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Being a woman in the kitchen, you gotta hold your own! My name's not Babe, it's not Hon', it's not Honey, it's Heather!

Heather West was a contestant on Season 2 of Hell's Kitchen. She was the winner of that season and was awarded an executive chef position at the Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas with a $250,000 salary, where she worked at the Terra Rossa Restaurant. In Season 6, she became Sous Chef for the red team.

History[]

Season 2[]

Episode 1[]

Main article: Episode 201 - 12 Chefs

The twelve contestants arrived in Hell's Kitchen on a bus and were greeted by Jean-Philippe. They celebrated with some champagne glasses, got to know each other, and had a first look at the restaurant. Afterwards, Ramsay walked through the hallway, opened the dining room doors, and greeted the contestants by introducing himself and announcing that only one of them would win the competition. The only way that person would win, though, was to impress him, and he asked all of them to cook their signature dishes.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Heather was the seventh chef to have her dish judged by Ramsay. When she went up, she told everybody that she was a Sous Chef leading a twelve-person brigade and told them not to call her babe or hon. She served chocolate raspberry empanadas. Even though Ramsay hated the idea and felt that the outside was too thick to digest, he called her dish the best he had tasted so far. After the challenge, she was placed in the red team because Ramsay declared that, for the first time ever, the teams were divided by gender, men in the blue team and women in the red team.

Before prep, Heather revealed that the women planned to get the men out first and have an all-female finale. Before service, she was one of the four women who volunteered to be the kitchen donkey for her team, and she was picked. She was very enthusiastic about that idea, even though Rachel deemed losing her for that night unfortunate. During dinner service, she was already hard at work on the first ticket by mopping the floor. After Polly struggled with appetizers for an hour and a half, Ramsay had her swap spots with her. After seeing how poorly things were, she was ready to get it done as she called out three minutes. Three minutes later, she sent an acceptable risotto to the pass, and when it went to the dining room, Sara started cheering, only for her to calm her down. After three hours into service, with barely any food leaving the kitchen, Ramsay shut down the service after some customers shouted, "I want my food!" all over the dining room. While clearing down, she was embarrassed by that night’s service.

The red team lost the dinner service, but Ramsay named Heather the "Best of the Worst" for being able to send food out after several unsuccessful attempts by her team in the first hour and a half. Ramsay asked her to name two people for elimination. During deliberation, she was rattled as she never thought about being singled out as the one who sent her teammates home and asked her team how they felt. She knew Sara should have kept her mouth shut that night instead of repeating two minutes fifteen times before being approached by the latter. Sara apologized for the cheering, but she asked how she could smile afterwards because her dream could have ended at that moment. Later, Virginia was dismayed about failing that night, and she told her she did not want to see her go home.

Heather nominated Polly and Virginia for elimination, despite telling the latter she does not want her to go. While being dismissed, she said that the only way to go now was up after that night.[1]

Episode 2[]

Main article: Episode 202 - 11 Chefs

The following day, after only two hours of sleep, the contestants were woken up by Sous Chefs Scott and Mary-Ann playing cowbells at 5:24 AM. They were told to go outside immediately. Once outside at the loading area, Ramsay recalled how the previous service was embarrassing. Afterwards, Ramsay wanted them to know how much food they wasted last night as a restaurant would never survive with a lot of waste. To get his point across, Ramsay ordered the chefs to jump into the dumpsters and pull out all the garbage from last night. After that, Ramsay told the contestants that he did not want another large amount of waste in the competition ever again. Now that the chefs understood the lesson, Ramsay ordered them to clean up because they stunk.

During the Perfect Steak Cut Challenge, Heather said it was important for the women to win, and she was the second person from the red team to have her attempts judged. She only got two accepted, disappointing Ramsay as he expected more from her. The red team won the challenge 12-11, and they were rewarded with a helicopter ride to The Saddle Peak Lodge to have lunch with Ramsay. When they went back to the dorms to change, she called their victory a big one, as it showed the men they were not messing around. When the women returned from their reward, Gabe joked about how the red team was one man down and missing somebody, supposing he would like to transfer to their team. She answered by saying she would think about it in the jacuzzi.

Heather could not find Larry the following day. After a phone call from him at the hospital, she learned, along with the other contestants, that he would not return to the competition. She stated she was sad to see Larry go because of an illness and would rather see him leave because of something else.

During dinner service, Heather was at the meat station. After 45 minutes, she helped Maribel to send her starters out. Later, she tried to get duck sauce for the next table but spilled some on herself and suffered a second-degree burn to the hand. Ramsay helped her get her hand under cold water and asked Jean-Philippe to get some ice. Despite her injury, she continued to be a team player by telling Maribel and Sous Chef Mary-Ann what was happening in her station. Afterwards, Ramsay told her to see a medic and left the service by ambulance. All that made her fearful as she refused to see another one of her teammates go home and did not want to leave. She managed to return after service and before the post-mortem. When she returned, Ramsay praised her for her dedication and teamwork when he recalled the delegation of her station to Maribel while standing in pain over the cold water. The red team won the service, and after elimination, she reaffirmed her plan to have an all-female final two to show that women could do it.[2]

Episode 3[]

Main article: Episode 203 - 9 Chefs

The following day, Heather showed that her hand had healed very quickly and had already taken the bandage off.

Before the Relay Challenge, Heather volunteered to sit out for her team because of her injury. She stated she did not want to risk being the reason she cost her team a win. However, Sara was unsympathetic and called her a princess. While Sara was waiting, she tried to motivate her and give her some tips, but the former disrespected her by saying she was good enough to do it herself and flipped her the birds. Her team won the challenge 2-1 and was awarded a day on a yacht with Ramsay.

