Michelle Tribble was a contestant on Season 14 and Season 17 of Hell's Kitchen. On season 14, she ranked in 3rd place, and on season 17, she was the winner and awarded a Head Chef position at the Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, with a salary of $250,000.
Personality
Michelle was young and inexperienced coming in the competition, which caused some chefs to look down on her especially T. Despite that, she proved herself to be a very competent chef. She developed a close friendship with Nick. On season 17, although she had an unwanted running feud with Elise and a few clashes with Barbie, she remained one of the most consistent female chefs, which helped her to win the competition.
Season 14
Episode 1
When the chefs arrived at Hell's Kitchen, the doors were locked, and they noticed that Ramsay was on the roof. Then, he said that in order to see if the chefs were 100% committed, they would jump onto an air mattress from the roof. While Michelle was more eager to jump after seeing Enrique and Ruth doing it, Ramsay revealed that it was not necessary as those two were stunt people, and asked the chefs to cook their signature dishes.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Michelle was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Nick. Before Ramsay judged her dish, she revealed that she was 22-years-old, and that she has been cooking professionally for about four years. She made huevos rancheros, Ramsay praised it for having some nice elements, she scored four points, and said that people should watch out for her despite her age. Despite that, the red team lost the challenge 28-31, and they were punished by resetting the dining room for the opening night, and sealing confirmation letters in envelopes.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the fish station with Mieka. At one point, she was seen getting her first order of scallops accepted. After the red team got kicked out of the kitchen, she was upset as they only had one more ticket after Dean McDermott's table. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 2
While going back to the dorms, Michelle admitted that she would have preferred to see Monique go home as, despite knowing that the opening night mistakes would be forgotten, she felt that nobody could be a head chef after making some silly mistakes. Later, she asked if anybody wanted their menu binder decorated.
During the Crabs Challenge, Michelle was on a boat with Meghan, T, and Christine during part one, they were seen struggling to launch their boat into the water, and later, they struggled with trying to paddle to their destination. During part two, she was paired with T, and they were seen getting four of their attempts accepted, with the fourth one clinching the win. The red team won the challenge 10-7, and they were rewarded with a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, traveling through cactus trails by horseback, and a dinner at the Four Seasons Resort.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the meat station with Alison. At one point, she got dismayed when Mieka was struggling as she knew they could not send any of their food until garnish was ready. Later, she did not appreciate Alison's attempts to give her instructions as she knew how to cook meat, and the two of them started to chafe over their different methods of speed. An impatient Ramsay asked why the lamb was taking too long, and reminded her and Alison that T was not there to wipe their butts after the latter answered the question for them. Despite that, the red team won the service, and she called it amazing.
Episode 3
During the Alaskan Fish Challenge, Michelle was paired with Alison, and they were seen getting their halibut pieces accepted. During the cooking, she knew that the five minutes was a lot of time for the blue team, but wanted to keep herself collected and calmly cook. She and Alison were the final pair from the red team to have their dishes judged, and went up against Milly and Adam. She made a pan-seared halibut with jalapenos, and while it was criticized for being a little heavy, she scored that round for the red team. The red team won the challenge 3-1, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Manhattan Beaches, got surfing lessons from surfer Anastasia Ashley, and eating lunch.
During dinner service, Michelle served a snapper entrée tableside. She was not seen much, both teams were named joint-losers, and were asked to nominate two each.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 4
During the American Classics Challenge, Michelle was paired with T on the pizza, and despite being concerned as they had both pineapple and chicken for pizza, she was willing to work with it. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Bret from the blue team. She made a zucchini, chicken and pineapple pizza, and while it was praised for being well seasoned and having the pineapple working well, she lost that round to Bret. The red team eventually won the challenge after a tie breaker at 4, and they were rewarded with a trip to Long Beach, and rode on the historic American Pride yacht.
During the Family Night dinner service, Michelle was on the appetizer station with Alison. Despite wanting to get off to a strong start, Sarah burned her scallops, and she warned the latter to get another order ready before her risotto got overcooked. Later, she added more seasoning to Alison's macaroni and cheese, but Ramsay deemed the dish too salty and disgusting, and she took the blame for it. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she asked who was responsible for the raw burger Ramsay showed them in the hallway, which Sarah revealed that she did it.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 5
During the International Cheese Challenge, Michelle went up against Josh as she thought he was nice, with Ramsay jokingly reminding her that it was not a dating competition, and their dish was manicotti. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and presented her goat cheese mascarpone manicotti. Ramsay praised the dish for being heavy and rich, and she scored that round along with Josh. The red team won the challenge 5-4, and they were rewarded with a trip to Marina Del Ray, and a Jet Ski activity at the ocean.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the fish station with Christine. She was not seen that night, the red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she revealed that she let Christine sear the salmon as she was more comfortable with that, and reminded Sarah about how lucky she was that Meghan was on the appetizer station with her, as it could have been a lot worse with her alone.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 6
During the Firefighter Service Challenge, Michelle was on the grilling station with Alison. She was not seen much, except for expressing dismay when Sarah got scattered as she forgot the fries for an order. The red team lost the challenge, and they were punished by detailing the fire engines outside the front entrance, and prepping 400 chicken wings for the following service.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the appetizer station with Christine. At one point, she got annoyed that Christine failed to get the little things into her risotto. Later, she felt that Meghan should not have been that bitchy to them that night. The red team won the service, and she was amazed that they did it.
