Bonnie Muirhead was a contestant on Season 3 of Hell's Kitchen. She was the runner-up of that season.
Personality
Bonnie was the sweet innocent girl of Hell's Kitchen. She was always unsure of herself, scared about everything. But, as the season went on, she improved her confidence and her cooking, and became one of the strongest chefs of the season. She also developed a friendship with Jen.
Season 3
Episode 1
Bonnie was the fifth person to have her signature dish judged by Ramsay. She served a contemporary cheese course, which Ramsay noted was not only different, but it also showed him how inexperienced she was at the moment.
During prep, Bonnie was annoyed by Joanna's dictatorship role.
During dinner service, Bonnie was on the appetizer station. She put garlic in risotto when it was not needed, causing another argument between her and Joanna. She would later try and help Tiffany on the quail eggs, but broke the yolks in the process. The red team lost the dinner service, after Ramsay called the women "Hell's Bitches". Melissa was named "Best of the Worst".
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 2
After elimination, Bonnie voiced her dismay that the red team argued all service instead of working together, which Melissa agreed with.
During the Dover Sole Challenge, Bonnie failed to get all of her fish properly cleaned and scored no points. Despite that, the red team won the challenge, and were rewarded with a fishing trip in the Pacific and lunch with Ramsay.
During dinner service, Bonnie was on the fish station. She accidentally cooked three orders of scallops when only one was needed, leading Ramsay to call her a "dumb blonde". However, the red team won the dinner service.
Episode 3
When the Army and Navy arrived to wake the chefs up, Bonnie was in the shower, much to her frustration since she had not washed the conditioner in her hair. The red team won the Army and Navy Service Challenge, and was rewarded with a helicopter tour of Los Angeles.
During dinner service, Bonnie was on the fish station. She sent up raw scallops at one point, but made Ramsay angrier by her dumb question about it. Her team lost the dinner service, and nobody was safe. Ramsay, in particular, declared that he no longer trusted her on cooking fish.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 4
Upstairs in the dorms, Bonnie comforted Jen after her "pasta incident", and got annoyed with Vinnie's jabs. She loudly admitted that she feels like she was in a real Hell due to the stress and lack of sleep.
During the Blind Taste Test, Bonnie went up third for the red team and was up against Josh. While she did not score on the lobster, she scored on the bok choy and pear, scoring two points for the red team, impressing Ramsay. Her team won the challenge 5-3 and were rewarded with a special lunch excursion with Ramsay by eating in the dark. Vinnie accused her of cheating since she was able to hear Ramsay through the headphones before the judging, but she argued against it and lost all sympathy for the blue team.
During dinner service, Bonnie was on the meat station. She proved to have a miserable night as her initial chicken was raw, and tried to save it by slicing it in half and cooking it some more. However, Ramsay found that it came out dry, and derided her for her constant "dumb blonde" responses. Her Wellingtons were also raw at one point, and while Melissa tried to help her, this only made her more confused and frustrated by the lack of communication. After service closed down, she broke down in tears due to her poor performance and believed she did not deserve to stay in Hell's Kitchen any longer. Both teams lost the dinner service, and Ramsay continued to criticize her poor performance. For the red team, Jen was named "Best of the Worst".
Bonnie was not nominated by Jen, but she was eventually called down after Ramsay overruled both teams' formal nominations. She survived elimination.
Episode 5
After elimination, Bonnie confronted her team for not comforting her, but Melissa coldly reminded her that they were in a competition. That caused her to wonder if she has what it takes to be in Hell's Kitchen.
During the Wedding Planning Challenge, Bonnie was insulted by Melissa when the latter told Jen and Julia not to listen to her, much to her dismay. After the cooking, she told Ramsay that the red team had a tough time due to the fact that they were arguing a lot. While she did not present any of the red team's dishes, she expressed embarrassment over the red team's overcooked duck breast being served to the wedding couple without any sides. The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and were punished by decorating the dining room for the wedding reception under the supervision of Francisco the Party Planner. During the punishment, Melissa continued to dictate the red team's moves, which almost caused her to strangle her with some chiffon, and asked Melissa what happened to her since the competition started.
During the Wedding dinner service, Bonnie was on the fish station. At one point she sent up scallops to the hot plate, but Ramsay told her he could not accept them since he needed the blue team's appetizers for the newlyweds first. Her team eventually lost the service, and Jen was named "Best of the Worst".
Bonnie was Jen's second nominee for elimination, with Melissa being the first. She survived elimination and Melissa was transferred to the blue team. While going back to the dorms, Jen revealed that she put her up because she knew she would survive.
Episode 6
After elimination, Bonnie gathered the red team while coldly ignoring Melissa. She stated that now that the three bullies of the red team were gone, it would be the best opportunity to step up their game.
During the Lobster Dish Challenge, Bonnie created a grilled lobster salad with baked apples. Ramsay noted that she took a big risk grilling the lobster, but complimented her ambition by saying the dish tasted delicious. The red team won the challenge 2-1, and was rewarded with a photo shoot with Ramsay for In Touch magazine.