When the women returned from their reward, Garrett made a sexist comment about how they should go back home to cook them dinner. That statement infuriated Heather as she considered it disrespectful. She began ranting to the women on the patio about how much that comment angered her. She said that Garrett had no right to talk to her like that, how he crossed a line, and God help him if he said anything more. Later, she and Garrett talked about his sexist comment and how much harder women had to work to get to the same level as the men. Garrett explained that he would not let anybody, man or woman, disrespect him, but that comment did not make her feel better, hoping he was going home next. After she left, the rest of the men came in, and Garrett talked about how he was sick of the men vs. women theme. In the next room, the women listened to Garrett’s rant, and she mocked him.

During prep, Heather noticed Maribel crying because of her homesickness and tried to comfort her as they needed her to stay strong. Also, Sara was annoyed by her way of leading the team.

During dinner service, Heather was at the fish station. When she was trying to help Sara with her risotto, the former found her abrasive and was compared to a drill sergeant. When Ramsay asked for a time, both answered, making Ramsay annoyed. Sara called out the order again, and Ramsay reminded her that the appetizer station was the former's responsibility, making Sara smile. Later, she produced a thin red wine sauce for her fish, and Ramsay refused to send out her sub-par dish because he knew it was not good enough. She understood she deserved to be yelled at because, as a boss, he decided what goes out and what does not, while Sara smiled at her struggle. Moments later, she helped her team to send out many entrées successfully. When Maribel announced that she had only six wellingtons when eight were on order, she got dismayed. After many frustrations from Ramsay on both sides, he shut down the restaurant. The red team won the service.[3]

Episode 4[]

Main article: Episode 204 - 8 Chefs

Back at the dorms, Tom went on the patio and talked with Heather and Rachel about how he brought more than the 21-year-olds, but she felt he was not getting it. She felt Tom was underestimating their experiences as chefs, the sacrifices they made, and that he should not be cooking. When Tom claimed that he sacrificed everything to be there, she and Rachel got irritated about his comment, with her commenting that she gave up time with her family to cook. However, Tom said he only cared about the money, disgusting her as she cared about the experience, and was not happy that he was treating cooking like a game because it was all she knew what to do, but Tom simply did not care.

The following day, Ramsay noticed that Heather was emerging as a leader on the red team, along with Sara and Rachel. Because the men were in dire need of a leader, Ramsay transferred her to the blue team, which pissed her off because she now had to work against her girls. As she received her blue jacket, Ramsay said there was now a woman in the blue team to show the men what balls were. Afterwards, the chefs took a trip to Los Angeles, and while she thought they were going to a Wolfgang Puck brand restaurant. They went to Pink's Hot Dogs instead. After having hot dogs, they returned to the restaurant to prep the kitchen for the first lunch service of Hell's Kitchen. During prep, Sous Chef Scott asked if she expected to be in the blue team that day, but she knew the men needed to focus and said she was on their side.

During the Lunch Service Challenge, before the tickets came in, Heather gave each of the men a station to run, and Tom noticed how organized she was compared to them. Afterwards, she had to calm down an argument between Garrett and Tom but knew that if they could not get over their macho behavior, she would start breaking heads. Despite that, the blue team completed all their ticket and celebrated their first completed dinner service. When Ramsay announced he asked the children to rate the food on a scale of 10, the blue team was declared the winner as their food was rated 9.85, compared to the red team's 9.84. They were rewarded with a day at the Santa Monica Beach amusement park to feel like children again. During the reward, she was ecstatic as she never went to an amusement park in years, and later that evening, she and Keith bonded on the Ferris Wheel, with the latter wanting it to be them in the final two because it matched the Hell’s Kitchen logo.

During prep, the blue team was very confident with the acquisition of Heather as a new teammate as she helped Keith keep his pants up with a safety pin. During dinner service, she was at the garnish station. She was not seen much, except for feeling like the men's babysitter, as she was telling Garrett how to do his risotto and asking Tom if his pan was hot enough. After frustrations from both teams and only half the dining room getting served, Ramsay kicked both teams out of the kitchen. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, she was embarrassed by that night as she, Keith and Garrett acknowledged that Tom was the reason why the blue team sunk that night, along with all the other times.

Heather was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she was relieved that Tom was gone as she felt the blue team could come back without him.[4]

Episode 5[]

Main article: Episode 205 - 7 Chefs

Heather expressed surprise at the dorms that Ramsay did not switch out Virginia for Rachel during elimination, as he sounded like he would have.

The following day, Heather tasted some fine-dining dishes, which included caviar, cheese fondue, pâté, and chicken kebab. After a few minutes, Ramsay revealed all those dishes were fake and introduced the Blind Taste Test. She was the second person from the blue team to compete and went up against Virginia. She was able to get chicken and hot dogs correctly. The blue team lost the challenge 6-7, and they were punished by cleaning both kitchens that were left as they were after the previous dinner service. During the punishment, she was envious as she was a woman also and was on that team before, while Garrett tried to chat with her.

Later that evening, Rachel chatted with Heather as the two playfully taunted each other, which annoyed Sara as she felt that their friendship was unprofessional because both were making eyes at each other. Rachel explained to her the power struggle in the red team because of her feud with Sara and said she did not need a loose cannon in the kitchen.