Episode 7
During the Greek Cuisine Challenge, Michelle went up against Bret, and their dish was prawns. During the plate smashing, she hesitantly smashed her plate, and as time went on, she got concerned as her ingredients did not work at all together, and did not know what her dish would be. During the cooking, she decided to decided to drop her eggplant as she felt it would not work with her prawns, and decided to use her kiwi. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged, and presented prawns with fraiche and cream. The dish was criticized for having those elements as it was not a traditional Greek dish, and she scored three points. The red team lost the challenge 40-41, and they were punished by cleaning up both the dining room, and the kitchens for the following service.
During dinner service, Michelle served a special seared octopus appetizer tableside. She was not seen that night, the red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she reminded Sarah that Hell’s Kitchen was about services after the latter tried to claim that services were her weak point, and later, considered Alison for elimination due to the latter's lobster tail problem.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 8
During the Alcohol Challenge, Michelle got concerned as she has only been legally drinking for a year and a half, and had no long-term experience compared to the rest of the chefs. During the cooking, John Ratzenberger offered to let someone speak to him as a bartender, but she said that she needed to cook her dish, decided to do a chocolate stout soufflé as she knew nobody else would do it, and hoped that she went up first as she did not want her soufflé to drop. She was the first person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Nick from the blue team. She made a chocolate stout soufflé with a berry stout sauce, and vanilla whipped cream, the judges called it a bold move for her to serve a soufflé, and while it praised it for being a good breakfast dish along with the great combination of the bitterness and sweetness, Ratzenberger found the chocolate to be too powdery, much to her dismay as she did not use any powder. Despite that, she scored 11 points.
The red team eventually lost the challenge 30-31, and they were punished by participating in laundry day which included ironing, starching, folding, steaming the glassware, and polishing the silverware. Back in the dorms, Michelle was frustrated that they lost by one point, especially since she had the best dish of the red team, before saying that they had to knock out the boys. During the punishment, she and Alison got into a minor argument over how to steam the tablecloths, and T told her to calm down, before comparing her to a Chihuahua and mimicking a Chihuahua. However, she got annoyed by that, and said that if her teammates wanted to make fun of her due to being the youngest of the chefs, then they could go fuck themselves.
During the Gastropub Night dinner service, Michelle was on the garnish station. At one point, Alison handed her the lamb to send to the pass, but while she saw that they were raw, Ramsay forced her to send it up. Indeed, Ramsay saw that it was raw, and lectured her that she should have said something. Later, she said that she was about to walk with her garnishes and felt that the garnish station was perfect for her as she wanted to be known as a leader. However, nobody responded to her directions until the second time, but she said that she was glad Meghan was in the dining room as she herself wanted to shine, and wanted to prove that the red team did not need Meghan in the kitchen to succeed. The red team won the service.
Episode 9
During the Exotic Protein Challenge, Michelle did not receive a protein, and when Ramsay asked her what protein she wanted to cook, she chose alligator. During the cooking, she asked Meghan if she knew what to do with alligator, but the latter said that she did not, and while she admitted that while she never cooked with alligator before, she hoped that Ramsay would like her dish. Because the red team had two alligator dishes, the red team dropped her dish in favor of T's dish. However, she got annoyed as the latter did not even taste her dish, and was disappointed that her hard work was being ignored. The red team lost the challenge 33-34, and after, Ramsay asked her to bring up her dish. She presented her Asian inspired alligator curry with coconut rice, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook called her dish the best they tasted all day, and revealed that if it was not dropped, she would have scored a perfect 15.
The red team were punished by deep cleaning both kitchens, and drink a protein shake with some interesting stuff inside. Back in the dorms, Michelle was annoyed that she was not allowed to join the blue team on their spa reward despite having a hypothetical perfect score for her dish, and complained that she would have liked to have had her dish count. During the punishment, she managed to get the regular milkshake over the protein shakes, reminded the women that if her dish was chosen, they would not be in that situation, and told them to drink their fucking milkshakes. When the blue team came back from their reward, Josh allowed her to feel his robe, but she stated that she would rather get a facial than giving the oven a facial.
When Ramsay announced that he would be giving each chef Progress Reports, Michelle was excited over it as she wanted to know what Ramsay thought of her. She was the third chef to be called down to Ramsay's office. He asked if she fought for her dish, and when she admitted that she did not fight enough for it, Ramsay revealed that it was one of the things that bugged him as it almost felt like she was accepting the fact she was the youngest, and was not being heard a lot as a result. Then, Ramsay told her that she had the tools and credentials, but wanted her to become a little Rottweiler. She was not deemed the weakest chef on the red team by her teammates, and therefore did not participate in the Cook For Your Life Challenge.
During the challenge, Michelle said that while it sucked not being able to help Christine, she noticed that the latter had a lot of confidence at the moment.
Episode 10
Before the Homecoming Planning Challenge, Michelle said that seeing the pep rally brought back memories for her as she just graduated four years ago, and got excited over cooking a tasting menu as she was a part of Homecoming at her high school. During the cooking, she revealed that she loved New Orleans and decided to use a lot of bell peppers as she knew how much teenagers loved color, before calling her dish "Mardi Gras on a plate". She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged, and she went up against the pair of Josh and Nick. She presented her filet of beef au par with sautéed okra, and red and yellow pepper coulee, and while it was praised for the great steak and being simple in presentation, it criticized for the over seasoned okra. She lost that round to the pair of Josh and Nick, and after being told that it was okra that was the deciding factor, she got dismayed.
