Sade Dancy was a contestant on Season 13 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 3rd place.
Personality
Sade was a minor antagonist of that season because she described herself as a sassy woman, had a fiery temper, and was not afraid to argue with anybody. Also, she could be rude at some points, especially at Steve's departure, and had a short-lived running feud with Denine. Finally, she developed a friendship with Bryant.
Season 13
Episode 1
While the chefs were on their way to Hell's Kitchen, Sade immediately boasted that a woman would win that season, despite Aaron disagreeing. Then, the bus pulled over to Pacific’s Cinerama Theatre as Ramsay wanted to show them an inspirational video before going there. After Ramsay revealed the grand prize of the season, he asked all the chefs to cook their signature dish.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Sade was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against JP. She made a wild mushroom and pea risotto, but Ramsay criticized the dish for looking dreadful and having mushy rice while calling it sad. She scored 2 points out of 5, but the red team won the challenge 24-23, and she was pumped about winning the first challenge. They were rewarded with dinner at the Hotel Bel-Air, cooked by Wolfgang Puck.
During dinner service, Sade was on the dessert station. She was not seen much, except when she laughed at Janai for struggling on a simple math question, and the red team won the service.
Episode 2
During the Geoduck Challenge, Sade was not seen participating during the first part, but during the second part, she was paired with La Tasha. They were seen only having one attempt accepted. The red team eventually won the challenge 15-14, and they were rewarded with a day on an 80-foot luxury yacht with Ramsay.
During dinner service, Sade was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except when she asked Janai why she was not giving accurate times. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 3
Back in the dorms, Sade said that if Denine would have one more bad service, she could be the next eliminated.
The next morning, when the chefs went downstairs, Sade was confused as the lights were dimmed like at elimination. During the Jacket Challenge, she was the seventh person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Frank in the spaghetti & meatball round. She lost the round to Frank as her dish was under seasoned, and the red team lost the challenge 4-6. They were punished by taking deliveries of 500 pounds of coffee, grinding them by hand, and prepping both kitchens for the next service.
During prep, Sade said that if Denine would burn her weaves, she would have 99 problems for herself. During dinner service, she was on the appetizer station with Katie. She took the lead on that station, and that allowed the team to serve their appetizers at a good pace. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 4
Back in the dorms, Sade wondered if Jennifer was okay as the latter was sent to the hospital, but was relieved when she came back. During the Brunch Service Challenge, she was not seen much, and the red team eventually won the challenge. They were rewarded with a meal at Alteller Cren, and flying to San Francisco. During the reward, she revealed that she has never been to that city before, so she was excited to go there and to spend time with Ramsay.
During dinner service, Sade was on the meat station with Katie. She was not seen much, but the red team won the service.
Episode 5
During the Protein Identification Challenge, Sade competed on her own. During Katie and Roe's turn, she told the latter to get it together after the lamb was dropped. She was the third person to compete for the red team, and landed on the elk lasagna. She managed to get it on her second attempt. The red team eventually lost the challenge 7:41-7:07, and they were punished by taking deliveries of pizza ingredients, hand grating the cheese, and drinking a protein shake. During the punishment, she reminded Jennifer that she fucked up like everybody else, and ordered her to drink her shake after the latter threw up. However, Jennifer threatened to punch her in the face, and while she admitted that she was a sassy person, she said that Jennifer should accept it.
Back in the dorms, Sade told Jennifer that they were a team and to not disrespect her, and the latter reluctantly agreed to respect her, at least. However, she said that Jennifer needed to calm down and work it out civilly. During the Family Night dinner service, she was on the fish station. At one point, she tried to communicate with Kalen on appetizers, though the latter did not appreciate it. When they did eventually got synchronized, she got confused when Kalen called out inconsistent times. Later, she stopped Roe from sending incorrect garnishes. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 6
During the Barn Animal Challenge, Sade was paired with Katie during the first part, and they chose lamb and corn. During the second part, she was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged, and presented her spiced lamb with blackberry reduction and corn purée. It was praised for its accompaniments, and she scored a 10 points out of 15. The red team eventually lost the challenge 25-28, and they were punished by extracting all the bone marrow out of bones for a ribeye special during the next service, and making the stock. After the men came back from their reward, she said that it has been the longest day of her life.
During dinner service, Sade was on the garnish station. She decided to take the lead for the women, and refused to have any silence in the red kitchen, but Roe and Katie did not appreciate her efforts.
Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. During deliberation, Sade was blamed by Katie for yelling about her poor performance, but she retorted that Katie should have told her to quiet down, while suggesting that she should find a different profession.
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 7
After Katie's elimination, Sade welcomed Sterling as a new teammate.
During the Italian Cuisine Challenge, Sade went up against Aaron, and their dish was linguine vonogole. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged, and it was criticized for having fennel. She did not score a point, and neither did Aaron. The red team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by prepping for the next service, breaking down squid for a black ink tagliatelle dish, and making pasta from scratch. During the punishment, she complained that she was tired of losing, and said that it would be a long ass day.
During the Italian Night dinner service, Sade served a clam cippolini tableside. She was falling behind the red team, and admitted that working tableside was not as easy as she thought. Then, she accidentally dropped one of her orders to the ground, which caused a stall in the red kitchen, and Marino lectured her that she almost burned a customer. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
Sade was not nominated for elimination despite being considered by Roe.
Episode 8
After Ashley's elimination, Sade was transferred to the blue team, exchanging with Frank. While going back to the dorms, she was not happy about that decision, and compared the blue team to the Isle of misfit toys. Despite that, she and the men got to know each other, and while she felt that she could make her new team stronger, she also knew that Frank would make the red team weaker. The next day, she told La Tasha not to hate her after the latter commented on her new blue jacket.
During the Dog Show Planning Challenge, Sade mistakenly believed that they were actually making food for the dogs, and made a braised beef dish, much to Steve and Bryant's confusion. After seeing everybody else's dishes, she realized that she fucked up as she was the only one who made dog food. When Ramsay noticed her braised beef dish, he called it fucking ridiculous, and compared the presentation to dog shit on a plate. Fortunately, she sat out as the blue team had an extra person. The blue team eventually lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by setting up the dining room for the next service, and washing and grooming the dogs that the American Kennel Club sent over. During the punishment, she was the only one who did not enjoy washing the dogs, just wanting to get through it, and was even tempted to spray the red team with a hose when they would walk by.
During prep, Sade did not appreciate Santos showing her where everything was, and did not like his cocky attitude. After getting pestered by the blue team, she told them to go fuck themselves. During the Dog Show dinner service, she was on the appetizer station. She was not seen much, except when Ramsay asked her to help Steve on meat, and she was able to give clear times to Santos. The blue team won the service.
Episode 9
When Sade learned that the reward for the Craps Challenge would be a trip to Las Vegas, she said that she wanted to win that reward as she has lost the four previous challenges. She rolled a C, and chose chicken. During the cooking, she was seen hoarding a lot of the ingredients, as she wanted to redeem herself after the last challenge, even if it meant her dish was better than the men’s. Her dish was not chosen to be judged, much to her frustration as the men did not even taste her dish, and the blue team lost the challenge. After, Ramsay said that her dish was the most eye-catching one of the day, and asked her to show it to him. Her Chilean sea bass with tomatoes leek sauce was praised for its beautiful presentation, tasting better than Bryant’s dish, and even expressed surprise that her dish was not chosen, before asking the blue team to taste it. While Bryant arrogantly said that it tasted salty, she retorted that it was at least better than his own dish.
The blue team was punished by taking part in Double Delivery day, which included ice, wine, and a 650 pounds halibut. During the punishment, she openly complained that it was her fifth straight punishment, and was called a sore loser by Bryant. Back in the dorms, she confronted the men for ignoring her dish, and while Bryant argued that she should have fought back, she retorted that she did, before reminding him how his dish cost them the challenge. That led to an argument where she called Bryant a fucking idiot, but Steve calmed them down. However, she felt that she was not part of the blue team, and was only focused on making it to the black jackets, and eventually winning the competition.
When Sade learned that Steve would no longer compete because of an injury, she rudely said that it worked for her as there was one less person for her to compete against, although she told him to get well. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except when she said that she was focused on winning service and sending a red chef home, and the blue team won the service by a mile.
Episode 10
During the Indian Cuisine Challenge, Sade was the second person from the blue team to have her dish judged, and competed against Sterling in the chicken round. She presented her gala masala chicken, it was praised for being nice, and she scored 7 points. The blue team eventually lost the challenge after a tie breaker at 22, and they were punished by prepping for the next service, and cleaning the front entrance of the restaurant. She was upset as this was her sixth consecutive punishment, and teared up about how she hated losing challenges.