During dinner service, Heather was at the appetizer station. Even before Ramsay called one ticket out, she was caught putting spaghetti in a pot to cook. Ramsay told her they were not a fast-food restaurant and threatened her with on-the-spot elimination if she did it again. She said it was hard to get chewed out after getting pumped all day, but when Garrett tried to comfort her by touching her shoulder, she aggressively told him not to touch her. That prompted Garrett to say that she had to work with him and not against him. When Ramsay called the first ticket, she did not answer back, and Ramsay told her team he was already nervous and they had not even sent anything yet. The first risotto she sent was bland, Ramsay asked her to taste it, and she answered that she found it a little bit crunchy but not more. Ramsay asked her to start again. Later, she tries to help Garrett at the meat station to redeem herself, but the latter was annoyed by that because he felt she wanted to control what he was doing, and it was getting him off track. Afterwards, Ramsay said she was cooking like a donkey. Two hours into service, she screwed up Garrett's station when she sent up the wrong number of quail orders, he accused her of making herself look good, and that caused his station to get all fucked up, while Ramsay told them that they were making their final three tickets painful. Moments later, Ramsay shut down both kitchens after Rachel's problems in the red kitchen.

During the post-mortem, Heather raised her hand to say she indeed did not perform as well as she could, and added by saying they all should be up for elimination but also added that she did not deserve to go home. While Ramsay thanked her for her brutal honesty, Keith saw that as a way of getting the responsibility off her shoulders. The blue team won the service, and back at the dorms, she admitted to Rachel that she would miss her very much if she was to go, and the latter told her that if she was going home, she would want her to win.

At elimination, Rachel was eliminated. While being dismissed, Heather took Rachel's elimination very hard emotionally as she grew close with her. She said she would have Rachel in the back of her head, hoping to use it to get her to the end.[5]

Episode 6[]

Main article: Episode 206 - 6 Chefs

Heather was already crying over Rachel's elimination at the dorms and missed her as she knew the latter would be in the back of her head. She talked to Maribel about it and said she did not think this would happen, but Maribel took that as she wanted her to be eliminated.

The following day, at 6:32 AM, Sous Chef Scott and Mary-Ann woke up the contestants with megaphones, shouting all over the dorms and telling them to get outside immediately with their jackets on. During the Three Course Meal Challenge, Heather struggled to find what she wanted for her dessert, and Keith noticed she was getting flustered. She was the final person from the blue team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and she went up against Maribel. She made a fresh-fruit crepe with mango purée, but Ramsay did not like it as it was soggy, like a wet sandwich.

The blue team lost the challenge, and they were punished by taking part in Delivery Day. That announcement infuriated Heather as she felt Ramsay was playing favorites now and was angry that the red team won with burnt soup and one strawberry. As the blue team vented their frustrations on the patio, she wanted the blue team to be the final three at the end and send the women home. During the punishment, Garrett flipped the birds to the leaving red team, unaware that Ramsay was inside it. She did not think it was a good idea and hoped it would not affect the blue team later. During the night, Keith asked why they did not have an ice machine when the ice truck came, but she said she did not care what more was thrown at her. Afterwards, Keith called her a tough bitch, a term she liked.

The next day, both teams were asked to create their own menus. During the menu planning, Heather reacted terribly to Garrett's lobster Wellington suggestion. She told Garrett to put something up, but the latter saw no point as every idea he had was shut down.

During dinner service, Heather was on the fish and grill stations and had her pear tart tartin featured on the menu. An hour into service, when her kitchen was ready to move on to entrées, the truck horn was heard, and she, along with her teammates, was forced to do one more task of the punishment. All three of them raced outside and took in orders of wine. She said the blue team would not be broken. Later, she took over the meat, but when Ramsay asked who cooked the steak, she hesitantly said she did, annoying the former as it was good before wondering why she could not take the compliment. She knew that it was thanks to her the steaks were coming out good and that Garrett clammed up, especially when the latter tossed out a burnt chicken. After that, she managed to help her team complete their side of the dining room for the first time, and Garrett thanked her for saving his white ass. Afterwards, the blue team was called in to help the red team complete service. The blue team won the service, and she was in glee over the red team's catfight back at the dorms.

After elimination, Heather knew that with five chefs left, the claws would come out, and it would get rough.[6]

Episode 7[]

Main article: Episode 207 - 5 Chefs

Back in the dorms, the blue team speculated on what tomorrow would bring, and while Heather predicted that both teams would be merged into one, Keith felt there was still one more team service left. The next morning, at 7:44 AM, she and Keith were hugging each other on the couch when she said she formed a great bond with the latter, as his prediction was both of them in the finals, unaware of the deal Keith made with Garrett.

Before the next challenge, Ramsay announced the remaining five contestants would become one team, which was the black team. Heather was the fourth one to receive her black jacket. After that, they went back to the dorms to change, and she joyfully predicted it would be her as the winner. During the 10 Ingredient Challenge, she was the second person to have her dish judged by Ramsay and served fresh saffron prawns over a bed of spinach and artichokes. While Ramsay found it nice, he realized the spinach was not clean enough as he got some dirt in his throat. She lost the challenge to Keith and was punished by taking part in Bug Night, which was wrapping both kitchens for fumigation, and doing the fumigation herself, along with her punished teammates. During the punishment, she got fearful when Garrett confronted Keith in the dorms for backing out on their deal, hoping there were no knives upstairs. After the punishment, Garrett told her how angry he was about the situation, but she admitted that his anger made her uncomfortable. Garrett claimed he would never lay a hand on anybody, explaining how he was removed from his home and moved to a youth anger management program when he was young.