The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by decorating the dining room for the next service, based on the committee’s directions, and string 200 bead necklaces together. During the punishment, Michelle told the committee how she used to be a part of her own committee back in high school, but T found that annoying, and when she asked T if she heard a recent order, T rudely said that she did, and told her to shut the fuck up. Then, T confronted her, and told her not to say her name for the rest of the day. But, when she asked T to help Meghan on the necklaces, that angered the latter, it caused an argument, and she told T to calm down or else she would hit her with a plate.
During the Homecoming Dance dinner service, Michelle was on the meat station. At one point, she was slow on putting the sliders together, causing Ramsay to ask why she was not communicating. Alison decided to help as she did not want the meat to sink them, but she did not appreciate because the latter was making basic mistakes. Despite that, her sliders were approved, and the red team were sending out appetizers. Later, she found out Meghan took over the meat station without her knowledge, and got relocated on garnish, much to her frustration as she was getting pushed around a lot. Despite her trying to tell Meghan that she was assigned to meat by Ramsay, the latter rudely told her to stay on garnish, frustrating her as she knew Meghan could be a bitch sometimes. Near the end of service, she got annoyed by Alison's expediting as the latter was not communicating properly. The red team won the service.
During elimination, Michelle said goodbye to Meghan as the latter was relocated to the blue team, and welcomed Josh as a new teammate. While being dismissed, she declared that the red team did not need Meghan, and she would become the new leader of the red team.
Episode 11
During the Blind Taste Test, Michelle spared from the dunk tank after T's turn. She was the third person from the red team to compete, went up against Meghan, and she wanted to beat the latter to make her humble. She scored two points as she only got potato and egg whites, and spared T from the dunk tank. After seeing Meghan get dunked twice, she compared the latter to a fucking raccoon due to the latter’s make up being ruined from the water, and called it satisfying. The red team won the challenge after a tie breaker at 9, and they were rewarded with a trip to Petrossian to taste caviar, and a $2,000 shopping spree.
During the closed charity dinner service, Michelle called it a fucking disaster after it was revealed that all of Josh's tuna was overcooked. She was in charge of the New York striploin course, Josh suggested that she put her steaks in earlier to let them rest, but she ignored him after the tuna incident earlier, with Ramsay even saying that he trusted her with the steak. While plating the steak, she told T that she did not plate them like she herself did earlier, but the latter rudely told her fuck off. Despite that, the steaks were sent out, but when the red team began on their desserts, she and T continued to argue well into clean up.
The red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Michelle tried to voice out her agreement to Josh's lecture about no arguments, but the latter rudely told her that he was talking. Then, she recalled that T was the one that started the arguments, but Josh told her that she had to stop it.
Michelle was the red team's second nominee for elimination, with Josh as the first. During her plea, he said that she was very consistent in her techniques, did well in cooking, and felt that she did communicate well despite Josh believing otherwise. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she admitted that she might have an attitude, she knew that she could become a leader, and that she deserved to get a black jacket, before proclaiming that nobody was going to stop her.
Episode 12
During the King of the Hill Challenge, Michelle was getting flustered as five minutes have gone by without a steak cut, and after ten minutes, she still did not find a steak cut. She managed to get flank steak from her locker, but she was not happy about it as she considered it the cheapest cut of them all. During the cooking, she knew that she had to enhance the flavor of her flank steak, decided to put some Mexican flair into it, and use rice and beans for her side. She was the final chef to have her dish judged, and presented her grilled flank steak with salt, pepper, and chili powder seasoning, bean puree, and mango pepper salsa. It was deemed delicious by Ramsay, despite the fact that she had the cheapest cut of the chefs, it was deemed better than Meghan’s dish. The red team won the challenge, and she was ecstatic that she beat the latter with a flank steak.
The red team were rewarded with a trip to Catalina Islands, received a private submarine ride, and a four-course dinner at the Catalina Country Club, and Vitamix blenders. During the reward, Michelle felt that she proved to the red team that she did not deserve to be up for elimination.
During the prep, Sous Chef Andi revealed that Michelle’s challenge-winning dish would be featured that night, much to the latter’s honor. Then, she told Josh to flatten the peppers to cut easier, but Josh did not appreciate it, and accused her of being bigger than French bread. She herself was annoyed that Josh was not willing to listen to her advice on her own dish, and argued that babying him was not her responsibility.
During the Steak Night dinner service, Michelle was on the appetizer station. When she sent up her capellini, Ramsay noticed that it looked stewed, asked her if it was worthy of a black jacket, and she responded that it was not, before being dismayed for looking like a dumbass. Despite that, she managed to get her refire accepted. After Alison sent up raw filet and raw salmon, she offered to help on the grill, and got the refire accepted. After Josh and Alison continued to struggle, she admitted that it was hard to know who was worse between the two, and believed that they were not putting their heads down and cooking, as Ramsay was forced to send her refire out to an incomplete table. When Alison sent up an overcooked salmon, she was shocked as the former still did not know how to cook salmon, despite it being their eleventh dinner service. When the black jacket chefs were sent to help the red team, she was infuriated that the blue team already had black jackets while she was still in red.
