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Virginia Dalbeck was a contestant on Season 2 of Hell's Kitchen. She was the runner-up of that season.

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. Meanwhile, Ramsay was checking the contestants' profiles and pictures in his office. Ramsay was shocked when he saw Virginia was putting makeup on at work while she deemed the former hot. 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, Virginia was the twelfth and final contestant to have her dish judged by Ramsay and she made a coconut and pomegranate celery root salad. It had nothing cooked except the toasted nuts, and Ramsay said it was fine as far as rabbit food goes because it was raw and crunchy. However, she was still proud of her dish and felt a rabbit would not even eat it because it contained coconut milk. After the challenge, she was placed in the red team because Ramsay declared that, for the first time, the teams were divided by gender, men in the blue team and women in the red team.

Before service, Virginia was one of the four women who volunteered to be the kitchen donkey, but Heather was eventually chosen over her. During dinner service, she was at the meat station. Before the first ticket arrived, she asked Rachel how long a chicken should cook before holding up her hands to show her nervousness. Two hours into service, she brought up undercooked Wellingtons to the pass, and Ramsay asked her to start over. Then, she became confused and struggled to answer Ramsay's questions as she had no idea what was on the menu. However, Ramsay told her that he did not care what she sent up as he wanted food. Afterward, she could not find the lamb sauce and tried to pass veal sauce for it, but Sous Chef Mary-Ann told her she could not do that. So, she desperately went into the blue kitchen to ask Keith if she could borrow him some lamb sauce. Keith categorically refused and asked her to go back into her kitchen, which she did, making her more dismayed. After three hours of little food out of both kitchens, Ramsay shut down the service after some customers shouted, "I want my food!" all over the dining room.

The red team lost the dinner service, and Heather was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, Virginia was dismayed about failing that night, and Heather told her she did not want to see her go home.

Despite Heather convincing her that she does not want her to leave, Virginia was the former's second nominee for elimination, with Polly being the first. During deliberation, she wanted to succeed despite her mistakes and wanted to try harder. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she felt the women hated her, and she hated herself.[1]

Episode 2[]

Main article: Episode 202 - 11 Chefs

Back at the dorms, Virginia stated she thought she was going home that night and felt she had let the women down.

The next morning, after only two hours of sleep, the contestants were woken up by Sous Chefs Scott and Mary-Ann playing cowbells at 5:24 AM, and Virginia called it obnoxious. They were told to go outside immediately. Once outside at the loading area, Ramsay recalled how the previous service was embarrassing. Then, Ramsay told her that she was lucky to be there after being nominated. Afterward, 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 again. Now that the chefs understood the lesson, Ramsay ordered them to clean up because they stunk.

During the Perfect Steak Cut Challenge, Virginia revealed that she had never cut a sirloin side before, making her nervous. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her attempts judged and got two accepted. 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. During the reward, she stated she could not wait to know him on a different level.

The following day, Virginia could not find Larry, only for the latter to call from the hospital to announce his withdrawal. During prep, she was extra motivated, saying she wanted to give 150% of herself.

During dinner service, she was at the fish station. Before Ramsay could call out the first order, he threatened her with elimination if she made him read it out again. After she sent up a monkfish with no walnuts in the vinaigrette, Ramsay broke the plate to the floor at the women's feet and asked them to start again. When Heather left to treat her burn, she noticed that the red kitchen had fallen into chaos. Three hours into service, she sent up busted tortellini. When Ramsay asked if she would serve it in her restaurant, she answered she would, much to his dismay, before asking her another time. She said she would make another batch, and Ramsay sarcastically called it a sensible idea. However, she felt that she was getting reamed out for no reason, and to make matters worse, Jean-Philippe told Ramsay that the table had left. Afterwards, Ramsay made her and her team stand in front of the pass to look in the dining room. When almost every customer left, Ramsay shut down both kitchens. The red team won the service, but Ramsay reminded her that she could not buy standards.[2]

Episode 3[]

Main article: Episode 203 - 9 Chefs

After Gabe's unexpected elimination, Virginia thought Tom would have been eliminated instead. However, she acknowledged that nobody was safe at elimination and compared the show to a soap opera.