During prep, Heather annoyed Sara with her leadership, as she felt she was just barking out orders. During dinner service, she was at the appetizer station with Sara. The first risotto she made was bland, and Ramsay told her and Sara to start again and stop panicking. On her second attempt, she sent an acceptable risotto. While Ramsay told her to remember the flavor, she enjoyed a moment to herself. When the twelve-top table arrived, the pressure shifted to her and Sara, as they had to get 12 starters simultaneously. While she found it difficult to work with Sara as the latter did not listen to her, they successfully sent out twelve appetizers for the twelve-top simultaneously, and she enjoyed another moment as she was proud of herself. After the service ended, she could not believe they had completed an entire service with only five people. When the final five were lined up, Ramsay reminded the lack of teamwork, despite the completed service. Ramsay called out her inconsistency despite getting all the appetizers out, and Keith was named "Best of the Worst".

Heather was not nominated for elimination. While being dismissed, she said Vegas was on the line and was giddy about the beginning of the fighting.[7]

Episode 8[]

Main article: Episode 208 - 4 Chefs

Back at the dorms, Keith joked with Heather about the fact he was the last man standing, declaring he had to get rid of the dudes as he was a pimp. Keith hoped that K-Grease was in the final two, while she told him he had to pick her if he was to win the next challenge, or she would punch him in the throat.

The following day, when Ramsay asked the final four who they thought was the strongest chef, Heather, along with Sara and Keith, answered herself. Ramsay declared they were all strong chefs and named the reward of the next challenge before explaining it, which was a guaranteed spot in the final three, which she called huge. After that, she put blindfolds on, along with her teammates, and they were taken to a secret location where they would run their own individual restaurants. On the drive there, she was excited to run her own restaurant. She got excited when it was revealed to be catering trucks for construction workers.

During the 100 Portions Construction Workers Challenge, Heather cooked a grilled chicken sandwich with French fries, as everybody loved those dishes. As she served her dish, she revealed that she added alcohol to her onions as she thought construction workers loved alcohol. Back in Hell's Kitchen, she knew that the immune chef could throw things out of whack, but Ramsay revealed that her dish was named the worst by the workers, making her lose the challenge to Virginia. The news made her heart drop.

Heather was punished by prepping crab for the next dinner service. Back at the dorms, Keith comforted Heather, who was discouraged by the results. Then, she and Keith felt that Virginia won not because the workers liked her dish but because they liked her. Keith said she won only because she was the hottest and was flirting with them, saying things like I'll take you home. The two plotted against Virginia, and they agreed to leave her on the side if she needed help during service. During the punishment, she was pissed off that Virginia was still around despite having all but one poor service. As the trio were pissed at Virginia, they planned on letting her fall in the following service. When Virginia returned from her reward, she received a cheap glove.

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay said that three master chefs would be eating in the dining room that night, and that was not the time to mess up. During dinner service, Heather was at the meat station. As she knew she could be any of the three remaining chefs going home that night, she was in overdrive on meat as she had to step up. Then, Virginia could not find her green beans, holding her up on her entrées. Still, when Virginia told Ramsay she was trying to move fast as many things were going on at once, the latter told the former to watch her. Despite that, she served perfectly cooked Wellingtons, and Ramsay said it was their best start. When the master chefs arrived, she chose to serve them beef Wellingtons. However, Sara declared she needed two minutes on the salmon, so she had to take her duck back. While Sara acknowledged her mistake, Ramsay said he knew it was her mistake, claimed that the duck was perfectly cooked and that she was holding the entrées back. When Sara said she needed two minutes again, Ramsay was discouraged, and she had to refire her duck. When Sara continued to struggle, she was sent over to fish to help her but got kicked off by the former, who said she was fine. Determined to ensure the quality of her food, she communicated well with Virginia, only to repeat one of her orders to her when the latter did not understand it. After a minor fire erupted at Virginia's station, she was sent there to help her, going to the back store looking for bok choy. Despite that, she succeeded in getting her entrées out, and more than half of the diners received their main courses. When Jean-Philippe returned to the kitchen with the chefs' dishes, he said to her that the meat was cooked perfectly, but Virginia's peas were burned. She sarcastically thanked Virginia for that. While she was determined to complete service, with or without help, Sara asked her to slow down. Still, Ramsay made Sara count the tickets, of which there were ten left, and made the latter apologize to her for that comment like she meant it. Afterwards, Virginia told her to slow down as well, as she could not make it in time, leading Ramsay to tell her that the former was screwing her. Then, Virginia told Ramsay she burned the cabbage, which forced her to take her meat back. That led Ramsay to revoke Virginia's immunity, which made Heather smile and thank God for that. After the last ticket was sent out, Ramsay congratulated her.

When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay named Heather "Best of the Worst" for having the dish most enjoyed by the three master chefs. She was asked to nominate two of her teammates for elimination. During deliberation, Virginia convinced her to put her up as she was so ashamed about her performance and seriously wondered if she was ready to run a restaurant. Although she felt threatened by Virginia’s creativity, she respected that decision and went to the patio to tell the news to Sara and Keith. She said she was nominating Sara alongside Virginia, which made the latter ask why. Although shocked that she had to justify her reasoning, she felt Sara made more mistakes than Keith, whose performance that night was okay. She reassured Sara that she was not going home as Virginia was taking herself out, and the three chefs toasted to themselves being in the final three.