The red team lost the service, and both teams were asked to nominate two nominees from the red team. During deliberation, Michelle reminded Alison that it was not the opening night, and that she could not even handle her own station. However, T brought up her capellini mistake from earlier, Milly asked the latter why she was so mean in the kitchen, but she argued that she was not trying to be mean and that she was trying not to be submissive. After Josh tried to argue that he had a good performance that night, she said that they had to look at the bigger picture, and asked him if he had good performances in the blue team.
Michelle was not nominated for elimination, but Ramsay decided to call her forward. Then, Ramsay noted that while she had a great run in the competition, he still believed that she had a lot to learn, told her to take off her jacket, and gave her the fourth black jacket.
Episode 13
While going back to the dorms, Michelle was excited that she got her black jacket, and considered herself the youngest contestant ever to receive one. Then, she commented that Josh had nine lives to get his, much to Milly and T’s humor.
During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Michelle paired up with Nick as the two made each other laugh. They used sea bass, soy sauce, and lobster in order to recreate Ramsay's dish. They won the challenge as they got both the fish protein and broth correct. They were rewarded with with a tour of Long Beach, California, and dinner on board the Queen Mary ocean liner. During the reward, the two talked about how much they grew in the competition despite being doubted before, and she called herself the queen of Hell's Kitchen on the ship's bow.
During prep, Michelle got annoyed at Josh for prepping the shallots for himself and not for everybody, and accused him of not being a team player. During dinner service, she was on the appetizer station with Meghan. From the start, she was slowly preparing her Caesar salads, and when she sent them up, they were in bowls instead of a plate, with Ramsay ordering her to wake up. Refusing to let it happen again, she got her second attempt accepted, and appetizers were being pushed out. On Tatum O'Neal's ticket, she was slow on the tuna, and when she sent it up, Ramsay saw that the tuna was cold in the center, and she knew that unless she bounced back, she would be a big target. After she got her refire accepted, Ramsay had her and Meghan serve their appetizers to the chef's table.
After service, Ramsay asked the final six to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Michelle recalled how her tuna was sent back for being cold in the middle, and when Meghan reminding her about the plate incident, she admitted that she had a brain fart.
Michelle was the second person to be nominated, with Josh as the first. During her plea, she said that she had more potential than Josh, knew more than him, and was determined to stay. She survived elimination, and when being dismissed, she knew that with fewer chefs, she had to be fucking perfect.
Episode 14
While going back to the dorms, Michelle was grateful to be still around, knew that she did not deserve to be on the chopping block, and felt that if the rest of the chefs knew that, it was their own fault.
Before the Musicians Portions Challenge, Michelle was taken aback at the 45 minute cooking time, as it meant feeding one person a minute. She made pork & beef meatballs with spicy marinara on skewers, but while she got a little concerned as she thought T’s dish looked great, she was hoping that her simple and delicious dish would work. She lost the challenge to Milly, and was punished by taking deliveries of peppercorn, separate them by color, and grind them by hand with a mortar. During the punishment, she expressed surprised that Meghan was not chosen for the reward as the latter was the runner-up.
During prep, Michelle left to use the bathroom quickly, unaware that she moved a pot onto a hot element. After it caught on fire, Nick told her what happened. During dinner service, she was on the fish station. While she felt that with Josh gone, the black jackets were solid now, Milly saw that her scallops had no sear on the bottom, and Ramsay accused her of being off her game. Despite that, she got her refire accepted. She was the second person to perform as Ramsay's Sous Chef, called expediting a dream of hers, and declared that she would be heard that night. While she was vocal towards her team, Milly got annoyed by her constant “pick it up” request. Despite that, food was being sent out, and the black jacket chefs were moving onto entrées. When Milly sent up his scallops, she saw that they had no sear on the bottom. After her turn ended, she took over Meghan's appetizer station when the latter was the Sous Chef.
After service, Ramsay asked the final five to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Michelle considered Milly and Nick for elimination, and received votes from everybody else. However, she accused Milly and Meghan for going by process of elimination, and while she knew that it was becoming a popularity contest, she knew that it was Ramsay’s decision in the end.
Michelle was the second nominee for elimination, with Nick as the first. However, she survived elimination as Ramsay refused to consider her a legit nominee, and was not called up to the front. While being dismissed, she thanked Ramsay for the vindication, and believed that her team should think twice before nominating her.
Episode 15
Back at the patio, said that if she were to win the competition, she would get bragging rights for the rest of her life.
During the Vegetarian Budget Challenge, Michelle got excited as she used to be a vegetarian four years ago, and called it her type of challenge. During the shopping, she decided to make a breakfast dish as nobody else was that adventurous like her, and called herself creative. During the cooking, she was struggling to describe her egg dish in proper words. She was the last person to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and presented her vegetable hash and egg soufflé, but her overly complicated description had Ramsay remark that she did not like the word simple. While Ramsay was not impressed on how it looked more like a breakfast dish and not a dinner entrée, he praised the eggs for being cooked perfectly, and felt that it would be more of a Sunday brunch dish. She lost the challenge to Meghan, and got annoyed when T was chosen to go on the reward as the latter did not win the previous two challenges.