During the punishment, Sade angrily told the red team not to walk on the red carpet, though Jennifer said that it was not her fault the blue team sucked at cooking. Later, she continued to openly complain about the punishment, and Santos felt that she was being bossy and rude, before warning that if she would not check her attitude, she would go home. Bryant called her fucking annoying, mocked her whining, and reminded her that she was there to cook.
During prep, Sade accused Aaron of being an expert on everything minus cooking, and continued to be still sore about losing the challenge. Before service, Ramsay pulled her to the pantry room, said that he has seen her grow in confidence, and urged her not to stop. The pep talk lifted her feelings, and she announced that she was going to carry the blue team through service.
During dinner service, Sade was on the meat station. She was not seen much, except when she argued with Bryant for most of the night, and sent beautifully cooked Wellingtons. The blue team lost the service by a mile, and they were asked to nominate two people. During deliberation, she told Bryant to calm down, and added that if he would not, he might need a medic.
Sade was not nominated for elimination. After Aaron's departure, she felt that she was one step closer to winning the competition.
Episode 11
During the Blind Taste Test, Sade was the third person from the blue team to compete, and went up against Jennifer. She only scored one point by guessing shitake mushrooms correctly, leading to Fernando getting dunked once. During Bryant's turn, she did not get dunked. The blue team lost the challenge after a tie breaker at 4, and they were punished by cleaning the dorms. During the punishment, she noticed that it was her seventh punishment in a row, and claimed to be three shades lighter than she arrived due to being stuck in Hell’s Kitchen for so long.
During the closed VIP dinner service, Sade announced that they were running low on risotto portions for each plate, and got annoyed at Fernando as he was an executive chef, and should have known better than that. She was in charge of the pan-seared salmon course, but Ramsay informed her that all of her salmon were overcooked due to her leaving it in the pan for too long. Fortunately, Sous Chef James revealed that they had more salmon in the back. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each.
Sade was not nominated for elimination despite being considered by Santos and Fernando for the salmon incident.
Episode 12
Back in the dorms, Sade told Santos and Bryant that they had to communicate as there was only three of them left, before noticing that with only seven chefs remaining, they were very close to being part of the black jacket club. The next day, she expressed amazement over Tim Decker's portrait of Ramsay as he took three minutes to do it.
During the Amuse Bouche Challenge, Sade decided to use passion fruit despite not using it before, and wanted to see what would happen. She was the last person from the blue team to have her dish judged, and she presented her pan-seared tuna on top of a bed of Napa cabbage, sautéed with passion fruit. While Ramsay and Tanya Steele were a little concerned about the combination of the two ingredients, and her threatening to burn the place if she would lose again, her dish was praised for being delicious, innovative, beautiful, and Ramsay saying that she was able to make two ingredients work well despite believing that they should not. Ultimately, she scored 9 points.
The blue team won the challenge 23-16, and Sade was happy to finally leave Hell’s Kitchen after seven previous losses. They were rewarded with a helicopter trip to Catalina Island, and eating at the Blue Water Grill. At lunch, she felt that it was the type of relaxation she needed.
During dinner service, Sade was on the appetizer and garnish stations. Ramsay praised her for her delicious risotto, but when Santos sent raw scallops for Louis Diamond Phillips' table, she was upset that it happened when they were on a roll. After service, when both teams were lined up, she tearfully hugged Sterling goodbye as he was eliminated on-the-spot, and both teams were asked to nominate one person each.
Sade was not nominated for elimination, and received the last black jacket.
Episode 13
Back in the dorms, Sade said that her new black jacket felt better than any other one she had worn.
During the Steak Challenge, Sade decided to use a dry rub and picked cinnamon as her spice. She was one of the three chefs who had their dish pass the first part, and presented her dry rubbed New York striploin with cinnamon, cayenne, and African pepper. While it was praised for being delicious, it was criticized for the cinnamon flavoring as it overpowered the meat’s taste. She lost the challenge to Roe, and was punished by cleaning both kitchens, taking deliveries of 200-pound beef shoulders, breaking it down, and portioning it. While she congratulated Roe on her victory, she secretly wished that she got the photo shoot.
When it was announced that the black jackets would be competing against their Sous Chefs, Sade knew that it would not be an easy night. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, but said that they needed to step it up and get it together, after their slow start on appetizers. After service, Bryant was named "Best of the Worst".
She was not nominated for elimination.