During the Relay Challenge, Virginia was the first one to go for her team. She received information about the challenge's three dishes: chicken, tortellini, and salmon. She started by making a new batch of fresh tortellini. During the 15 seconds relay, she successfully communicated all the information that Rachel would need to continue. The red team won the challenge 2-1 and was awarded a day on a yacht with Ramsay. During the reward, Ramsay left after a while, and she started flirting with him by saying miss me. Later, the women got down into their bikinis and began sunbathing, with her jokingly wondering if Ramsay would rub suntan lotion on her if he were still around.

During dinner service, Virginia was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except for helping her team get half their entrées out of the kitchen. After multiple frustrations, Ramsay shut down both kitchens. The red team won the service.[3]

Episode 4[]

Main article: Episode 204 - 8 Chefs

The next morning, when Ramsay announced that Heather, Sara and Rachel were emerging as leaders, Virginia got pissed because being bossy was not her definition of a leader. After that, she said goodbye to Heather, who was transferred to the blue team. After a trip to Los Angeles, where the contestants went to Pink's Hot Dogs, where she wished to have gotten the Gordon Ramsay hotdog, they returned to the restaurant to prep the kitchen for the first lunch service of Hell's Kitchen. During prep, she and Rachel wanted to prove that they would be strong even without Heather.

During the Lunch Service Challenge, Virginia was not seen all day, the red team finished all their tickets in time and celebrated with the children in the dining room. However, the red team lost the challenge as their food was rated 9.84 out of 10, compared to the blue team's 9.85. They were punished by cleaning the messy dining room after the children left.

During prep, the red kitchen was too silent because of the animosity between Rachel and Sara, making Virginia feel very uncomfortable about that situation and scared. During dinner service, she was at the meat station. When she asked Sara if she was ready with her turbot, Sara answered that she was. So, she sent her Wellingtons to the pass, but Sara did not bring her turbot, saying she did not even start cooking it. Unaware of Sara’s sabotage, Ramsay accused her of lying to him and sabotaging her team. Ramsay accused her that she was not a team player and was out for herself, which made Sara laugh in her head because her plan of sabotage worked. However, she was pissed at Sara for sabotaging her, but the latter had no remorse. Later, she and Rachel sent quail dishes with the bones still on them, making her ashamed about that mistake. While Rachel was gone to get some ice at the supermarket, she, Sara, and Maribel succeeded in sending out many entrées. Two hours into service, she sent rare Wellingtons, which were requested medium, and Ramsay noticed that the Wellingtons were covered all night with egg whites instead of egg yolks. After a lot of frustration in both kitchens and only half of the dining room served, Ramsay called her a fucking letdown since the beginning and kicked both teams out of the kitchen.

Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, Virginia cried about Sara's sabotage technique and felt betrayed by her. She could not take being called a liar by Ramsay and asked Sara why she was so passive-aggressive. However, Sara tried to excuse herself by saying she wanted her to learn from her mistakes. Later, she knew they would all go against her, but Rachel told her to step up for herself. She considered Maribel to be a weaker cook than Rachel and Sara.

When Ramsay praised Sara for showing some initiative, Virginia disagreed by shaking her head. She was the red team's nominee and joined Tom from the blue team. During her plea, she said her heart and soul were in food but was willing to respect Ramsay’s opinion about that night. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she felt that the red team was now against each other.[4]

Episode 5[]

Main article: Episode 205 - 7 Chefs

Back at the dorms, Virginia, who survived her second nomination, was unhappy she had to spend another day with Sara, whom she called the bitch from hell. Now knowing that Sara was not a good person as once believed, she declared war against the former, saying that she was now an enemy for betraying her. However, Sara did not care, telling her to grow up.

The following day, Virginia 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, which upset her as she was taking that tasting seriously, and introduced the Blind Taste Test. She was the second person from the red team to compete and went up against Heather. She correctly guessed chicken, hot dog, and Swiss cheese. The red team won the challenge 7-6, and Ramsay praised her for having the best individual performance overall, with 3 out of 4. They were rewarded with a photo shoot for TV Guide, and she liked the positive vibe during the reward.