Heather nominated Virginia as her first nominee and Sara as her second. She was shocked when Virginia announced that she wanted to stay despite the latter saying she wanted to leave, eliminating Sara in the process. While being dismissed, she was still shocked about Virginia staying due to being a threat to her, but she said she was not worried.[8]

Episode 9[]

Main article: Episode 209 - 3 Chefs

Heather was still shocked over Virginia’s decision at the dorms and felt bad as she told Sara she would survive over the former. On the patio, she feared that had she put Keith up for elimination, he would have been gone, but the latter felt safe against Virginia as he could easily beat her in the kitchen. When Virginia asked them if she was better than Sara, both she and Keith yawned in her face as it was not important. The following day, Virginia, determined not to fail on another service, asked many questions to her. Still, she refused to answer Virginia, thinking she would not help the latter win the competition as she wanted to win.

During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Heather used wild striped sea bass, mashed potatoes, and cilantro to recreate Ramsay's dish. During the cooking, she started to second-guess herself. She lost the challenge to Virginia, and after hearing the decision, she disappointingly said that no matter how good you were, sometimes it was not your day. She was punished by spending some time with Jean-Philippe in the dining room, polishing all the glasses and silverware of the entire dining room. Back at the dorms, she accused Virginia of taking the recipe of the dish used in the challenge in the recipe book she got during her shopping spree reward. However, Virginia accused her of being jealous of her success and did not listen to her as she was proud of herself. When Virginia left, she told Keith that she would not help the former anymore, something Keith agreed to do as Virginia did not do well in services. In addition, Keith told her to beat Virginia in the finale if it would not be himself. During the punishment, she and Keith tried to listen to what Ramsay was saying to Virginia while polishing the glasses, with her saying that there were not many things that needed to be taught but rather executed. When she saw Virginia at the pass, she got pissed at Ramsay for teaching the latter how to win, but Keith did not think Virginia could grasp it. However, she refused to let Virginia take away her dream when she was so close.

Later that night, Heather gave a cold shoulder to Virginia when she asked her if she was mad at her. She told Virginia she did not want to be her friend anymore as she continued to accuse her of cheating. When she went to bed, Keith joined her, laughing and having fun with her, leaving Virginia alone in her bedroom. During prep, she refused to answer Virginia's questions as she did not want anybody to take her dream away from her. When Ramsay announced that they would each take control of the pass, she knew how serious that was as Vegas was on the line.

During dinner service, Heather was at the meat station. When Ramsay asked for the chicken, she panicked and said it needed 30 seconds more. Unfortunately, she sent it up burnt, and Ramsay asked her to start again without making the same mistake, much to her embarrassment. During Keith's turn, she had to take over timings when the former struggled, as she knew they must control the reins, and she asked Keith if he had some balls. She was the second chef to run the pass and asked Sous Chef Scott and Virginia for a proper time for their food to be ready. However, she tended to rush because of the pressure, so Ramsay had to tell her to stop panicking and calm down. When she asked Keith a time on his risotto, he gave her seven minutes, but she gave him six. Her good leadership abilities managed the team to send many appetizers out. After that, Ramsay pulled Sous Chef Mary-Ann aside to tell her she could attempt a sabotage on the next order. So, Sous Chef Mary-Ann served lumps instead of mashed potatoes. She failed to spot the mistake, and when she started arguing about it, Ramsay lost his patience and told her to stop. After that, she was sent back to her station, knowing that her constantly second-guessing herself was screwing her. During Virginia's turn, she asked the former to repeat the order because she did not understand her well. On the last ticket, Virginia lacked communication and teamwork with her.

After service, Ramsay asked the final three to name one person that did not deserve to be in the finale. During deliberation, Heather deemed Virginia as the weakest line cook but felt Keith was the weakest leader, and the two women talked about his quiet behavior on the pass. While Keith was confident that he had killed it, she tried to talk to him about how he could have been louder. However, Keith told her not to mess around before wondering if she would throw a curveball at him.

At elimination, Heather acknowledged that Keith could have been louder, but she nominated Virginia for not giving her the demand for respect. She received no votes and was not nominated for elimination. When Keith was eliminated, he hugged her goodbye. Afterward, Ramsay congratulated her and Virginia for making it to the final two and reminded them that one of them would win their own restaurant in Las Vegas. He said to get back in the dorms and get some rest. Back at the dorms, both were excited and shouted all over the place when they saw champagne bottles waiting for them on the table with a letter of congratulations. They opened a bottle, drank a glass, and somebody knocked at the door. Before the people were revealed, the episode ended on a cliffhanger.[9]

Episode 10/11[]

Main article: Episode 210/211 - 2 Chefs/Winner

Continuing from the previous episode, Heather and Virginia celebrated in the dorms with some champagne glasses, and somebody knocked at the door. When it opened, it was revealed that those people were Heather's parents and Virginia's mother and husband. Both were thrilled when they walked through the door and hugged their loved ones. The finalists told them what they had done so far on the show. Heather recalled the dumpster dive punishment and her friendship with Rachel. After some very appreciated time, the families left, and the two finalists hugged each other, saying it was a sweet gift.

The following day, the two finalists were back to business, aware that only each other was standing between their dreams. Heather knew it came down to services, which Virginia could not cut next to her. The telephone rang, and Heather picked it up. Ramsay told her to get down in the kitchen, along with Virginia. When the two finalists entered the blue kitchen, some media members were waiting for them in the dining room, holding cameras and taking pictures, much to their surprise. After Ramsay talked into the microphone, reporters asked a series of questions to the finalists. She said how big the prize was. The final question was about what they did during their off times, and Virginia revealed the dance they made up in the dorms, which she was embarrassed about. However, they did it anyway to the tune of "Jump on It." After that, Ramsay revealed the final challenge, and a huge red blanket came down from the ceiling. Ramsay told both finalists that the restaurant was now divided, and they would each design their dream restaurant. She had the red one. Before they left for the dorms to think about their designs, Ramsay gave them their head chef jackets. Back in the dorms, both were excited and changed into their new outfits. Once in her new jacket, she felt cool and that the game was on.

