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I will cook circles around you! I will circle you like a fucking moon! Are you joking me? You couldn't cook my cock!

Benjamin "Ben" Walanka was a contestant on Seasons 5 and 17 of Hell's Kitchen. On Season 5, he ranked in 4th place, and on Season 17, he ranked in 16th place.

Season 5[]

Episode 1[]

Main article: Episode 501 - 16 Chefs Compete

In the series biggest turnout, thousands of chefs auditioned for Hell's Kitchen. However, only three hundred arrived at Hell’s Kitchen and met Jean-Philippe and Ramsay. Out of the three hundred, sixteen were selected to compete. Jean-Philippe began calling out the chefs chosen to compete. Ben was the eighth of the sixteen called to compete. He said he was more passionate about food than anyone else.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Ben was the final contestant to have his dish judged by Ramsay. He called himself a machine in the kitchen. He made pan-seared pecan duck with potato hash. It was praised for looking attractive and nice and Ramsay deemed it the best dish from the men’s team. That led him to call himself a force to be reckoned with. After the challenge, Ramsay asked both teams to decide on a team name for the opening night. Despite his insistence of not turning into the leader, his team name, Blue Balls, was not well received. Seeing that he wanted to keep the word Blue in the title, Robert suggested Blues Brothers.

During prep, Ben got agitated because Seth peeled baby carrots for thirty minutes. During dinner service, he was at the appetizer station with Robert. Their first order of spaghetti came out raw, and Seth was appalled that he could not cook pasta despite his experience. Despite that, they were able to send up appetizers after the power came back from an outage. When Seth served mangled lamb, he said there was no excuse for charred lamb. The blue team lost the dinner service because of Giovanni's poor performance as a waiter. They were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he and J objected to Seth's claim that he did great.

Ben was not nominated for elimination and he backed up J's argument by claiming that Seth did not care about what to do.[1]

Episode 2[]

Main article: Episode 502 - 15 Chefs Compete

he following day at 5:49 AM, a marching band came into the dorms and played loudly, and the chefs woke up. Sous Chefs Scott and Gloria ordered the chefs to get downstairs, and they were led outside to find Ramsay. Wanting both teams to learn how to respect their products, Ramsay had them go to their crates and gather all the scallops into their colored buckets. While collecting the scallops, Ben said he would have rather sorted the trash due to the rancid smell of the crates. During the Scallop Cleaning Challenge, he cleaned eleven scallops, but only three of them were accepted. That annoyed Danny as the former felt he had yet to prove his boasting. Ramsay sarcastically asked him if he was a first-year apprentice and stated that three accepted scallops were not good enough. The blue team won the challenge 36-35, and they were rewarded with a helicopter tour of Catalina Island along with a submarine ride. As the men went upstairs to change, he was excited even though he had never seen an island before.

During dinner service, Ben was at the garnish station. At one point, Ramsay had him come over to the appetizer station to show Charlie how to make a proper risotto, as the latter did not know how to make one. He tried to help Charlie out because that was what he did. He sent up his risotto in the blue kitchen, and Ramsay said it was delicious. He was happy to send something that tasted delicious after several setbacks. Near the end of service, he said the men were hungrier than the women. The blue team won the dinner service and he called it a sweet victory as they kicked the women's butts to Tuesday.

At elimination, Ben participated in the standing ovation for Ji's departure, along with his teammates and the red team. While being dismissed, he called it a successful evening for the men as even if the women merged Colleen and Lacey into a single cook, it would still have half the skills Ji had. [2]

Episode 3[]

Main article: Episode 503 - 14 Chefs Compete

The following morning, the Sous Chefs woke up the contestants at 6 AM with cowbells and told them to get dressed and out the front door to the SUVs. The barely awoke chefs were driven to an unknown place. It turned out to be a meat processing plant and the chefs took a tour of the place, with Sous Chef Scott showing them where the beef cut placements are on a cow. Before the Meat & Cow Challenge, Ben claimed that he was strong at meat as he knew what a cow was. He was the first person to compete for the blue team during the meat identification part, which surprised Ramsay since Giovanni was working at a steakhouse. Still, Giovanni argued that he had no say as he butted in before he had a chance to speak. He only got one cut wrong. On the second part, he was the fourth person of the team to attempt it, and managed to get them all correct.

The blue team won the challenge and they were rewarded on a private jet to Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, where they had a wine tasting and a steak dinner with Ramsay. As the men went up to change, Ben said they rolled in private jets and helicopters. During the reward, he called the flight crisp and wondered how the women handled their punishment. When the blue team came back, he was one of the three chefs that mocked the red team during their punishment.

During the Steakhouse double dinner service, Ben was on the dessert station for the first seating. Thirty minutes into dinner service, he sent the desserts to the pass. Ramsay saw it and told the men that he was trying to bypass the appetizers and go straight into desserts and demanded to know what was going on. Seth was confused by his decision and said it was embarrassing. Ramsay berated him for wasting six desserts already, and he blamed himself for misunderstanding Ramsay when he said desserts pick up. Ramsay accused him of drinking something before service and sent him out to lie down, but he quickly returned to the kitchen in seconds. After the first seating ended, Ramsay chided him for sending out desserts before appetizers. During the second seating, in which he was a waiter, Charlie asked him to check on one of his tables to see if he got their orders taken. Fortunately, Charlie did as he found out soon enough. Still, he was not confident about Charlie's performance. Later, he came back with a steak order as he claimed they were undercooked, but Ramsay saw it was the exact temperature as ordered. The blue team lost the service and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he and Giovanni revealed that they would put up Charlie and Seth.