Michelle and Milly were punished by cleaning the front entrance fountain, sweeping the steps and parking lot, vacuum and shampoo the red carpet, and hand polish all the wooden structures at the front hall. She stated that she hated doing punishments, and found that one to be a miserable one. During the punishment, she found a twig in the leaves, and pretended she was Harry Potter by casting a spell. As they were cleaning the carpet, Marino pointed out where they missed, and she was frustrated as her back was killing her.
Before service, Michelle was visited by her boyfriend Michael, and her sister. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. After Meghan failed to identify a sea bass instead of a halibut on order, she thought that the latter should have known as they just had a challenge where sea bass was used, before asking how Meghan missed that. She was the third person to run the pass, and she declared that she would become a monster due to her loud voice. After meekly asking Sous Chef Andi for the garnish, Ramsay urged her to get more vocal, and she managed to do so. However, Sous Chef Andi brought up broccoli instead of cauliflower, and while she thought it looked darker, she thought it tasted okay, only for Ramsay to tell her the mistake, and urged her to wake up. After T struggled to get her Wellingtons up, Ramsay reminded her either she ran the kitchen, or the kitchen ran her.
After service, Ramsay asked the final four to decided on two people that did not deserve to be in the finals. During deliberation, Michelle believed that she deserved to be in the finals for bringing it every day, and thought about who she wanted to be with her. After, she announced that Meghan should be with her in the final two, while Milly and T should not due to being consistently average. Despite T reminding her about being nominated three times before, Meghan said that she wanted her in the final two next to her.
Michelle announced that T should not be in the final two for not stepping up like herself and Meghan, while Milly said that she did not deserve to be in the finals. After Milly was eliminated, Meghan and T were named as the final two, therefore she herself was eliminated. Before leaving, Ramsay told her that she was going to have an amazing career, and that he had never seen a twenty-two-year-old perform so strongly in the competition before. She received a retrospective montage during her exit interview.
Ramsay gave no comment on her elimination, and she did not receive the coat hanging and portrait burning sequence.
Episode 16
Michelle was one of the eight chefs who returned for the final dinner service. She was Meghan's first pick, and was followed by Alison, Josh, and Randy.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the appetizer station. While she was happy to have been Meghan’s first choice, she knew how aggressive the latter could be, and got concerned that it could drive the team. After, Meghan rejected her scallop carpaccio for lacking relish, much to her frustration, but managed to get her second attempt accepted. After Randy continued to struggle on meat, she was reassigned to meat, and her chicken was accepted. Meghan eventually won the finals over T. During the celebration, Ramsay asked her if she would be interested in competing again, she took it into consideration, and told Meghan to call her if she needed a pastry chef.
Nomination history
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Win |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Safe |
| Week 6 | Win |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Week 10 | Win |
| Week 11 | Nominated |
| Week 12 | Safe |
| Week 13 | Nominated |
| Week 14 | Nominated |
| Week 15 | Eliminated |
Season 17
Episode 1/2
Michelle was the twelfth All-Star to arrive at Hell's Kitchen, and reunited with Milly and Nick.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Michelle received scallops as her main protein, was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Nick. Before tasting her dish, Ramsay reminded her that despite being 26, she was still the youngest chef in the competition again like last time, and she was ready to bring it one as everybody knew she was legit. She made seared scallops over polenta and gnocchi, they were praised for tasting beautifully, and she scored 4 points. The red team lost the challenge 27-28, and they were punished by cleaning up the front of the entrance, tear down the risers and red carpets, and clean up the confetti on the ground.
During the Bar Menu Challenge, Michelle decided to do a lobster sausage, and while she knew she was pushing the definition of ambitious, it was either go big or go home in the competition. She was the final person to be called up as the red team's top four, and she presented her lobster and shrimp sausage roll with an Asian slaw. Ramsay praised the dish for looking beautiful, and he put her dish in the top four. She lost the challenge to Milly, and back in the dorms, she disappointingly told Josh that she really wanted to win the challenge. While she argued that Milly always fell back on what he knew best, Josh reminded her that if the former knew a dish that he made a thousand times before, then he was going to win the challenge.
Before service began, Michelle was excited that Jordin Sparks was dining as the latter was the youngest contestant on American Idol to win, and that she herself was the youngest person to receive a black jacket. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. She was not seen that night, the red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she pointed out to Manda that she had to cook the same ticket three times, but while the latter argued against that, she told her that she failed to bounce back on the salmon that got them kicked out of service.
Michelle was not nominated for elimination, and when asked by Ramsay on who should go home, she picked Manda.
Episode 3
Before the Seafood Tower Challenge, Michelle volunteered to participate in the cup stacking challenge, and went up against Jared from the blue team. She was able to stack her tower the fastest in in 18 seconds, and she won a 30 second head start advantage for the real challenge. She was paired up with Elise, and they were the second pair from the red team to compete. During the challenge, she noticed that she was the only person shucking oysters while Elise was working in the ice, and it resulted in them missing one oyster for their tower. While they got their first attempt accepted, the red team lost the challenge. They were punished by taking deliveries of 100 pounds of seafood, prep them for that night’s service along with both kitchens, and eat a disgusting fish soup.