During prep, Virginia recalled being nominated twice before and knew it was crucial for her not to screw up. During dinner service, she was at the fish station. At one point, was praised by Ramsay for her great communication about oysters because it was the first time he heard someone give him positive feedback. She produced a perfect salmon on one order, but was forced to take it back after Rachel served rare Wellingtons. Three hours into service, Ramsay continued complimenting her on her strong performance on that station, but shut down both kitchens after Rachel's problems with meat. The red team lost the service, but because of her comeback and improvement, she was named "Best of the Worst" by Ramsay. She was asked to nominate two of her teammates for elimination. During deliberation, she was praised by Rachel for her strong performance that night before the former fought for her survival by trying to convince her to pick Sara for many reasons, especially as the latter sabotaged her in the previous service. She considered that and told Sara about that, but the latter felt that one incident over overall performance was unacceptable.

Virginia named Rachel as her first nominee, and before she announced her second nominee, she gave a very long speech about how she thought Sara should be nominated for the incident in the previous service, annoying everybody in the process. However, she nominated Maribel as her second nominee, using the hair incident as her defense. Ramsay agreed with her nominations, and while being dismissed, she felt her comeback would lose her underdog status.[5]

Episode 6[]

Main article: Episode 206 - 6 Chefs

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. The contestants went to the Grand Central Public Market in Los Angeles, with Virginia getting butterflies over the anticipation of the challenge. During the Three Course Meal Challenge, she took the leadership role, much to the annoyance of Sara, as she felt she did not have what it took. Then, she ordered the biggest breast for the entrée, but Maribel thought they were all picking up the wrong things and heading the wrong way. During the cooking, she was made the unofficial leader of her team as she chose the dishes for the challenge, but said she would like everybody to lead their own station, with the help of others. She told Sara to roast the peppers and was micromanaging Maribel. When Sara's bell pepper soup tasted burnt, she took responsibility for that mistake as she told the former to roast the shit out peppers, but also noted that Sara did not say anything against it. However, Sara felt that her time to shine did not work out. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Keith. She made a chicken roulade stuffed with Mexican hard salami, sliced tomatoes and garlic. It impressed Ramsay as Hell's Kitchen was not that sophisticated yet with its chicken dish.

The red team won the challenge, with Ramsay deeming Virginia's dish his favorite, making her feel that she was coming out with a bang. They were rewarded with a night out with Ramsay at three different restaurants in Hollywood. When the red team went out to sunbathe, Keith started attacking them for winning unfairly, and Garrett bitterly hoped they enjoyed their consolation prize as none of the three women deserved to be in the finale. However, she ignored them as nothing would bring the red team down. During the reward, she felt she was a caliber ahead of her teammates when Sara tried to flirt and knew there was no bonding going on. At Nick & Stef's Steakhouse, she was unable to properly ask a question to the owner of the restaurant, annoying both Sara and Maribel.

The next day, both teams were asked to create their own menus. While planning the menu, Virginia suggested sushi as she used to make it in a previous job. When Maribel tried to interject, she shushed her. During prep, she noticed that Maribel was moving slowly and wanted the latter to hurry up as it bugged her.

During dinner service, Virginia was on the fish station and had her peppered seared blue fin Hamachi sashimi featured on the menu. At one point, she sent up raw scallops, and while Sara offered to help, she refused. Sara got annoyed at her pride and called her an idiot. Her mistake and inconsistent timings for the sashimi slowed the red kitchen down, forcing Ramsay to send the blue team’s appetizers to a few tables with two different team orders. Then, she complained that her sashimi was fucked up when she sliced in different sizes due to the movements of the protein. Ramsay was appalled by the thickness she made and could not believe she had screwed up on raw fish. So, Ramsay sent Maribel to try and help her, but while it worked, the red team was way behind as it had been an hour since service started. After hours of being behind, Ramsay had the blue team help the red team complete service, making her embarrassed that the blue team came to help, as that meant the situation was out of control.

The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate one teammate for elimination. During deliberation, Virginia knew the red team failed that night and called it her worst night in the competition. Sara admitted that it was the first time in years she cooked meat, but that caused her to ask why she even suggested the lamb in the first place. However, Sara pointed out that she screwed up on her station as well, leaving Heather in glee over the catfight. Then, she agreed with Maribel that Sara screwed up the most that night and accused the latter of not having remorse for her mistakes, but Sara simply did not care.