He was not nominated for elimination.[3]

Episode 4[]

Main article: Episode 504 - 13 Chefs Compete

While going back to the dorms, Ben bluntly told Seth he dodged a fireball that night. The following morning, both teams lined up in front of Ramsay, asking each team who their strongest chef was. Danny named himself as the strongest of the men, which confirmed in his mind that the former was getting arrogant.

During the Football Team & Cheerleaders Breakfast Service Challenge, Ben was at the omelet station. When it was revealed they were cooking breakfast to children he thought the Oakland Raiders were dining for breakfast. When Seth slowed the kitchen down on scrambled eggs, he accused the former of not knowing what he was doing and wanted some eggs cooked. The blue team lost the challenge and they were forced to clean up the dining room and both kitchens, and prep them for that night’s service. As the men went back to the dorms to await their punishment, he said he hated losing and turned the blame on to Danny because the latter was slow on pancakes. However, Danny argued that he at least helped him send them to the pass. When J reminded Danny his earlier claim about being the best cook on the men, the latter still stood by that statement. However, he argued he was a better chef and that Danny could not even cook his cock. That caused Giovanni to try and defuse the argument, and he left for some alone time. He believed that Danny was becoming arrogant and needed to come back to Earth while claiming he would beat up the latter outside the restaurant. He threw a chair in frustration on the patio, which was loud enough to hear from upstairs.

When the women came back from their reward, they mocked the men for their punishment. However, that made Ben more determined to beat them that night. Before service, Sous Chef Gloria asked the blue team where the red team's tomato butter sauce was. He did not make it yet, so he quickly started on a batch. During dinner service, he was at the meat station. When Giovanni failed to boil the water on time, he asked how the former could cook pasta without boiling water. Later, Andrea came into the blue kitchen asking for the tomato butter sauce, but he revealed he did not have it ready. That pissed off Andrea, and Ramsay asked him if he was trying to sabotage the red kitchen. He argued he was not, and he admitted to dropping the ball due to the punishment, while Ramsay called him a muppet. One hour into dinner service, he sent over the women’s tomato butter sauce, but a quick taste from Andrea and Ramsay revealed that the sauce was too salty. Ramsay ordered more sauce, and he admitted taking a gamble as he did not taste the sauce before going into the red kitchen. He had Danny make another batch, and the latter said he could cook anything. After Danny's sauce was accepted, Ramsay told him that the latter's sauce was better than the disgusting batch he made. On entrées, he said he cooked a lot of lamb and was ready to unleash the beast. However, his lamb was sliced very thinly with a rip in one chop, and Ramsay said he would not even serve the former's lamb to his dog. Robert compared it to carpaccio on a bone. When Ramsay asked Danny for the chicken garnishes in the blue kitchen, he wondered if the latter could talk the talk. After both teams were kicked out of the kitchen, he tried to stay in the kitchen, but Ramsay angrily yelled at him to leave.

Both teams were named joint losers and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Giovanni and Danny nominated him for elimination. However, he refused to believe he was the second-worst in the blue kitchen. He recalled that Danny had problems on garnish and did not see him step up to the plate that night. Still, Robert called his thin lamb incident as one of the three major mistakes of that night.

Ben was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Seth being the first, and joined Colleen and Lacey from the red team. During his plea, he said he gave it everything when he entered the blue kitchen by being a leader for the men. However, Ramsay told him that he ran too fast for his own good and ran like a rhinoceros all day with nothing achieved. In the end, Ramsay sent him back in line, therefore surviving elimination. After Seth's elimination, he welcomed Lacey as a new teammate. While being dismissed, he told his teammates he was not at the same level as the three other nominees and called it personal.[4]

Episode 5[]

Main article: Episode 505 - 12 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Ben was still shocked by the news as they had already gotten rid of a weak link. he bluntly told Lacey that they were not looking for another Seth and felt Ramsay gave them another piece of dead weight.

During the Asian Fusion Challenge, Ben said the blue team deemed Lacey the new girl and did not trust her when the latter tried to input suggestions. He was paired with Lacey on the seafood dish. He thought Lacey needed a kick in the butt to get her in the right direction, but his precise instructions caused Lacey to call him egotistical. Before the judging began, he said the blue team winning the challenge would be major as they were coming off some losses. They were the second pair from the blue team to have their dish judged and they went up against Paula and LA from the red team. Even though he did not see the fusion in the red team's dish, the judges saw differently. They made pan-seared scallops with a sea urchin and caviar Berblanc sauce. Despite claiming that his specialty was French-Asian fusion, the dish was deemed too salty and mushy. They lost that round to Paula and LA.

The blue team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by making fortune cookies and decorating the entire dining room with origami. Back at the dorms, Ben stayed with Lacey on the patio when the other men left. He gave Lacey a pep talk, urged her to have some more motivation to do well, and told her that the blue team needed her. However, Lacey saw that he was trying to blow smoke up her ass, and it was everyone for themselves.

During dinner service, Ben was at the appetizer station with Giovanni. At one point, he and Giovanni were happy to see Lacey speak up. Both teams were named joint losers and Giovanni was named the "Best of the Worst" for the blue team.