Before service, Ramsay informed Bonnie that he had her lobster salad added on the menu which made her felt honored. During dinner service, she was on the meat station. At one point, her pan caught on fire which caused her to become confused, but Ramsay put the fire out and lectured her on fire safety. Despite that, she managed to send out good meat dishes and earned praise from Ramsay for the first time that season. Her team eventually won the dinner service.
Episode 7
Heading back to the dorms, Bonnie expressed surprise that Melissa was eliminated so quickly. However, she stated that with six chefs left, she was ready to take out the men.
During the Leftover Challenge, Bonnie was the representative for the appetizer, which was a rustic chicken stew. Ramsay praised it for tasting nice, and ended up tying with Brad as Ramsay could not decide which one was better. Her team lost the challenge 1-2 and was forced to do spring cleaning and participate in Delivery Day. During the punishment, while she was responsible for checking that they had the exact order, it was soon found out that most of the items they grabbed were the wrong items, much to their dismay. As a result, they had to call the truck again and fixed their mistakes well into the night.
Before service, Ramsay announced that both teams would create their own menus. Bonnie and Jen inputted a lot of the red team's items, and ignored Julia's steak dish though she was forced by Ramsay to put it in at his urging. She also made Jen angry when she told the latter not to act like a bitch that night.
During dinner service, Bonnie was on the garnish station. She had to help Julia out when the latter was struggling with the former's bacon-wrapped rabbit leg. Later on, Ramsay noticed that she was cooking with no gas on, and mocked her shocked expression. On the red team's last ticket, she burned the initial garnishes for it, and had to restart. Later, she got into an argument with Jen while serving desserts. Both teams lost dinner service, and Julia was named "Best of the Worst" for the red team.
Bonnie was Julia's nominee for elimination, and joined Brad from the blue team. She survived elimination, but Ramsay told her to wake up.
Episode 8
Back in the dorms, Bonnie expressed surprise that Ramsay decided to keep her over Brad.
The next morning, Ramsay announced that the remaining chefs would be merged into the black jackets, and she got her's from upstairs.
During the Alhambra High School Lunch Challenge, Bonnie made a fried goat cheese over salad, and when she served it to the students, she told them how she made it. She lost the challenge to Julia and had to clean the dining room with Josh and Rock. She and Rock got into an argument when she revealed that her job as a nanny only consists of cooking and did not know how to clean.
During prep, Bonnie accidentally threw out 23 portions of monkfish that she thought smelled rancid, but the Sous Chefs told her they were okay, and Sous Chef Mary-Ann chewed her out for her actions. That caused her confidence to break and she feared that she could be going home that night. Back in the dorms, she complained to Rock and Josh that she felt Ramsay was favoring Julia over her.
During dinner service, Bonnie was on the meat station. Her first order of Wellingtons was deemed acceptable by Ramsay, and she did not have a problematic service. She later got annoyed when Rock snapped at her when she told Ramsay of his mistake. Because of her strong improvement and best service so far, she was named "Best of the Worst" by Ramsay, and was told to nominate two of her teammates for elimination.
Bonnie named Rock as her first nominee, and Julia as her second.
Episode 9
Back in the dorms, Bonnie was upset that Julia was eliminated, and expressed surprise that herself made it to the final three.
During the American Classic Challenge, Bonnie picked Franks & Beans, and never knew what to do, leading Rock to tell she was doing her "Bonnie thing", and started mimicking her. She even asked Sous Chef Scott about her dish, much to his dismay. She made an Italian version of Frank and Beans which had mini bruschetta and a mushroom wheat cream sauce in it. Ramsay had her own mother come in and judge the dishes, along with Rock and Jen's moms. She lost the challenge to Jen and had to clean the dorms with Rock. She revealed to him that she had little experience in cleaning and, despite being a nanny, her job only consisted of cooking and babysitting. Her bossy attitude and complaints mildly annoyed Rock.
During dinner service, Bonnie was on the meat station. She was the last chef to run the pass. At first, she struggled on calling orders as she flubbed her first ticket but soon gained more confidence. She would reject a pigeon from Sous Chef Scott for not having crispy skin and rejected Jen's overcooked risotto. At the end of service, Ramsay congratulated the final three for the best service yet.
At elimination, Jen was eliminated, making Bonnie and Rock the final two. After that, she got a visit from her parents.
Episode 10/11
Back in the dorms, Bonnie and Rock celebrated making it to the finale. She admitted to Rock that part of the reason she came this far was that the other chefs underestimated her skills.
For the remodeling of Hell's Kitchen, Bonnie was given the red side of the dining room, and worked with Sous Chef Mary-Ann for the creation of her menu, which contained some of her favorite dishes that she had eaten. For the remodeling, she told Hell's Kitchen architect Jon Janavs that she wanted a classical style with some mismatched decor. She later told Jean-Philippe that she wanted the staff dressed in all black, with the female staff wearing fitted pants.