At elimination, Ramsay changed his mind and nominated Virginia and her two teammates. During her plea, Ramsay asked Virginia how she felt about Sara's plea, but she said she was sick over that claim, pointing out that the latter was the one who pushed for the lamb in the first place. When Maribel said she was the third wheel of the red team, she told Ramsay that she tried to push the former to say something, even though she shushed Maribel during the menu planning. Even though Ramsay reminded her about her shocking performance on the sashimi, she survived elimination. While being dismissed, she said she wanted to prove to Ramsay that she had it and did not want to be in the same category as Sara.[6]

Episode 7[]

Main article: Episode 207 - 5 Chefs

Back at the dorms, Virginia cried on her bed as it was her third time up for elimination, and she felt she sucked. Although she was comforted by Sara, the latter faked feeling compassion for her and felt she deserved to go home.

Before the next challenge, Ramsay announced the remaining five contestants would become one team, which was the black team. She was the first one to receive her black jacket, felt great to receive a black jacket as it meant there were no more teams and that they were soldiers that were on their tippy toes. During the 10 Ingredient Challenge, she was the third person to have her dish judged by Ramsay. She made a chiffonade of spinach and beet tops, with poached prawns garnished with truffles. It was praised for the presentation, along with delicious prawns were delicious and vibrant. However, Ramsay said that had she performed like that on her last service, he would have been pleased. She lost the challenge to Keith but was picked to go on the reward with him because she finished in second place. So, she went to Las Vegas to visit the Red Rock Resort, where one of the remaining contestants would win their own restaurant. During the reward, she and Keith arrived in Las Vegas, where they drove in a pink limousine and were welcomed by Ramsay at the Red Rock Resort. They began a tour of the resort and were greeted by Albie Colotto, the architect of the restaurant project in the resort. Both visualized their dream restaurant, and after that, they were left to enjoy a tour of Las Vegas, with her wishing to move to Las Vegas for the rest of her life.

The following day, Keith and Virginia arrived from their reward. While she told the others about the trip, Keith did not want to rub it in Garrett's face too much as he still felt bad about his decision. However, Garrett did not care about what she said, as he would learn what he needed when he won. During dinner service, she was at the garnish station. At one point, she struggled as she had to cook twenty different orders of vegetables. When she had her romaine hearts break on her, Ramsay warned her that he would not wait on lettuce. On their last order, she panicked as she put her garnish in a pot when she could have left it in the pan, and then, she brought up garnishes with too much butter. Ramsay was angry when she said she was making tortellini, and none was on order, leading him to call her a stupid fucking fat mouth bitch, and ordered her to read out the order instead of talking crap. When the final five were lined up, Ramsay reminded the lack of teamwork, despite the completed service. He told her that she put herself in the hole that night, to which she agreed, and Keith was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, she begged Keith not to nominate her.

Virginia was Keith's first nominee for elimination, with Garrett being the second. During her plea, she said she loved making food for people, and despite her mistakes, she wanted to keep moving forward. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she knew there was a reason she was still around.[7]

Episode 8[]

Main article: Episode 208 - 4 Chefs

While returning to the dorms, all but Virginia celebrated being in the final four as Keith apologized for nominating her. She went lying on her bed, crying and ashamed about her poor performance and being nominated a fourth time, saying she did not want to be there if she did not deserve to. While she knew she was good at challenges, she sucked in dinner services, making her frustrated.

The following day, when Ramsay asked the final four who they thought was the strongest chef, Virginia was the only one who did not answer herself because she was still feeling ashamed about her last dinner service performance until Ramsay made her say it. 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. After hearing that, she was more determined to win the challenge. Then, 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 ride there, she refused to get intimidated if it were a high-class restaurant.

During the 100 Portions Construction Workers Challenge, Virginia prepared a turkey, prosciutto, and feta cheese sandwich. When she served it to the workers, she used a very flirtatious approach. Back in Hell's Kitchen, she wanted redemption, and Ramsay revealed that her dish was named the best by the workers, making her the winner of the challenge. She was surprised by the results and asked Ramsay if he was lying, but he reminded her that the construction workers were the ones that decided the vote.

