he had a lot of ups and downs in the competition, which Santos agreed with. Bryant confronted him over why he did not listen to him, and while he explained that he was not as organized as Sade, Bryant accused him of being unable to cook and listen at the same time. However, that led to an argument between both, he angrily told Bryant to shut the fuck up, while the latter told him that he fucking sucked. Then, he told Bryant that he could not be an Executive Chef due to his poor attitude, but the latter retorted that nobody would work under a pastry chef that could not cook fish.
Aaron was the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with Bryant being the second. During his plea, he announced that he wanted to become a Michelin Star chef, and felt that staying in the competition would not further his goal. That shocked and disgusted everybody, Ramsay called it unbelievable, and asked him why he came to that decision. He explained that he has never been pushed that hard to realize things he never knew before, and believed that he needed more education. However, Ramsay told him that he could have learned more if he would have stayed, but was more shocked that he was not willing to fight for it. As it became clear that he made up his mind, Ramsay decided not to waste any more time, and granted his decision to leave, before calling it disappointing.
Ramsay's comment: "I found it quite strange that Aaron didn't even have the will to succeed. He clearly didn't belong in Hell's Kitchen." [10]
Nomination history[]
| Week 1 | Nominated |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Win |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Nominated |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Win |
| Week 10 | Nominated/Quit |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After his appearance on the show, Aaron had a few kitchen positions to expand his skillset, became a Sous Chef at Troquet on South, and is currently at Ledger Restaurant in Salem.
Trivia[]
- He is the sixth contestant to survive the opening night elimination as the first nominee, following Joanna (Season 3), Bobby (Season 4), Raj (Season 8), Jeremy (Season 11), and Sandra (Season 12).
- He is the fourth contestant to voluntarily withdraw from the competition at elimination, and the second to do so after being nominated, following Simone (Season 12).
- He did not come back for the last dinner service of the season as supposed to, so Ashley took his place.
- Ramsay's comment on Aaron's withdrawal was quite similar to his comment on Wil's (Season 5) elimination.
Quotes[]
- "Everyone loves a moist pie."
- (About Sterling's help during the protein challenge) "STERLING, I'M SURE YOU'RE RIGHT RIGHT NOW!"
- (To Sterling) "Guess what? Love's not a fucking ingredient, asshole!"
- (About Frank after serving acceptable steak) "Because of Frank, I'm just going to get pummeled on with fish. So now it's just, FIRE, FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!!"
- "If I had to describe Sterling's crab cake in one word, it'd be FAST FOOD!"
- (Before his last service) "I'm on fish station tonight, and I am dead on determined to make sure that this goes smoothly."
- (To Bryant) "SHUT THE FUCK UP, WOULD YOU!"
- (After quitting) "When I first came to Hell's Kitchen, I wanted the Executive Chef spot, but this is one of the hardest things I had to do in my life, physically, mentally, emotionally... It's ten thousand times more difficult to cook in Hell's Kitchen than it is in any other situation."
Gallery[]
%27s_Intro_Spot.png "Aaron (13)'s Intro Spot.png (328 KB)")
_in_Blue_Jacket.png "Aaron (13) in Blue Jacket.png (293 KB)")
%27s_Confessional.png "Aaron (13)'s Confessional.png (240 KB)")
%27s_Signature_Dish.png "Aaron (S13)'s Signature Dish.png (267 KB)")
_and_Ashley_(S13)%27s_Jacket_Dishes_(Sheppards_Pie).png "Aaron (S13) and Ashley (S13)'s Jacket Dishes (Sheppards Pie).png (153 KB)")
%27s_Italian_Dish_(Linguine_Vongole).png "Aaron (S13)'s Italian Dish (Linguine Vongole).png (354 KB)")
%27s_Dog_Show_Appetizer.png "Aaron (S13)'s Dog Show Appetizer.png (291 KB)")
%27s_Indian_Dish.png "Aaron (S13)'s Indian Dish.png (335 KB)")
External links[]
Aaron Lhamon on Instagram
References[]
| Hell's Kitchen Season 13 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • James Avery (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Frank Bilotti • Fernando Cruz • Sade Dancy • JP DeDominicis • Roe DiLeo • Bryant Gallaher • Denine Giordano • Aaron Lhamon • La Tasha McCutchen • Katie McKeown • Kalen Morgenstern • JR Robinson • Steve Rosenthal • Jennifer Salhoff • Brian Santos • Ashley Sherman • Janai Simpson • Sterling Wright |