He was not nominated for elimination.[5]

Episode 6[]

Main article: Episode 506 - 11 Chefs Compete

When Ramsay announced that their next service was a Bar Mitzvah party, Ben was excited as he was of the Jewish faith, and he gave a summary of what a Bar Mitzvah was. After hearing the dishes they would cook, he wanted to give Sally a big hug after hearing them. During the Bar Mitzvah Planning Challenge, he told Lacey he had made upscaled Jewish food before and thought he could shine for his people on the brisket. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Andrea. He presented the blue team's classic brisket and talked about he was raised in a conservative Jewish family. However, that annoyed Paula. Although Max liked the dish's sweetness, he lost that round to Andrea. He was disappointed as he thought his dish was spot on.

The blue team won the challenge 2-1 and they were rewarded with a trip to Skin Haven spa for a day of relaxation. During the reward, Ben told Lacey that she really deserved the reward based on Ramsay’s comments.

During the Bar Mitzvah dinner service, Ben was at the fish station. When he saw the red team's participate in the horah dance as part of their punishment, he was jealous that he did not participate in it. Later, he called Danny a pig for failing to clean his plate. The blue team won the service.[6]

Episode 7[]

Main article: Episode 507 - 10 Chefs Compete

Before the Leftovers Challenge, Ben and the blue team said goodbye to Giovanni, who has just been transferred to the red team. During the challenge, he gave Lacey a few suggestions on what she could do. He was the final person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Giovanni, He made a grilled tuna with fennel prawns sauce, which was deemed delicious. He lost that round to Giovanni, but Ramsay told him not to be too upset as that was the most difficult decision yet. Still, he said he was getting humbled over losing to someone else three times.

The blue team lost the challenge 2-3 and they were punished by prepping both kitchens for that night’s service and polishing the tapa plates. During the punishment, Ben said they had a lot to prep on. When the blue team got the plates, he annoyingly felt he was babysitting Lacey told her to get it together as it was Hell's Kitchen, not the afterschool daycare program. Then, he and Danny began riffing on Lacey's attitude. When Lacey continued to whine and eventually leave the kitchen, he tried his best not to lose his temper. Despite being a fraction away from losing it, he decided to go to Lacey as the blue team needed the extra hands. He asked Lacey if she could brush the anger aside and help them, saying they needed her. However, Lacey compared his plea to how it was a few days ago and knew he only wanted her around to have equal numbers. However, Lacey went back to the kitchen with him.

During dinner service, Ben was at the meat station. After J's mid service elimination, the blue team quickly got together on where they were, but Ramsay warned him that he was not rising up. He was slow on meat in the blue kitchen and sent up cold Wellingtons to the pass. He admitted to having problems with the Wellingtons, and Ramsay ordered him to cook them in the convection oven instead of the normal oven. Then, Ramsay sternly warned him he could be leaving right after J's departure. Then, he was still slow on the meat station, and Ramsay told him he personally wanted him gone. That upset him, and Ramsay caught him putting raw Wellingtons on a dirty tray. Danny compared his poor performance to J's as Ramsay pulled him into the pantry for an explanation. He said he could not find a clean tray for the Wellingtons, but Ramsay called him a dirty pig. Ramsay ordered him to clean the tray and warned him to pick it up, or he would be out like J. Once he returned to the kitchen, he admitted how hard it was to push forward despite the yelling.

The blue team lost the service and each chef was asked to nominate one person from their team. Ben apologized to his team for his terrible performance during deliberation, knowing there was no good part of his night and thought Ramsay could eliminate him. Danny knew he sucked in every dinner service despite running his mouth and would not be sad to see him go home.

At elimination, Ramsay asked the blue team who they wanted to see go home and why. Ben nominated Lacey as he felt the latter was not a team player and was becoming a hindrance. Although he did not receive any votes, Ramsay called him down to front with Lacey. During his plea, Ramsay asked him why he did not nominate himself for elimination. He said he thought he had offered a lot to the blue team since the beginning and had very good food knowledge. Ramsay told him he only asked him for his honesty and asked him who was the worst-performing chef that night. He said he was the worst, which Ramsay agreed with. Despite Ramsay personally wanting his jacket, he survived elimination. While being dismissed, he wondered if Ramsay rode his ass because he saw something inside him.[7]

Episode 8[]

Main article: Episode 508 - 9 Chefs Compete

During the Blind Taste Test, Ben was the first person of his team to compete and he went up against Andrea. He scored on the fried egg whites, beets, and romaine lettuce. After Robert performed miserably, he was astounded that the former missed lobster and truffles. The blue team lost the challenge 7-8 and they were punished by serving lunch to the red team and prepping both kitchens for that night’s dinner service. Despite knowing they were all down from their loss, he told the blue team that they must get their acts together if they wanted to win the service. During the punishment, he tried to serve the red team champagne, but a flash startled him and he spilled some drinks.

While the blue team prepped for that night’s service, Ben asked Lacey what she was doing. Lacey said she was still on the potatoes and grumpily asked if they wanted to stop her on anything again. That angered him as Lacey was making him sick to his stomach. Also, he was frustrated after seeing the red team do their photoshoot right in front of them. When Lacey started to complain more and more, he was close to putting her out of her misery.