Virginia was rewarded with a guaranteed spot in the final three, along with a shopping spree at the Sur La Table boutique with Ramsay. Back at the dorms, she was happy to be in the safe zone with immunity but wondered what the shopping spree entailed, just as Keith mocked her in the bathroom out of jealousy. During the reward, she called her shopping spree a dream, and as the two shopped, she got more comfortable with Ramsay, even flirting with him at specific points before finding one of Ramsay’s cookbooks and having him sign it. Then, she found a porcelain cow for Sara after a particular insult in a previous service. Ultimately, she bought close to $970 worth of kitchen items. When she returned from her reward, she received an icy shoulder from her teammates as she gave them cheap presents. Sara received a cow statue, Heather received a glove and Keith crab crackers. A pissed Keith felt that she should have given them better presents based on her $1000 shopping spree, especially as he picked her to come on his Las Vegas trip. She felt that they were being rude to her just because she won. So, she went back upstairs to sleep while the remaining chefs continued their punishment.

During prep, Virginia was not feeling secure even though she was safe. When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay reminded them that three master chefs would be eating in the dining room that night, which gave them extra pressure. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station and served a crab amuse-bouche for every table. She got the amuse-bouches out, and Ramsay felt that was the fastest he had seen her so far. However, when Ramsay called out a six-cover, she was caught staring at him, not doing anything, leading him to tell her that she had to move her ass by mimicking what she was doing. Then, she could not find her green beans, holding Heather up on her entrées, but when she told Ramsay she was trying to move fast as many things were going on at once, the latter told her to watch Heather. Later, she did not understand her when Heather called a ticket out and made her repeat it. After a minor fire erupted at her station, Heather was sent there to help her, going to the back store looking for bok choy. When she realized she was out of cream, she asked Keith if he could run to get her some as fast as he could, but he refused. When Ramsay asked her if her panicking was because of her immunity, she answered no, even though the former reminded her that Heather was working her station for her. When Jean-Philippe returned to the kitchen with the chefs' dishes, he told Heather that the meat was cooked perfectly, but her peas were burned. Heather sarcastically thanked her for that, while a pissed Ramsay asked her if she was playing against Heather and not with her due to being safe. However, she argued that she was trying to play with them and asked why they were harsh to her. Much later, she told Heather to slow down as well, as she could not make it in time, leading Ramsay to tell Heather that she was screwing her. Then, she told Ramsay she burned the cabbage, forcing Heather to return her meat. That led Ramsay to revoke her immunity, which made Heather smile and thanked God for that. Then, she became confused and started to panic on time she needed, which discouraged Ramsay even further as it was her worst night ever, making her wish she was a server right now.

After service, Heather was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, Virginia convinced Heather to put her up as she was so ashamed about her performance and seriously wondered if she was ready to run a restaurant.

Virginia was Heather's first nominee for elimination, with Sara being the second. During her plea, she flat out told Ramsay that after being nominated multiple times, she questioned her ability to run a kitchen if she could not run garnish and felt she did not deserve to win Hell’s Kitchen. However, Ramsay reminded her that because she won the challenge, she had a spot in the final three, offering to give her back her immunity if she wanted it. Although she did not want to be in the final three because Ramsay was a man of his word or because of the challenge, the latter told her that this was her decision before telling Sara to shut up when the latter tried to speak up. After much deliberation, she changed her mind and declared she wanted to stay in the competition. Ramsay respected her decision, and she survived elimination. While being dismissed, she was in better spirits than earlier as she wanted to stay.[8]

Episode 9[]

Main article: Episode 209 - 3 Chefs

While going back to the dorms, Virginia started crying because she still felt ashamed about her poor performance and questioned her place in the competition as she still did not know if she survived because of Ramsay or because she deserved it. However, she did tell Heather that she felt a little more fight back when in front of Ramsay than earlier that night. Heather was still shocked over her decision and felt bad as she told Sara she would survive over the former. However, she was glad that Sara was gone and yelled that nothing was sure in Hell’s Kitchen. On the patio, she asked others if she was better than Sara, but Heather and Keith yawned in her face as it was unimportant. She left the patio table in anger and took a moment to herself in the bathroom, where she motivated herself so she could finally convince herself that she deserved to stay. The following day, she, determined not to fail in another service, asked many questions to Heather, but the latter refused to answer her, thinking that she would not help her win the competition as she wanted to win.