During dinner service, Michelle served a fresh seafood appetizer tableside. She was not seen that night, but when the red team got kicked out of the kitchen, she complained that the red team was once again kicked out, and felt that they were taking a step backwards. The red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she and Elise agreed that they were just giving the blue team the wins, and asked what the point of no return was.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 4
During the Chance Challenge, Michelle called out mushrooms during the M round, but struggled to call out an ingredient during the C round. She was the sixth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and presented her filet with pepper crusted cantaloupe. It was praised for the salty-sweetness combination, and she scored a perfect 5. The red team won the challenge 26-25, she said that they needed the confidence boost. and they were rewarded with a private jet trip to Santa Barbera, and had an overnight stay at the Belmond El Encanto resort. During the reward, she was excited to be sitting in a million dollar plane.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the appetizer station with Robyn. When it came time for the twelve top table, Ramsay told her and Josh to get the appetizers ready in eight minutes. She was stoked about it, declared that she was going to rock her station, and got her appetizers to the red pass. Later, she sent up a risotto that Ramsay found to be reeking of garlic, and had raw rice. Despite that, she got the refire accepted, and while Ramsay asked her why the last one was poor, she promised that it would never happen again that night. After Barbie got called a doughnut, she found it funny. The red team won the service.
During elimination, Michelle said goodbye to Robyn as the latter was reassigned to the blue team, and welcomed Josh as a new teammate, much to her dismay.
Episode 5
While going back to the dorms, Michelle complained that the red team has just started to work well together, and told Josh that he had to come into the red team with an open mind as he was going to work with a lot of strong personalities. But, when Josh told her to worry about herself, she got dismayed, but refused to let that bring down the red team.
During the Wood Plank Cooking Challenge, Michelle tried to protest against Josh adding more coals, but he did so and it suffocated the heat as a result. She was paired up with Jennifer, they were the first pair from the red team to have their dish judged, and went up against the pair of Nick and Robyn. They made a black cod seasoned with Mediterranean spices and charcoal eggplant, and while the fish was praised for being seasoned beautifully, Ben Ford felt that they could have held back on the vinaigrette and let the smoky flavor come out more, and they lost that round to the pair of Nick and Robyn. The red team lost the challenge after a tie at 3, and they were punished by cleaning up a stable at Apex Ranch. During the punishment, she complained that she did not want to talk as the smell would get in her mouth.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the fish station. At one point, she told Josh to refire the fish & chips as the fish looked dark. After Josh sent up poor garnishes, she asked if she should refire her halibut, but Ramsay commented that she might have to due to Josh’s slow performance. When Josh came back into the kitchen to fight his way back in, she told him to get out.
Episode 6
During the Pizza Fusion Challenge, Michelle decided to go up against Benjamin as she wanted to go up against the best, and they landed on France. During the cooking, she said that she was happy she got France as it was not a difficult country to pair up any type of food. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged, she went up against Giovanni instead of Benjamin, and she presented her brie, Brussel sprouts, and toasted prosciutto pizza. While it was criticized for not using the full extent of the pizza dough, it was also praised for being a good job, and she scored that round over Giovanni. The red team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a tour around Hollywood in a double-decker bus, and a trip to the Hollywood Magic Castle. During the reward, she told Elise to relax during the magic show.
During the Italian Night dinner service, Michelle was on the meat station. At one point, she tasted Manda's pasta for the latter, but while she claimed it was good, the pasta came back undercooked, although she believed that Manda should have known the cook just by look alone. On the second attempt, she thought it was fine again, but Elise said that it was raw. Later, Ramsay reminded her to ask for help as she was alone on meat. She kept moving as she did not want to get behind on orders, but when she was walking to put the lamb in the convection oven, she slipped and fell. Despite that, she got her lamb accepted. The red team won the service.
Episode 7
Before the Last Chef Standing Challenge, Michelle commented that as All-Stars, they should know the menu by now, and that there were no excuses. When there were four people left in both kitchens, she complained about the amount of work she had to do, before feeling that Ramsay was not done kicking people out yet. She was the final person left in the red kitchen, and knew that she could not let her teammates down. The red team lost the challenge 3-5, and they were punished by helping Marino clean the dining room, clean the latter’s shirts ahead of the following service, and clean both kitchens. During the punishment, she called the oven disgusting, and later, she and Elise got into an argument about the latter's rudeness and poor attitude, and Elise called her nails on the chalkboard annoying. Despite that, the two agreed to drop the argument, and go through the rest of their punishment.
Because Michelle was the last chef on the red team left in the kitchen during the previous challenge, she was exempted from the Cook For Your Life Challenge, and had to nominate three people from her team to compete. She nominated Manda, Barbie, and Elise. Back at the dorms, she said that she would rather have Barbie or Elise eliminated over Manda. But, when Elise and Dana asked her what would happen if Elise survived, she argued that she could handle it. When Elise survived the challenge, the latter told her that it was on. When the two argued about it, Jennifer broke it up, and when Elise told her to get used to her face, she snarkily asked if she meant her crying face.
Episode 8
Back at the dorms, Michelle retorted that she herself has been doing that before after Elise claimed that she was in the game now, and accused the latter of coasting through the competition so far. When Elise shut her up as she continued to boast how strong she was, she argued against that, and called the former inconsistent. Despite Elise threatening to go after her, she said that she was not afraid of her.
During the Cave Meat Challenge, Michelle did not want to waste any time for her team, and collected lentils. When Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo were invited as guest judges, she recalled how the two came as guest judges back in Season 14. She was paired up with Barbie on the elk, they were the final pair from the red team to have their dishes judged, and they went up against the pair of Benjamin and Robyn. She made a pan-seared elk with chic pea puree, it was criticized for being overcooked, and she lost that round to the blue team.