During dinner service, Ben was at the garnish station. At one point, Ramsay called him to help Robert on the appetizer station. Although Robert wanted to cook by himself, he said he was happy to help as he considered himself the best cook on the blue team. However, he called out timings when it was not his place, much to Robert's annoyance. Because of his help, Robert was able to send appetizers out to the diners. When the blue team worked on Eric McCormick’s entrées, Lacey whispered to him that she had no idea what she was doing on meat. He and Danny tried to calm Lacey down, but when Ramsay asked for a time, he said they needed more time from her. As Lacey kept whining about not knowing what she was doing, he mocked her moaning in the confessionals. Lacey told him that one of her Wellingtons on the rack was the well-done one. Despite secretly wanting Lacey to go down in flames, he decided to help her but accidentally burned his finger on a hot pan. The blue team won the service. After elimination, he said the blue team overcame the obstacle and wanted to run through Los Angeles in war paint.[8]

Episode 9[]

Main article: Episode 509 - 7 Chefs Compete

Before the Red King Crab Challenge, Ben said he loved cooking chicken and claimed to have his dish made up in his head. While he thought they were cooking with chicken, Ramsay revealed that they would be cooking with red king crab for their next challenge. During the cooking, he said that a true chef had a clear idea when they went into the kitchen and already had a plan for his dish. He dropped two crabs into the pots to cook and said he knew what he was doing for Ramsay. However, he struggled to back up his plan to Ramsay, leading Danny to call him a dumbass. When tasting Danny's dish, he did not think that the former's dish had any crunch. He thought his dish was the best of the blue team and had Robert and Danny taste it. Robert liked it and was blown away by the vanilla, and Danny reluctantly agreed to it, even though the latter thought his dish was better. He went up against Andrea from the red team and after seeing the former's dish, he compared it to crabs on the run. He presented his crab in sriracha butter, but his very long explanation annoyed everybody. Danny even told him to shut up, and Ramsay noted that there were only two things on the plate. While he deemed the presentation nice, he criticized it for having gone an extraordinary length to get king crab and asparagus onto the plate but not meeting the wow factor he was hoping for.

The blue team won the challenge and they were rewarded with a day at the Santa Monica State Beach with Ramsay for lunch and a Segway ride. Before leaving, Ben said Chicago never had white sand. After coming back from their reward, the blue team made fun of the red team's punishment as he had no sympathy for them.

Before dinner service, each team was asked to create their own menus. During the menu designing, Ben suggested using a salad and a steak. When he suggested a light shallow poach for the halibut, Robert imagined two older women ordering that on the menu. He thought his teammates were not used to refined cooking, he suggested pomme fondants. However, Danny did not think he knew what he was talking about and did not want to hear the word pomme fondant again. Despite Robert claiming he would not order pomme fondants, he reluctantly agreed to put it on the menu. During prep, he and Robert argued over the former's speed while prepping. He thought Robert was moving slow, but the latter knew their egos were beginning to clash.

During dinner service, Ben was at the appetizer station. He had his pomme fondants featured on the menu. His bisque was very salty and Ramsay forced the three men to taste it. Robert said it was disgusting and Ramsay was appalled about how he screwed up on reheating a bisque. He admitted he over-reduced the bisque and added more salt to compensate for it, but Ramsay called him clumsy. While Ramsay accused him of looking for any excuse to make, he said he was trying his best. However, his refire overboiled and hit the flat top. With his mistakes slowing the blue kitchen down, some of their customers were forced to watch the red diners at the same table getting their appetizers. Later, he was getting his pomme fondants cooked, but Ramsay was confused by their appearance as pomme fondants were usually cooked in butter, not blanched. He thought that Ramsay had a different definition for pomme fondants, but Sous Chef Scott confirmed to Ramsay that his potatoes did not look like a traditional pomme fondant. Then, Ramsay told him that if what he was trying to serve was a pomme fondant, then he was the pope. Danny accused him of only knowing fancy terms and nothing else, and Ramsay compared it to a school dinner. After getting chewed out, he knew the blue team must redo the order. After seeing Robert getting swamped on meat and fish, he saw that the former was working hard, but thought Robert was not up to his or Danny's level. When Robert served inconsistent cuts of filet, he took the blame for poorly cutting them. Ramsay accused him of sabotaging Robert, but he said he was not as he gave everything that night. Ramsay was discouraged when he saw his poorly cut portions in the fridge, and Robert thought he was trying to sabotage him. Afterwards, he wiped off some tears as he got in the weeds. When getting desserts out, he and Robert got into an argument about the latter's slow momentum, which caused Ramsay to once again accuse him of trying to sabotage Robert. He said he was not, but if he was, then Ramsay could send him home.

The blue team lost the service as they received a 39% above average rating compared to the red team’s 54% above average rating and Danny was named the "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, Ben pleaded his case to Danny on why he should stay, claiming that he was faster than Robert. Also, he did not consider Robert worthwhile as a teammate and as an individual. When Danny was in a tough spot, he asked the former who he wanted in the kitchen alongside him.

Ben was Danny's nominee for elimination, and was eventually joined by Robert. During his plea, he believed he brought a foundation of leadership and believed he was the man to win the prize. However, Ramsay was doubtful that Ben could lead after the filet mignon fiasco. He survived elimination. While being dismissed, he relished another chance to stay as he thought Ramsay saw something inside him.[9]

Episode 10[]

Main article: Episode 510 - 6 Chefs Compete

Back in the dorms, Ben was relieved to have survived elimination as he was ready to take his jacket off. He said that Ramsay eliminating Carol from the winning team was a shocker as he and Robert bled their hearts out to Ramsay. At the same time, Robert claimed he would not have thrown him under the bus as he answered Ramsay's question honestly.