When the final three came downstairs, they saw Ramsay cooking a dish for them, making Virginia shocked. During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, she used wild striped sea bass, Tuscan white beans for the purée, couscous for the sauce, which she took from Keith, who tried to hide it from her and called him a brat as a result, and grapefruit for the sides. She was the winner of the challenge for correctly guessing all the ingredients of Ramsay's dish. Ramsay praised her palate and told her she had to use it from now on. She was very proud of herself.

Virginia was rewarded with some quality time with Ramsay in the kitchen and had the opportunity to ask him as many questions as she wanted. He would give her tips on how to cook on the line, run the hot plate, and eventually become a top chef. Back at the dorms, Heather accused her of taking the recipe of the dish used in the challenge from the recipe book she got during her shopping spree reward. However, she accused Heather of being jealous of her success and did not listen to her as she was proud of herself. During the reward, she called it cool to train with Ramsay, and then he let her have a chance at running the pass. During her simulation, she made Ramsay and the Sous Chefs laugh while simulating running the hot plate. While she felt she could not have been rude to people earlier, she truly believed she could be a bitch in the kitchen now.

Later that night, Heather gave a cold shoulder to Virginia when she asked her if she was mad at her. Heather told her she did not want to be her friend anymore as she continued to accuse her of cheating. At the same time, Keith showed an attitude to her when he told her that Ramsay picked a dish only she knew because he was attracted to her. She told Keith to shut up and that he was being rude. When left alone, she was sick and tired of being an outsider and got on her knees in front of her bed to send some prayers. During prep. Heather ignored her questions, and she was annoyed by the latter's and Keith's behavior as both of them thought they had already won. She took it as extra motivation to prove everybody and herself wrong.

During dinner service, Virginia was at the fish station. On the first ticket, she burned her two salmons due to a hot grill and trashed them. Ramsay asked her to get them out of the bin, schooled her on her careless attitude, and asked her if that was the start of what would come that night. She answered no, knowing she did not want to get mauled that night. During Keith's turn on the pass, he called out his second ticket, but she did not answer, and Ramsay had to tell him that she had to answer him. She could not give Keith a proper time, which the latter did not give himself. Her problems with fish resulted in only twenty-five tables receiving their orders. During Heather's turn, she was asked for a proper time for her food to be ready. She was the final person to run the pass, and Ramsay ordered her to run Hell’s Kitchen. On her first ticket, she was not taken seriously by Keith as he thought she sounded like a cartoon character, and Heather asked her to repeat the order because she did not understand her well. Despite her rocky start, she was very energetic, and Ramsay told Sous Chef Scott to send a Chilean sea bass instead of salmon. She successfully spotted the mistake and asked for a salmon. Ramsay praised her quality control. With that compliment from Ramsay, she was determined to finish her turn at the pass strong. She gave clear instructions to Heather, and with three tables left, Ramsay took back control of the hot plate. On the final ticket, she struggled with fish, and lacked communication and teamwork with Heather.

When the teams were lined up, Ramsay told each of them to name one person they thought did not deserve to advance in the finals. During deliberation, Virginia said she would not be surprised if she would leave but also knew it was Ramsay’s decision as she had been nominated multiple times. However, she and Heather talked about Keith's quiet behavior in the pass. Later, she was packing her bags as she knew she would be sent based on her inexperience, but Keith reminded her about Heather’s frantic performance on the pass.

At elimination, Virginia nominated Keith for his lack of leadership and fire while being nominated by the latter and Heather. During her plea, she said she was not an old dog and could replicate Ramsay’s skills if he was willing to teach her. She survived elimination but was ignored by a pissed Keith on his way out. Afterwards, Ramsay congratulated her and Heather for making it to the final two and reminded them that one would win their own restaurant in Las Vegas. He told them 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. She remembered how she won the Blind Taste Test and the Taste It Now Make It Challenge. 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 that it came down to services, which Virginia could not cut next to her, while she tried to stay focused by giving kicks into a punching bag, saying she would use her palate against the former. The telephone rang, and Heather picked it up. Ramsay told both to get down in the kitchen. 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 declared that if she won, she would hire her husband, who was also a chef. The final question was about what they did during their off times, and she revealed the dance they made up in the dorms, which Heather 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 blue kitchen. 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.