Episode 14
When Sade saw the glampers, she said that glamping was her type of camping after seeing a bed outside. During the 40 Portions Glamping Challenge, she made a grilled pork chop with salt, pepper, and black garlic, and a grilled sweet potato salad, and used her extroverted personality to charm the glampers. She lost the challenge to Bryant, but was chosen to go on the reward with him. They went on an Urban camping experience. While she knew that Bryant picked her for strategic reasons, she decided to enjoy her day regardless, before toasting for the final two. Later, she asked Bryant who he thought would go home next, which he answered it would be Roe, and was happy that he did not learn anything new about her.
During dinner service, Sade was on the meat station. She said that they could not go down on appetizers when Jennifer was struggling on scallops, and later, compared La Tasha to a ninja after the latter was helping at every station. She was forced to refire her lamb after Roe served under seasoned garnishes, and was pissed as her perfectly cooked lamb had to die due to Roe’s poor performance. When Roe finally sent a good serving, she was not ready with the lamb, and was forced to send it undercooked, but was able to get her refire accepted. On their last ticket, she told Jennifer that she needed eight minutes on her Wellingtons, and that she never told her to fire her halibut. When the chefs were lined up, they were asked to nominate two people.
Sade was not nominated for elimination despite being considered by Roe. After elimination, she noticed that there were only three people left in her way to win.
Episode 15
While going back to the dorms, Sade was excited that she was in the final four, and was determined to win the competition. The next day, she received a video call from her mother and aunt, and got to spend some time with them.
During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Sade used rabbit, couscous, and cherries to recreate Ramsay's dish. While she was in the top two with Jennifer on the rabbit and cherries, she ultimately lost to her as she got the sauce incorrect. She was punished by packing all the unneeded furniture in the dorms, and helping Marino to prep the dining room for the next service. During the punishment, she called making the centerpieces the most boring and tedious punishment she had to do.
During the 200th Hell's Kitchen dinner service, Sade was on the appetizer station. Despite being slow, she got her appetizers out decently. She was the first chef who ran the pass, and Ramsay urged her to focus. She immediately got vocal, as she wanted to set the bar on a high, but did not get any response from Jennifer on the chicken entrée. Then, Ramsay told her that it was Jennifer driving now. Despite that, she proved to be a tough person at the pass, and Sous Chef Andi brought a cappellini that had clams instead of mussels. She was able to quickly catch the mistake, and Ramsay praised her for it. Then, Marino gave her a ticket that had pork on it despite not being on the menu, and she aggressively called him to the pass for it. Her aggressive leadership allowed food to go to the dining room. When Jennifer called her first ticket too fast, she could not understand what the order was.
After Jennifer's elimination, Ramsay asked the remaining chefs why they deserved to be in the finals, and Sade said that she has been extremely strong and that she knew she was a leader. Ultimately, she was eliminated after La Tasha and Bryant were named the finalist, but before she left, Ramsay praised her for being the most improved chef of her age in the entire competition, and revealed that he would call somebody from his London office and discuss opportunities for her in the Gordon Ramsay Group. She thanked Ramsay for the opportunity, and received a retrospective montage of her run during her exit interview.
Ramsay gave no comment on Sade's elimination, and she did not receive the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.
Episode 16
Sade was one of the eight chefs who returned for the final dinner service. She was La Tasha's first pick, followed by Roe, Fernando, and Ashley, and the first pick overall. While discussing the menu, she got concerned as the garnish station would be packed due to the multiple items on La Tasha’s menu.
During dinner service, Sade was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except when she was forced to rush after Fernando's poor time call, refused to let La Tasha sink, and got her attempt approved. La Tasha eventually won the finals over Bryant.
Nomination history
| Week 1 | Win |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Safe |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Win |
| Week 5 | Safe |
| Week 6 | Safe |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Win |
| Week 10 | Safe |
| Week 11 | Safe |
| Week 12 | Safe |
| Week 13 | Safe |
| Week 14 | Safe |
| Week 15 | Eliminated |
Trivia
- She is the fifth contestant who ranked in third place that completely avoided nomination during the entire season, following Jillian (Season 8), Dana (Season 10), Jon (Season 11), and Melanie (Season 12).
- She is the ninth female contestant who switched teams and made it to the black jackets.
- After her appearance on the show, she became a personal chef at Chez Sadé Catering.
Quotes
- "Like, seriously? If Denine burn my weave today, we are gonna have 99 problems and all of them are gonna be me. (flicks her weave) Mm-hmm."