The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by participating in Spring Cleaning day, which included clearing the bathrooms and bedrooms of the dorms, and ironing the wait staff’s aprons. During the punishment, Michelle wondered if she should talk to Elise, and Barbie suggested sometime before service began. She apologized to Elise about nominating the latter over the Cook For Your Life Challenge, but Elise rejected it as she was still angry over being called a non-team player, and that led into another argument between the two.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the meat station with Barbie. At one point, she sliced the chicken as she proved herself last time on meat, and gave it to Barbie as there was no pink inside it. However, Ramsay showed the red team that the chicken was raw regardless, and Elise mocked her for failing to notice that. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she silenced the red team during their argument, before adding on to how Manda failed to hear the pork order earlier. Then, Barbie accused her of bouncing through service, but while she argued that she was not going to take over the former's work and disrespect her, Elise argued that she dropped the ball that night over the raw chicken, which she accepted. Then, while she claimed that she was trying to help both fish and meat that night, Elise continued to accuse the former of skating through service, and her comments were ignored by Elise calling out boops.
Michelle was not nominated for elimination, but when Elise accused her of running around, but the latter argued that she did not.
Episode 9
While going back to the dorms, Michelle told Nick that she explained to Elise how the raw chicken was her responsibility, and called the latter a liar for telling Ramsay otherwise.
During the Fishing Challenge, Michelle called it karma when Elise ended up with only three ingredients. She received grouper, was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Robyn. She made a cast iron grouper with a cucumber broth, it was criticized for being underseasoned, and she lost that round to Robyn, leading her to annoyingly asked why the latter could not have produced strong dishes back in the red team. The red team lost the challenge 2-4, and they were punished by participating in fish delivery, prep them for the following service, and drink a disgusting milkshake. During the punishment, she was seen giving Elise pointers on how to clean the salmon.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the meat station with Barbie. She was not seen that night, both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she argued that they were better off without the attitude from both Elise and Barbie.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 10
Back at the dorms, Michelle refused to believe Elise's claim that Barbie was a straight lunatic, despite being crazy.
During the Blind Taste Test, Michelle received all three punishments during Dana's turn. After seeing Jennifer and Barbie perform poorly, she became very embarrassed, and bemoaned that all she could do was watch her team fail. Due to her team's poor performance, she did not participate as the challenge ended prematurely with the red team losing 2-8, and she dismayingly called it the lowest they have experienced. They were punished by cleaning up the dining room, separating peppercorn by color, and grinding them by hand. During the punishment, she commented that Barbie should have gone home instead of Van.
During the Charity Night dinner service, Michelle was in charge of the pan-seared scallop course. She had her team cook all the scallops needed, but when it came to plating, she noticed that she was missing three scallops, but nobody knew what happened as they were cooking ten each, with Elise accusing her of forgetting to count. Despite that, she got her course out first, leading her to believe that it was a good start, despite the missing scallop fiasco. During Elise's course, Ramsay noticed that she was cooking the ber blanc sauce with no heat, and when said that her sauce was just reducing, Elise brought the sauce up regardless of her comment, with Ramsay finding out that it tasted bland. While Elise blamed her for not tasting it, she argued that the former grabbed it from her before she had the chance, leading to a brief argument. During Barbie's course,the former asked her to get the onions ready, but she remembered that she promised Dana to help her on prepping the desserts. However, Barbie sternly reminded her that she promised earlier, and she reluctantly deciding to multitask. After Ramsay discovered that the potatoes were burnt, she called it a clusterfuck like the fish course. Later, Barbie was pushing her for the garnish, but when she told the former to watch the beef, Barbie aggressively screamed at her for the spinach.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Michelle reminded Elise how she took a dictatorship role at the start of her course and being frazzled, but the latter vocally denied that, and reminded her how she cooked the sauce with no heat on, leading her to throw a water bottle at Elise. Then, she considered Elise and Barbie for elimination, only for the two to considered her for elimination as she refused to help the latter on garnish, even though she argued that she did not say that.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 11
During the Budget Challenge, Michelle and Robyn had a communication breakdown with the butcher they were talking to, with her forced to make compromises on the ingredients she wanted. During the cooking, she said that she was making pork potstickers, which confused Ramsay as that word did not resemble Italian food, leading her to change the dish into an Asian inspired tortellini soup. Near the end of the time limit, she annoyed Dana when she kept calling her pasta as dumplings. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged, went up against Milly, and presented her Asian inspired tortellini soup. It was praised for a flavorable broth, being the first dish where the pasta’s execution was nailed perfectly, that it perfectly yielded the $20 budget, and she scored $97. The red team won the challenge, they were rewarded with a go-karting experience along with lunch, and Ramsay told her that since her dish was the best of that day, it would be featured in that night’s service.
During prep, Michelle showed everybody how to prepare her dish that night by bringing everybody into the blue kitchen, but Ramsay reminded her that they all knew how to poach a tortellini. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. She was not seen that night, the red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Jennifer and Elise considered her for elimination for not listening and not accepting responsibility, but she did not believe that the red would be stronger without her. Then, she reminded Elise that they could not base it off of just one night, considered Dana for elimination, but struggled on the second choice as they would have a three-way tie for nominations.