The next day, both teams went downstairs to meet Ramsay, who asked Paula and Danny who were their weakest chefs on their respective teams. Paula answered Andrea, and Danny answered Ben. Danny's decision flabbergasted him. Ramsay called Andrea and Ben down. During his pleas, he said he had a lot more to give for the blue team and refused to believe he peaked. After listening to his pleas, Ramsay ordered both of them to take their jackets off. Instead of eliminating either of them, Ramsay gave them black jackets. He called it another twist.

During the 14 Ingredients Challenge, Ben wanted to prove Danny wrong and pushed himself to bring the heat. When Andrea presented her skewer dish, he called the skewering culinary 101. He was the final person to be judged, and he felt all of the other dishes were mediocre. His stuffed chicken breast was deemed delicious, and Ramsay noted that he was the only chef to cook the drumstick. However, he annoyed everyone with his long description again. Ramsay noted that it was a tough choice, but he singled out him and Danny as the top two. Ramsay commented how he used a dangerous risk on his dish and claimed there were fewer people to hold him back. In the end, Ramsay named him the winner of the challenge. He was happy to taste success finally and said it was time for him to take the competition by the horns.

Ben was rewarded with a trip to San Francisco with Ramsay and the latter told him he was allowed to bring one other person. He immediately said Robert, exciting the latter as he had never gone to San Francisco before. However, Danny got mad as the former knew he chose Robert out of spite for choosing him as the weakest of the blue team earlier that morning. When everyone went back to the patio to relax, everyone congratulated him and he claimed that he picked Robert for evolving more than the rest of the chefs, After a disappointed Danny left the patio, he had no guilt in picking Robert as he was not impressed with Danny's dish from a visual standpoint. During the reward, he said this was the second time he flew in a private jet, while Ramsay commented how he thought Danny would have come for the reward. Robert felt a lot of gratitude for him for picking him on the reward as he said something switched inside him after getting a black jacket. As the jet took off, he had a feeling that the truck was at the front of the restaurant soon. However, Ramsay corrected him as it was more of a convoy for the four other chefs. When the three men arrived at San Francisco, they took a private trolley through the streets, which he called amazing. Robert called the experience great, and he predicted that Giovanni would complain about carrying boxes. Eventually, the trio made it to One Market, and they sat at the chef's table. Ben knew they were in store for something special because of that, and Robert felt he was up there with the rich people. Ramsay told him and Robert to take this moment and run with it for the following service, and they toasted for the day.

Later that night, Ben and Robert came back from their reward, and he once again annoyed everyone with his explanation of the reward. Giovanni said nobody wanted to hear that and told him to shut up. During prep, he was ready to see Paula perform. Also, Ramsay added his stuffed chicken dish as a special.

During dinner service, Ben was at the appetizer station with Paula. When Giovanni's first attempt at his special came out with a raw drumstick, he knew that as long as the former cooked his dish correctly, everyone in the dining room would enjoy it. Giovanni's next attempt at his dish had a chewed-up drumstick on the plate, and Ramsay informed him that his special was being ruined because of Giovanni, who was called "dickface" by Ramsay. Then, he and Robert were shocked by Ramsay's screaming at Giovanni argued back at the "dickface comment". Then, Ramsay sent him over to the meat station to help Giovanni out on his own special. However, he cut the chicken into pieces because it was not fully cooked, even though Ramsay warned him that it would turn out dry. He got annoyed that Ramsay was finding every service to reem him out as the latter forced him to look at the juices flowing out of the chicken. After tasting the dish, Ramsay said it was delicious, but it was for the customer. That caused Paula to note how Ramsay went after him more than any other chef so far, while Ramsay threatened to eject him if he cut another piece of chicken. However, Ben said he would do that anymore as he would let the chicken rest. After service was shut down, Paula was named "Best of the Worst".

Ben was not nominated. After elimination, he felt that with Giovanni gone, he was closer to the prize and knew Ramsay eliminated the latter for the sizzle plate and talkback incidents. At 2:14 am, everyone was in bed sleeping, but a phone call from Ramsay woke up everybody. Ramsay ordered everyone back downstairs, with their jackets on, immediately. Once downstairs, Ramsay stated he was very disappointed in their poor performance and asked how could the final six perform so poorly that night. Afterwards, Ramsay announced that after that night, he was shutting down Hell’s Kitchen, ending the episode in a cliffhanger.[10]

Episode 11[]

Main article: Episode 511 - 5 Chefs Compete

Continuing from the previous episode, Ramsay announced he was shutting down Hell’s Kitchen, much to the shock and disappointment of the final five. However, Ramsay revealed that they would be leaving for Atlantic City to visit the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for a few days. Everyone was shocked and relieved by the news. Ramsay said the final five would leave for the hotel tomorrow as he hoped they would see what was at stake. Even though Ben called it crazy, he was ready for anything that was thrown at him. Ramsay urged the chefs to keep their eyes open on their trip because once they returned to Hell's Kitchen, they would be in the final push of the competition.