Back downstairs, both finalists stood on their respective sides of the restaurant, thinking about how they could design their restaurant. Heather declared that she could die after winning because she was so happy. With 36 hours left until the final dinner service, Ramsay introduced them to John Janavs, the designer of Hell's Kitchen, and Albie Colotto, the designer of the Red Rock Resort & Spa. Ramsay told them to work with them and, after, with Jean-Philippe on their restaurants' uniforms and atmosphere. In addition, Ramsay revealed that she would work with Sous Chef Scott on her menu. For her restaurant design, she explained to Janavs and Colotto about a picture frame design of a woman cooking. However, Colotto suggested a video wall instead. For the uniforms, she wanted hers to be outgoing and trendy, with the female servers looking sexy. As construction on the restaurants began, she went to Sous Chef Scott to discuss her menus. She wanted her menu to reflect her personality, and her signature was a simple white fish.

Later that day, Ramsay gathered the finalists and asked how excited they were that their dream was becoming a reality. Both said they were excited, and Ramsay said there was some more business they must attend to. Ramsay told them to pack their bags as they were going to Las Vegas. Heather was extremely excited about that trip, and as they went to the dorms, Ramsay joked that somebody should mop the floor. While packing for the trip, she was thrilled to see her dream restaurant and cried joyfully. The trio rode to Las Vegas in a huge GMC limousine, and Ramsay was proud of how far they had come since their signature dishes on the first day. Then, Ramsay recalled how she burned her hand in the second dinner service and still pressed on that night. She knew that she did not want to see the red team lose that night and that she kicked Virginia's ass in services. Still, she knew Virginia bested her in challenges.

Once in Las Vegas, Ramsay introduced the Final Signature Dish Challenge. As the challenge began, she made a Chilean sea bass with puréed cauliflower and carrots. She deemed her dish refreshing and thought the customers would like it. Once time was up, she and Virginia walked back into the casino with their cooked dishes. As the finalists presented their food to the guests, she got off to an early lead and led 5-4 after the first nine votes were tallied. She was shocked by that as more guests voted for her dish. Eventually, they were tied at ten each, so one last customer was approached to taste the dish, and he preferred Virginia's dish. She lost the challenge, which upset her as she deemed Virginia's palate untouchable. After the challenge, Ramsay invited the finalists to the restaurant's top to admire Las Vegas and imagine their new hometown. Then, Ramsay thought back to his first time opening his restaurant and invited both to London as VIP guests at his own establishment to come and enjoy themselves. Both were excited about the gift as she wanted to go to London.

With eighteen hours left before the final dinner service, the finalists returned to Hell's Kitchen to look at the progress. Janavs told Heather that her stairs were missing the Plexiglas they needed. So, Janavs suggested a teal color to go with the rest of the dining room, to which she agreed. Then, she learned that her booths would not be adequately upholstered. That made her concerned that only some things would be completed on time. After the progress report, both finalists went to sleep, exhausted, but they had a lot of things on their minds. She felt she could taste Vegas and refused to let anyone take it away from her.

The next morning, the two finalists woke up and prepared for the big day. Then, their former teammates returned to the dorms to greet and congratulate them. Rachel was the first one to enter and was hugged very hard by Heather. Rachel was thrilled to see her in the finals. As the group ate, she immediately knew who she wanted in her kitchen, but she also knew she must trust them to cook her food. When they went downstairs, she had to pick her chefs after Virginia due to losing the previous challenge. She picked Rachel as her first, which both were happy about. When Virginia picked Tom, she recalled how poorly the latter cooked. Still, she was delighted Tom was not on her team. She picked Sara as her second member, making Virginia happy as she was not friends with the latter as she knew Tom would give her more respect. For her last pick, she got Garrett by default, making her happy as she knew exactly how to get what she wanted from him.

After the selection, both teams returned to the dorms for briefing time. Rachel acknowledged her short-lived feud with Sara, but both declared that Heather had nothing to worry about as they wanted to see her win. That made her happy as they were the team she imagined. She said every station was easy, and the meat station only had one protein to cook. Garrett asked if it was chicken, recalling that he served raw chicken on the first black jacket service, but she said it was not. Garrett was thrilled about her menu as it felt like she thought it out for the team to succeed.

Eight hours before the final service began, Heather and Virginia brought their brigades into their kitchens to prep. She was determined to win, felt confident in her menu and team and reminded them to have everything ready by 3 PM. Moments later, Colotto told her about a minor problem with her booths. Some had unbalanced spacing between the seats and the table, but she told Janvas to cut a small section off one of the booths so it could fit on the wall. Janvas liked that idea, and she went back to the red kitchen. Four hours before opening, the design of both dining rooms were behind schedule. Fortunately, the kitchens ran smoothly as they prepared sample dishes for Ramsay's approval. Her menu featured a goat cheese tart appetizer, Chilean Sea Bass entrée, and bread pudding for dessert. When she presented her menu to Ramsay, he said the chicken on her salad was chewed up and had no care when it was sliced, and the sea bass was boring. Still, Ramsay praised the desserts, and she accepted the suggestions he gave her. Eventually, she had her dining room ready, presented it to Ramsay and said family inspired it. Ramsay found it very vibrant and elegant, but his only negative review was the child graffiti on the wall, written with a blue sharpie marker. Ramsay said the only comment she wanted to give the diners was through her menu, which made her concerned. Afterwards, she helped prep her kitchen as they were minutes away from opening. Before the service began, Ramsay told the finalists that he would be in the kitchen observing how they ran their brigades and how they prioritized quality. Also, Ramsay reminded them that their teams were not their friends; they were their staff. She briefed their respective teams one last time, told them what we wanted from them during that service, and the service started.