Michelle was one of the three nominees from the red team, along with Dana and Elise, as the red team failed to agree on two nominees. When Elise claimed that Dachelle voted together, she reminded the former that she voted for Dana, and during her plea, she said that she did not take things personally and defensive like Elise. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she accused Jennifer of not being honest with her votes, and that Ramsay saw through the latter’s lies.
Episode 12
When Ramsay announced that it was time for the black jackets, Michelle got excited as she was the youngest of her season to earn one, and wanted to become the youngest All-Star to earn a black jacket. During the first Black Jackets Challenge, also known as the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, she used sea bass, green and white asparagus, and rutabaga, celery root, fava beans, and chives. During Ramsay's judging, she hoped to win that challenge again like in Season 14 despite being alone. She got both the fish protein and white puree correct, but lost to Milly as she did not get the green puree correct. Then, she lost to Nick as she did not get most of her ingredients for the hash correct, and she was forced to compete in the second challenge.
During the second Black Jackets Challenge, Michelle used veal chop, couscous, leeks, and sundried tomatoes in order to create her dish. At one point, she had to grab her couscous from the otherside of the pass, and decided not to argue with Elise as the latter’s lobster could bite her in the ass. However, she was struggling in creating a dish with her oddball choice of ingredients. She was the third person to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and presented her veal chop with couscous and leeks. They were praised for a great sear on the chop, and while Ramsay questioned the number of spices on the dish, she admitted that it was her first time in the competition where she went crazy with spices and that it would help her win. She won the third black jacket, was excited to be the first one from the red team to win one, and she hurried over to the black jackets lounge to meet Milly and Nick as Season 14 reunited. Not long after, they welcomed Benjamin.
While watching the final Black Jacket Challenge, Michelle was excited to see the action, while hoping that Elise did not get a black jacket. Then, she noticed that Jennifer looked focused on her dish, and after seeing Elise put her potatoes into the blender, she said that they were going to turn out gummy. Later, they welcomed Robyn to the black jacket lounge, but she was happier that Elise was finally gone, while knowing that it was every man for itself.
Episode 13
Continuing from the previous episode, Michelle commented that it was Robyn and herself as the final two women left.
During the Cooking School Challenge, Michelle was paired up with WNBA Candice Parker, and after learning that they would be teaching the All-Stars how to cook their signature dishes, she recalled how she had hers planned out since the beginning, but was thrown for a loop during that year's Signature Dish Challenge, and believed that she would ace that challenge. During the cooking, she and Parker ignored Robyn and Reggie Miller's pschyce out, and focused on their sea bass. They were the fourth pair to have their dish judged, and presented their seared sea bass with pasta and miso beet purée. It was praised for a perfectly cooked sea bass, the two dethroned Milly and Ricky Williams, and later, won over Benjamin and Shawne Merriman.
Michelle won the challenge, and she was rewarded with a helicopter tour of Los Angeles and ate lunch at 71 Above. After, Ramsay told her that she was allowed to bring somebody with her, and she immediately picked Nick. During the reward, she and Nick enjoyed their helicopter tour, and during lunch, she called him her right-hand man, before toasting to an eventual final two.
During dinner service, Michelle was on the fish station. At one point, she was shocked when there were three people on appetizers due to Milly's problems, and during entrée, despite being determined to give Ramsay a good service that night, she was momentarily late on sending out the halibut sauce to Sous Chef Jocky’s annoyance.
After service, Michelle was named the Best of the Best for having a flawless service, and was tasked with nominating two nominees for elimination. During deliberation, she admitted that she did not see that coming, but knew that it was her decision to make the black jackets stronger. Speaking with Benjamin first, he pleaded to her that he was a strong chef that night, but despite her reminding him how Ramsay was pushing him to be more open, Benjamin accused her of not wanting to go up against him, before arrogantly brushing off any weaknesses he had. When she asked Robyn what her weakness was, the latter said that she would go into her own head when frazzled. For Nick, she told him that she was not going to nominate him, before considering who to put up based on her three other choices.
Michelle named Robyn as her first nominee for elimination, and Milly as her second. While being dismissed, she that she had to focus more in order to move forward and win.
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Trivia
Season 14
- She was part of the first ever all-female final three of Hell's Kitchen, along with Meghan and T.
- At age 22, she is one of the youngest contestants ever who made it to the black jackets, along with Sabrina from Season 8.
- After her first appearance on the show, she competed in Men'tor Young Chef Competition 2015, and worked at the Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck.
Season 17
- She is one of five contestants who made it to the black jackets in two different seasons. She is also the only one to this date who did while being the youngest in both of them.
- She participated in the eighth different-gender finals of Hell's Kitchen, and first ever All-Star finals.
- She is the seventeenth winner, and eleventh female winner of Hell's Kitchen. She is also the fifth consecutive female winner.
- She is the second contestant, and first and only female, who participated in two different seasons and made it to the finals on her second appearance, following Jason (Season 12). She is also the only one who did and won.
- She is the only member of the red team who made it to the black jackets, marking the first time in the history of the show that only one member of a team did.
- She is the fourth contestant in the history of the show who made it further in the competition on her second run, following Jason (Season 12), Robyn, Nick, and Benjamin (also from Season 17).
Quotes
Season 14
Season 17
- "I guess if you bring cold mash up to Chef Ramsay, he's gonna call you a donut. That's funny... "Donut"."