The following morning, the final five left Hell’s Kitchen and drove down to the airport, where a private jet was waiting for them. Later that night, they arrived in Atlantic City, and the jet turned to show them the hotel. They made their way to the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, where they met Michael Facenda, the Director of Marketing. The following day, the chefs were given a tour of the hotel by Facenda. Facenda reminded them of the grand prize one of them would win, even showing the construction site of what their restaurant would be. That sparked inspiration in all of them, and some began to envision their restaurants on the spot. For the rest of the day, the chefs relaxed at the hotel. Later that evening, the chefs went to the SeaBlue restaurant for dinner. They met VP Food and Beverage Nicholas Kurban and Executive Chef Ron Ross and spoke with them. Ben called the chance to talk with Ross exciting. A few minutes into dinner, Robert excused himself from the table and left, which Andrea noticed. The other chefs did not know that Robert was not feeling well and was having chest pain. Later that night, Robert called him and informed him he was at the hospital, saying he had chest pains and the medic was not sure if it was a heart attack. Robert said he would be staying at the hospital overnight, and he relayed the news to the other chefs. That disheartened Paula as she wanted Robert to continue the competition as the four chefs wished the latter well. At 11:35 pm, the remaining four chefs returned to Hell’s Kitchen but were still concerned about Robert's status. He said that no prize was worth croaking for, and he and Danny feared the worst.

A couple of days later, the four chefs met with Ramsay, who noticed how refreshed they were from their trip. However, Ramsay was aware of what happened at the Borgata and revealed Robert was back at Hell’s Kitchen, much to their relief. Ramsay was pleased to see Robert again and asked the latter how he was doing. Unfortunately, Robert revealed he was diagnosed with pericarditis, a condition that would eventually lead to heart disease, and based on the doctor’s orders, he would not be able to come back to the competition. Everybody was heartbroken by the news, and Ben was sad to lose a friend like Robert, but he wished the latter well. He joined in the standing ovation to Robert as the latter left.

When Ramsay announced the Borgata Signature Dish Challenge, Ben was confident that his dish would be a step up from the Borgata. During the cooking, he said that out of the four chefs left, he, Danny, and Paula were three that did not mess around. When he saw Andrea's dish, he dismissed it as a plain sushi dish. He was the final person to have his dish judged by Ramsay and thought his dish was the best of the group. He presented his pan-roasted tiger prawns with mango scented turnips and basil crushed Yukon gold potatoes. According to Ramsay, they were stated to look prettier than himself, but the dish was criticized for only using the prawn tails instead of the whole prawn. Although he argued that he wanted to give a minimal dish, Ramsay was not impressed by that choice.

Ben lost the challenge to Andrea. Back at the dorms, he and Danny vented how Andrea won despite the fact her dish was not cooked. They realized that they, along with Paula, would have to do their best in the following night’s service to survive.

During dinner service, Ben was at the garnish station. He could not remember what was recently called out and needed Paula's help. Then, he proved to be unresponsive and sent up cold carrot purée. After a quick taste, Ramsay called him a dreamer, and he admitted that he would have done the same in his restaurant. While he managed to heat it up quickly, Ramsay lectured him on his attitude and threatened him with elimination if he sent up any more cold food. Then, he forgot another order, which caused an annoyed Ramsay to remind him what was next. Then, Ramsay noticed that his station was in disarray and told him he was so full of shit he did not even know he was shit. Danny knew he was better than that, while Ramsay chewed him out for giving excuses. Ramsay kicked him out of the kitchen, but he decided to pull himself together and fight back. Ramsay reluctantly allowed him back in but ordered him to wake up. Although Andrea struggled to tell him to fire garnishes, he managed to fight back after his slow start, feeling that he got his second wind.

After service, Ramsay asked the team to nominate two people, apart from Andrea. During deliberation, Ben told Andrea that if she were not immune, she would be up for elimination due to her poor performance, to which Danny agreed. However, it was a tough choice on who would be up there as he knew he had a poor night, but Danny and Paula were solid on their stations. As such, he struggled to nominate a second person for elimination.

Ben was the first nominee for elimination, with Paula being the second. However, Ramsay eventually sent Paula back in line and replaced her with Andrea. During his plea, he said he never gave up and tried to better himself every time he competed. After Andrea was sent back in line, he asked Ramsay not to give up on him. Ramsay said he, in good conscience, could not eliminate him. Even though his performance was poor, it was not as bad as Andrea's, and she would have been eliminated had it not been for her immunity. So, Ramsay sent him back and line and gave him one more chance. While being dismissed, he knew Andrea was on borrowed time and that Ramsay would be looking at her the next service.[11]

Episode 12[]

Main article: Episode 512 - 4 Chefs Compete

Before heading back upstairs, Ramsay told Ben to prove that he made the right decision by not eliminating him. Back in the dorms, he admitted to the other chefs that the comments Ramsay said to him were demoralizing, but Danny and him knew that Andrea was on her last chance as well.

During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Ben used halibut, sea scallops, fish stock, and peradone to recreate Ramsay's Italian Fish Stew. During the challenge, he tried to hide the peradone from the other chefs, but Ramsay caught him and called him a selfish bastard. While he was the only chef to use the peradone as for his alcohol, he was ruled out when Ramsay found that he used too much saffron on his dish. He lost the challenge to Danny, and was forced to work with Jean-Philippe in polishing the crystal ware, shampooing the carpets, and prepping for that night’s service. During the punishment, Andrea's negativity rubbed him the wrong way, and snapped at him when he suggested a way to speed up prep time.

During dinner service, Ben was on the appetizer station. Despite getting the first ticket order mixed up, he was able to send out the first few tables without any problems. Then, he was caught dropping spaghetti into a pot that was not boiling, leading Ramsay to believe he was trying to get ahead and panicking. After, he sent over a bland risotto and Ramsay accused him of switching off. Despite acknowledging about a vegetarian salad later on, he failed to put croutons into it, but managed to make a successful one shortly after.