During dinner service, Heather opened her Urban Bistro. As she received her first order, she called it out enthusiastically, and the red team responded. Ramsay was happy to see them short and punchy as it sounded positive. As she urged her team to communicate, Ramsay warned her that some important guests were in the dining room. She did not know that Scott Kreeger, the president of the Red Rock Resort, was in the dining room with his wife, Suzette. Both would sample from each menu to help Ramsay decide the winner. She pushed Sara for the appetizers as she was determined to win and give Virginia a fight. Sara got her appetizers approved, and she started sending out appetizers. Thirty-two tables received their appetizers, but one customer found his tart cold and bland. Jean-Philippe returned with the dish and told her that the customer wanted a scallop soup as a replacement dish. She asked for one on the fly, determined not to leave a loser. Ramsay reminded her that she was in charge of keeping quality up to par and told her to get a grip. So, she told the red team that she refused to have one dish returned afterwards and told Sara to keep the tarts warm. Most of her customers received their appetizers an hour into service, but some received mixed reviews. When a salad returned for being too salty, she ordered a scallop soup on the fly and told Sara to go light on the dressing. She worried that Sara's weak performance could get her chances of winning away from her and started snapping at the latter for the refire. Still, Sara told her to calm down. Then, she told Rachel to refire a steak because it was not cooked enough and said she wanted everything perfect. Rachel knew she was riding her butt, but the former got her refire accepted as she told her it was perfectly cooked. Some of her diners liked the dish, and Kreeger enjoyed his steak. Three hours into service, she started to push desserts out and told Sara to replate some of the empanadas because she was not satisfied with them. When Sara sent them for the second time, the plates were not the same, and she told the former to replate them again. That annoyed Sara as she did not see it as a big deal, but she knew she would get punched in the face if she said it aloud. After that, Ramsay told her that the dessert's cream was underneath the plate, so she told her brigade to clean the plates.

Ramsay congratulated both teams when the teams were lined up and asked for a big round of applause. After that, Ramsay revealed that the president of the Red Rock Resort, Scott Kreeger, was dining in both restaurants that night. Kreeger came into the kitchen to give his reviews about the different dishes. Kreeger praised Heather's sea bass for its great presentation and delicate taste. Kreeger thought both did well that night and called it a hard decision to name one of them the winner. Kreeger left, and Ramsay told both finalists to say goodbye to their staff and wait in the dorms. As they left, she gave a long hug to Rachel, saying that if she did not win, she could say that she had an excellent restaurant for one night. Back in the dorms, she and Virginia drank beer as the latter was a mix of emotions over the decision. On her side, Heather wondered what Ramsay's decision would be. After a few minutes, the Sous Chefs knocked at the dorms' door to get both into Ramsay's office. She felt nervous that she had lost.

In Ramsay's office, Heather and Virginia stood in front of a door. Ramsay congratulated the two, praising her great improvement and maturity throughout the competition. Ramsay said he read every customer comment card and that one holds a slight advantage in front of the other. After giving both finalists a key, Ramsay declared that one of those keys would open not only the door but also their very own restaurant in Las Vegas. As the two stood in front of their doors, she said she would be heartbroken if she lost. After waiting nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end, both finalists turned their keys, but only her door opened. She became the winner of Hell's Kitchen and won the restaurant deal at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. She ran to her parents and hugged a proud Ramsay afterwards. She was happy to win Hell's Kitchen and asked if it was a dream. Rachel told her she was proud of her as she realized her life had changed drastically as of now. Three months later, she was introduced to her new staff at the Red Rock Resort by Scott Kreeger. She gave a very emotional speech and thanked everybody, from Ramsay to her parents, who were as emotional as her during her speech. The season ended with a big firework on top of the Red Rock Resort & Spa.

Ramsay's comment: "Heather won Hell's Kitchen because of her determination. She stuck to what she knew best, and she controlled her kitchen from start to finish. Heather clearly has great leadership qualities, and this, for a 25-year-old cook, is a phenomenon. This woman is going to be a big success. My work is done. It's been a phenomenal journey. I'm ready for the next challenge, and fuck you all!"

Nomination History[]

Week 1 BoW
Week 2 Win
Week 3 Win
Week 4 Safe
Week 5 Win
Week 6 Win
Week 7 Safe
Week 8 BoW
Week 9 Safe
Finale Winner

Season 3[]

Episode 8[]

Main article: Episode 308 - 5 Chefs Compete

When Julia and Jen came to the Red Rock Resort & Spa as part of their reward, they were greeted by Heather. She gave them a tour of her restaurant, the Terra Rossa, and had some dishes prepared for them. She gave them some advice during lunch to help them with the rest of the competition.[10]

Episode 10[]

Main article: Episode 310 - 2 Chefs Compete

Heather came back for the final challenge to judge Rock and Bonnie's dishes. She gave a point to Rock's fried chicken Surf n Turf, over Bonnie's prawn fettucine, tying the score at 3.[11]

Season 5[]

Episode 15[]

Main article: Episode 515 - Winner Announced
Heather came back for the finale of that season, along with Michael (Season 1 winner), Rock (Season 3 winner), and Christina (Season 4 winner). She was seen when Ramsay introduced the recently crowned winner Danny to them, and she saw the unveiling of the Hell's Kitchen "Wall of Fame".[12]

Season 6[]

On that season, Heather was the Sous Chef for the red team.