Ramsay later took Bonnie, and Rock, over to Las Vegas. On their flight in a private jet, she was reminded of her failure on the quail eggs during the opening service, but Ramsay praised her improvements. For the final challenge, she and Rock competed in one last tasting challenge that was judged by 7 guest chefs. Her new signature dish was a shrimp and lobster pasta. She won the challenge 4-3 and was rewarded with the first pick for her team during the selection.
Later that night, Ramsay invited Bonnie, and Rock, to his restaurant, named Gordon Ramsay New London NYC, in New York City. She later got annoyed with Rock when she felt he was trying to use psychological warfare against her.
The next morning, the last six eliminated contestants returned, and Bonnie happily reunited with Jen, although she showed some concern when she noticed Julia crying. During the selection, she chose Jen as her first pick due to them being close friends, followed by Melissa and Julia, although she did not know Julia was secretly rooting for Rock. Back upstairs, she revealed to her team that she picked them because they had always beaten the men, much to their happiness. When discussing the menu, she took a relaxed approach, and surprised Melissa when she admitted that she never cooked most of her menu items before, and that she herself was concerned about it.
During prep, Bonnie got into an argument with Julia when the latter accused her of treating her like an idiot, but she hoped Julia would put her problems away for service. Jon Janavs later pulled her aside to inform her that they ran out of the initial wallpaper for her restaurant, and had to use another one. She was upset by that news and after that, noticed that there were bubbles on the walls, though Janavs promised to try and remove them. She later showed Ramsay her featured dishes which included a salad with herbed breaded goat cheese appetizer, an egg fettuccine with sautéed prawns entrée, and an assortment of chocolate truffles dessert. Ramsay tasted the dishes, but noted that the prawns were overcooked, something she blamed Melissa for, and said that the truffle dish looked too small. When her restaurant, “Neighborhood Hideaway”, was finished, she took Ramsay on a tour and was praised for looking non-intimidating and relaxing.
During dinner service, Bonnie spent her time on the hot plate. She was able to read her first ticket with authority, but soon found out her team was not respecting her enough as a leader. She also had communication problems with Julia as she ignored her on waiting for the okra, leading Ramsay to warn her that she was losing momentum. They did succeed in getting appetizers out before Rock's team, but she soon found out from Melissa that they had only four orders of the fettuccine pasta left, which angered her as Melissa never told her before service began. She was forced to tell Jean-Philippe that they would have to change the dish to a normal pasta dish and admitted to Ramsay that she did not know how many portions they started with, causing him to ask how she could be underprepared. Things soon got worse when two of her pasta dishes were sent back for being cold and undercooked. She then revealed that not only there were no prawns left, but they had no other seafood ready as a replacement. Fortunately, Jean-Philippe told her that the customers were okay with just the pasta, but she soon realized her voice was not being heard again. When they got to desserts, Julia ignored her orders to wrap up the goat cheese and when she told Jen to do it herself, it angered Bonnie, leading to an argument between both of them, and Bonnie believed Julia was really bitter about the situation, as a dismayed Ramsay watched and reminded her to run the kitchen. Despite that, they completed service, and she and Julia made up.
After service, Bonnie admitted that if she had another chance, she would have double-checked everything as being short on the prawns might have hurt her chances. While waiting upstairs, she admitted to Rock how hard service was. When she and Rock made it to Ramsay's office, Ramsay praised her for surprising him the most with her assertiveness. After that, she stood in front of a door, knowing it would open only if she was the winner. After waiting nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end, she turned the handle, but her door did not open.
Bonnie became the third runner-up of Hell's Kitchen, and took her defeat graciously, even telling Rock she was very happy for him, and still expressing hope that the right opportunity would come to her eventually.
Nomination history
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Win |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Nominated |
| Week 5 | Nominated |
| Week 6 | Win |
| Week 7 | Nominated |
| Week 8 | BoW |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Finale | Runner-Up |
Season 6
Episode 1
Bonnie made a cameo during the opening of that season, where she gave a rule to the contestants about what not to do. She said that she broke some rules during her appearance on the show, and then, a clip of her cooking with her stove off during the seventh dinner service was shown. Finally, she revealed the rule "Always turn the stove on before you start cooking!" to the contestants.
Season 10
Episode 16
Bonnie returned on Season 10 to compete against that season's final six, with a team made of previous runner-ups. Her teammates were Virginia (Season 2), Paula (Season 5), Kevin (Season 6), Jay (Season 7), and Russell (Season 8). Her team eventually won the dinner service.
Trivia
- She participated in the first ever different-gender finals of Hell's Kitchen.
- She is the third runner-up, and second female runner-up of Hell's Kitchen.
- She is the first female runner-up ever who lost the finals to a male contestant. Paula, from Season 5, would eventually become the second.
- After her appearance on the show, she moved to New Zealand to become where she became Sous Chef at Crab Farm Winery in Hawkes Bay, and also made cooking demonstrations. Since 2014, she is Head Chef at Ormlie 1899.
Quotes
- "I think I'll forever have nightmares about Gordon Ramsay but... yeah he's still kinda hot."