After service, the team was asked to nominate one person. At elimination, the team revealed they did not came to a consensus and were stuck between two people. Ben was one of them, along with Andrea. He was eliminated for his downward spiral, but received praised from Ramsay about his energy, effort, and attitude. During his exit interview, he received a retrospective montage of his run. Ramsay gave no comment on Ben's elimination, and he did not receive the coat hanging and burning picture sequence until the beginning of the next episode.[12][13]

Episode 14/15[]

Main article: Episode 514 - 2 Chefs Compete
Main article: Episode 515 - Winner Announced

Ben was one of the six contestants who returned for the final dinner service. When he came back into the kitchen, Ramsay reminded him of his poor performance on the meat station during the seventh service. He was Danny's first pick, followed by Giovanni and Carol, and the first pick overall.[14]

Back in the dorms, Ben was the only member of Danny's team that wanted him to win, as Carol was secretly rooting for Paula, and Giovanni did not care. During prep, he overheard Danny's restaurant name is called "Velvet Hammer", and compared it to a porn title.

During dinner service, Ben was on the garnish station. On the first order of entrées, he was slow on the baked potatoes and needed three more minutes on them, much to Ramsay's dismay. Despite that, he managed to get the potatoes up to the pass on time, and allowed Danny to send up the first order of entrées out. Danny eventually won the finals over Paula.[15]

Nomination History[]

Week 1 Safe
Week 2 Win
Week 3 Safe
Week 4 Nominated
Week 5 Safe
Week 6 Win
Week 7 Nominated
Week 8 Win
Week 9 Nominated
Week 10 Safe
Week 11 Nominated
Week 12 Nominated

Season 9[]

Episode 13[]

Main article: Episode 913 - 5 Chefs Compete

Ben returned in Season 9 to compete against the current final five black jackets, along with other returning chefs such as Tennille, Van (both from Season 6), Jillian and Trev (both from Season 8).

During prep, Ben felt that the veteran’s energy was strong as there was some unfinished business, especially as they were not at risk of going home. During dinner service, he was on the garnish station. He was not seen that night, and the veterans lost the service as they had an 83% approval rating compared to the black jackets 96%.[16]

Season 17[]

Episode 1/2[]

Main article: Episode 1701 - All-Stars Arrive
Main article: Episode 1702 - Raising the Bar

Ben was the thirteenth All-Star chef that returned back to Hell's Kitchen, and when he returned, he reunited with Giovanni.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Ben received chicken as his main protein, and during the cooking, he revealed his plan for a stuffed chicken breast, and admitted that he wanted to take a calmer approach compared to his gung-ho approach from Season 5. He was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, went up against Barbie, and presented his coconut rice stuffed chicken breast. It was criticized for having two bland components put together, and he scored 2 points. The blue team eventually won the challenge 28-27, and they were rewarded with with a trip to the sky slide in downtown Los Angeles, and dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s WP24 restaurant with Ramsay. During the reward, he took his turn after some urging from Van and Marino.[17]

During the Bar Menu Challenge, Ben admitted that he was not a big fan of redemption, but hoped that Ramsay would love his chicken compared to the previous challenge. He lost the challenge as his dish was not in the top four of the blue team.

Back at the dorms, Manda noticed that Ben’s color was off, and asked him if he was okay. He said that he was about to check his sugar levels, and revealed to everybody that he was recently diagnosed with diabetes, before heading off. He admitted that it sucked that he was not as healthy as he was last time, but decided that he was going to give that night 100%, and did not want to make a spectacle by falling over. With 30 minutes left until service began, he continued to wonder if he could make through that night, and met up with the medic for a diagnosis as he was getting dizzy. After, he said that despite being young and healthy back in Season 5, life has been rough for him, he has gotten older and fatter, and called his diabetes terrible. After debating whether or not he should tap out, he still wanted to perform at the opening night. Before service began, the blue team urged him to speak up if he did not feel well.

During dinner service, Ben was on the fish station with Jared. He only wanted to give everything he had that night, but clocked out on Nick’s communication for times. Then, his salmon was raw, Ramsay frustratingly smashed it after ranting it was ice cold, and was reminded to cook it longer as it was a thick piece. He felt that he screwed up as he was the one that told Jared to walk the salmon, and while they were working on the refire, Ramsay was forced to send out an incomplete table. Then, he felt dizzy again, and nearly collapsed until Jared caught him, but despite that, his refire was accepted. The blue team eventually won the service.

Despite being on the winning team, Ben was eliminated as Ramsay felt that his health problems would hinder him in the long run. During his exit interview, he admitted that he knew how difficult that season would be, had no regrets getting eliminated, and believed Ramsay made the right decision.

Ramsay's comment: "Big Ben? More like big liability. He clearly wasn't going to be able to keep up, so I had to let him down."[18]

Nomination History[]

Week 1 Eliminated

Post Hell's Kitchen[]

  • After his first appearance on the show, Ben became a celebrity chef and was a host on a TV show called "The Big Ten Cookout" in September 2009.
  • Later, he opened a restaurant with fellow contestant Paula, called "1500 Degrees", and served as the Executive Sous Chef there.
  • After his second appearance on the show, he later returned to his role as Chef de Cuisine at Ameristar Casino in Kansas City.

Trivia[]

Season 5[]

  • He is the first contestant to be eliminated after being nominated five times.
  • He is the second black jacket contestant to be eliminated after being nominated by Ramsay, following Elsie (Season 1).
  • He is the first male contestant to rank in 4th place.