Main highlights[]

  • In episode 1, Heather was introduced by Ramsay as the Sous Chef for the red team, and during their punishment, she delivered their dinner, which was Bologna sandwiches, by wishing "Bon Appétit!".[13]
  • In episode 4, she helped Ramsay with the sausage demonstration for the Sausage Strings Challenge.[14]
  • In episode 5, she told the red team to talk with the blue team about their menu items.[15]
  • In episode 9, she helped Ariel and Tennille complete dinner service after Suzanne and Sabrina were ejected that night.[16]
  • In episode 15, she congratulated recently crowned winner Dave and welcomed him to the winners club.[17]

Post Hell's Kitchen[]

  • She also appeared in Live! With Kelly in 2006.
  • After her appearance on the show, she left the Terra Rossa at the Red Rock Resort after one year, became Head Chef at Monteray Restaurant, then to Jellyfish Restaurant, and later Broadway Grill, before moving to Schafer's in Port Jefferson.
  • On season 6, she returned to Hell's Kitchen as the red team's Sous Chef.
  • Heather appeared on Food Hound: Tidbits in 2012.
  • In 2014, she married and is now known as Heather Serignese and has three sons.
  • She appeared in Beat Bobby Flay in the episode "Against All Odds" but lost in the second round.

Trivia[]

  • She is the first female winner of Hell's Kitchen.
  • She and Virginia are the first pair of finalists from the same state (New York). She and Virginia are also the first pair of finalists to be the same age (25).
  • She participated in the first-ever all-female finals of Hell's Kitchen.
  • She is the first winner to be named "Best of the Worst" twice.
  • She is the second winner and first female winner, who was never nominated for elimination throughout the season.
  • She is the first female contestant who switched teams, the first who did and made it to the black jackets, and the first who did and won the competition.
  • She is the first contestant to have had an equally long tenure on both teams.
  • She is the second contestant to wear all four jackets (red, blue, black, and chef's jackets) and win the season, following Michael (Season 1).
  • She is the first person to serve as both a contestant and a staff member in Hell's Kitchen. She also holds the record for the shortest tenure as a Sous Chef, with only one season.
  • She won the least amount of challenges for a female winner, with 3.

Quotes[]

Season 2[]

  • "Being a woman in the kitchen, you gotta hold your own! My name's not Babe, it's not Hon', it's not Honey, it's Heather!"
  • (To the Red Team about Garrett) "I'm not your wife, I'm not your girlfriend, you don't fucking treat me like that."
  • "When Chef Ramsay's disappointed, I'm disappointed."
  • (After being named winner) "I'm so happy. I cannot believe I won. It feels like a dream."

Season 6[]

  • (After giving the Bologna sandwich to the red team) "Bon Appétit!"
  • (Congratulating Dave after he was named winner) "Welcome to the club, brother!"

Gallery[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. (June 12, 2006). "Episode 201 - 12 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 1.
  2. (June 12, 2006). "Episode 202 - 11 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 2.
  3. (June 19, 2006). "Episode 203 - 9 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 3.
  4. (June 26, 2006). "Episode 204 - 8 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 4.
  5. (July 10, 2006). "Episode 205 - 7 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 5.
  6. (July 17, 2006). "Episode 206 - 6 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 6.
  7. (July 24, 2006). "Episode 207 - 5 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 7.
  8. (July 31, 2006). "Episode 208 - 4 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 8.
  9. (August 7, 2006). "Episode 209 - 3 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 9.
  10. (July 23, 2007). "Episode 308 - 5 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 3. Episode 8.
  11. (August 6, 2007). "Episode 310 - 2 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 3. Episode 10.
  12. (May 14, 2009). "Episode 515 - Winner Announced". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 5. Episode 15.
  13. (July 21, 2009). "Episode 601 - 16 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 6. Episode 1.
  14. (August 4, 2009). "Episode 604 - 13 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 6. Episode 4.
  15. (August 11, 2009). "Episode 605 - 12 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 6. Episode 5.
  16. (September 8, 2009). "Episode 609 - 8 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 6. Episode 9.
  17. (October 13, 2009). "Episode 615 - Winner Announced". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 6. Episode 15.
Hell's Kitchen Season 2
Staff
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Scott Leibfried (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Mary-Ann Salcedo (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel)
Contestants
Giacomo AlfieriRachel BrownVirginia DalbeckGabe GagliardiKeith GreenePolly HolladaySara HorowitzMaribel MillerTom PauleyLarry SikGarrett TelleHeather West
Hell's Kitchen Staff
Head Chef/Host
Gordon Ramsay
Maître d'hôtel
Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Seasons 1-7, 11-12) • James Lukanik (Seasons 8-10) • Marino Monferrato (Seasons 13-Present) • Matthew Childs (Season 21 (Episodes 2-9))
Blue Team Sous Chef
Scott Leibfried (Seasons 1-10) • James Avery (Seasons 11-14) • Aaron Mitrano (Seasons 15-16) • Jocky Petrie (Seasons 17-18) • Jay Santos (Season 19-Present)
Red Team Sous Chef
Mary-Ann Salcedo (Seasons 1-3) • Gloria Felix (Seasons 4-5) • Heather West (Season 6) • Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec (Seasons 7-14, 16) • Christina Wilson (Season 15, 17-Present)
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