Season 17[]

  • He is the only contestant from the state of Kansas.
  • He and Giovanni are the first two contestants to participate in both the individual and team format of the Signature Dish Challenge.
  • He is the eighth contestant, last one to date, to be eliminated despite being on the winning team, following Carol (Season 5), Salvatore (Season 7), Raj (Season 8), Jeremy (Season 11), Randy (Season 14), Joe (Season 15), and Gia (Season 16).
  • He is the first and only contestant to date that was eliminated despite being on the winning team on opening night.
    • He is also the second contestant who was eliminated on the opening night in an unusual way, following Louie (Season 6)
  • He is the second contestant to be eliminated from the winning team without any nominations, following Salvatore (Season 7).
  • He is the eleventh male contestant to get eliminated on opening night, following Dominic (Season 4), Wil (Season 5), Louie (Season 6), Steven (Season 9), Tavon (Season 10), Sebastian (Season 11), Gaurav (Season 12), JP (Season 13), Mark (Season 15), and Pat (Season 16).
  • He is the first returning contestant who never lost a dinner service during his time in the competition.
  • Out of all the contestants that were eliminated on opening night, he is the only one that the reason for his elimination was his health instead of his cooking skills.
  • He is the only contestant in his season who never had to do a punishment.
  • He is the first contestant in the history of the show to get eliminated on two different seasons.
  • He is the first contestant with no nominations during their second run on the show.
  • He is the fourth contestant and last one to date, to rank last in his season without ever having been nominated for elimination, following Louie (Season 6), Antonia (Season 8), and Jason (Season 9).
  • He is the first contestant since Antonia (Season 8) who ranked 16th place which ranking last on his season, and the first since Stacey (Season 7) to do so as a result of being eliminated.

Quotes[]

Season 5[]

  • "It was my mistake for not exactly knowing Chef Ramsay's terminologies, but fuck me if the words "pick" and "up" don't mean: "Give you the desserts"."
  • (About Seth) "This guy has been dicking off peeling baby carrots, for you know 35 minutes. I mean, "Come on, let's go guys"."
  • (To Danny) "You want to hear something, dude? I will cook circles around you! I will circle you like a fucking moon! Are you joking me? You couldn't cook my cock!"
  • "There's really nothing that I can do to please Chef Ramsay, and I'm slowly but surely being able to accept that."
  • "Lacey, get your shit together, this is Hell's Kitchen, this is not the after-school daycare program."
  • (About Lacey freaking out during prep) "Oh god. 1... 2... 3... 4... 7... 8... 9..."
  • (About Lacey having a meltdown on meat station) "She was lost. I don't know what's going on here, hoo-hoo!"
  • (About asking questions to Chef Ramsay) "You know, my thing is this: if you're not sure ask. So, I'll ask. I'll take an ass-whipping for it but at least I know for sure."
  • (After being eliminated) "Being eliminated from Hell's Kitchen, I don't walk away sour. I don't walk away upset. I walk away with what an incredible experience this whole thing has been. Private planes and helicopters and dinner with Chef in San Francisco, I've definitely tasted the sweetness of this competition. You know, sad to go. You know, upset that I had to leave like this and certainly upset that I left at the time that I did. But I'll live to fight another day.
  • "If Chef Ramsay thinks I'm sabotaging people, then send me the fuck home."

Season 17[]

  • (After being eliminated) "I knew it was going be difficult. It's an All-Star season. You've got a lot of real hungry chefs, and clearly I'm not quite as active maybe I was, you know, ten years ago. I gave it everything I have. So no regrets whatsoever. I think Chef Ramsay made the right decision."

Gallery[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. (January 29, 2009). "Episode 501 - 16 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 1.
  2. (February 5, 2009). "Episode 502 - 15 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 2.
  3. (February 19, 2009). "Episode 503 - 14 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 3.
  4. (February 26, 2009). "Episode 504 - 13 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 4.
  5. (March 5, 2009). "Episode 505 - 12 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 5.
  6. (March 12, 2009). "Episode 506 - 11 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 6.
  7. (March 19, 2009). "Episode 507 - 10 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 7.
  8. (March 26, 2009). "Episode 508 - 9 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 8.
  9. (April 2, 2009). "Episode 509 - 7 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 9.
  10. (April 9, 2009). "Episode 510 - 6 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 10.
  11. (April 16, 2009). "Episode 511 - 5 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 11.
  12. (April 23, 2009). "Episode 512 - 4 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 12.
  13. (April 30, 2009). "Episode 513 - 3 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 13.
  14. (May 7, 2009). "Episode 514 - 2 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 14.
  15. (May 14, 2009). "Episode 515 - Winner Announced". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 15.
  16. (September 5, 2011). "Episode 913 - 5 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 9. Episode 13.
  17. (September 29, 2017). "Episode 1701 - All-Stars Arrive". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 17. Episode 1.
  18. (October 6, 2017). "Episode 1702 - Raising the Bar". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 17. Episode 2.
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Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Scott Leibfried (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Gloria Felix (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel)
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Coi BurrussJi-Hyun ChaColleen CleekLacey D'AngeloPaula DaSilvaGiovanni FilipponeAndrea HeinlyRobert HesseWil KocolSeth LevineLA LimtiacoJ MaxwellCharlie McKayCarol ScottDanny VeltriBen Walanka
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