Back downstairs, both finalists stood on their respective sides of the restaurant, thinking about how they could design their restaurant. Virginia wanted to give art on the plates and on the wall, so the customers could understand who she was. 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 Maryann on her menu. Going over the restaurant's design, she wanted the walls to resemble a waterfall. For the uniforms, she wanted darker colors with a bistro style to them. As construction on the restaurants began, she went to Sous Chef Mary-Ann to discuss their menus. She suggested complex ideas, such as a chicken roulade.

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. While packing for the trip, Virginia knew things were unpredictable and did not know what tricks Ramsay had. 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 told her that she held the record for most challenges won in a season, though she knew she won all but one.

Once in Las Vegas, Ramsay introduced the Final Signature Dish Challenge. As the challenge began, Virginia cooked her chicken roulade with a Berblanc sauce and wanted to win with her hearty swiss cheese. Once time was up, she and Heather walked back into the casino with their cooked dishes. As the finalists presented their food to the guests, Heather got off to an early lead and led 5-4 after the first nine votes were tallied. However, she caught up in points and even began flirting with a few guests to help her out. Eventually, she led 10-9, but the final vote ended in a tie at ten each. One last customer was approached to taste the dish, and he preferred Virginia's dish. She won the challenge. 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 called it a generous gift. Afterwards, they went back to Hell's Kitchen.

With eighteen hours left before the final dinner service, the finalists returned to Hell's Kitchen to look at the progress. Virginia learned that the column's colour was too dark and would not fit with her waterfalls. Colotto suggested getting some lighter colors, to which she agreed. Also, Colotto was concerned about her waterfalls as he struggled to think how he could make them work well during the night. Hearing that made her nervous. After the progress report, both finalists went to sleep, exhausted, but they had a lot of things on their minds. She compared it to Christmas Eve.

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, though some were surprised to see Virginia in the final two. As the group ate, she realized they would have to pick their former teammates as their brigade and knew that half of the group was strong. Then, the phone rang, and Ramsay ordered her to come to the kitchen, along with Heather and all their friends. Afterwards, Ramsay told the finalists that the six in front of them would be their brigade members for the final dinner service. Because she won the final challenge, she got the first pick. She chose Keith as her first pick, but he was not happy as he wanted to be on Heather's team and did not think she deserved to be in the finals. For her second pick, Virginia chose Tom, which surprised everybody as Heather recalled how poorly the latter cooked. When Heather picked Sara as her second member, she was happy as she was not friends with the latter as she knew Tom would give her more respect. Virginia chose Giacomo for her last pick, thinking it would boost his confidence for not being picked last. Also, she felt Giacomo had a better attitude compared to Garrett.

After the selection, both teams returned to the dorms for briefing time. Virginia managed to upset her team by saying she picked the people who everybody thought were weak and see what she could do with them. Keith felt insulted by that and asked if she thought he was weak, but she thought he would carry the weaker links. As she went over the menu, Keith liked the dishes but wondered if she could execute them. She asked her team to bring her perfecting, but Keith said he wanted something in return so he could work hard for her. Although she was reluctant to give them something, Keith demanded something immediately. She relented and promised to provide the men with $1000 if she won. That made Tom happy as he was unemployed due to competing.

Eight hours before the final service began, Heather and Virginia brought their brigades into their kitchens to prep. She handed out tasting spoons and tried to motivate her team. Still, she was concerned about Tom and Giacomo as they did not perform well under pressure, but she knew the three men would help her as her main concern was the dining room. When she went to see the dining room, Janavs and Colotto revealed that her waterfalls might not be ready for the opening as they were behind schedule. She was worried about it, but the two architects told her to focus on her food and let them focus on the dining room. 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 jalapeno tortellini appetizer, braised short ribs as her entrée, and an ice cream sundae for dessert. Ramsay liked the presentation of the dishes but told her she must match ingredients that taste well together as he did not get the quail eggs with the steak. Still, she felt they were minor tweaks that she did not need to worry about. After looking at both menus, Ramsay deemed her menu a flashy California vibe. The construction crew scrambled to get her waterfall ready, and with twenty minutes left before service, the architects revealed to her her waterfalls, which finally came alive. She was pleased about them as she thought they added something to the room. When Ramsay was presented with her dining room, she said she wanted to give the diners a fine dining experience. Ramsay found the colors nice and praised the lighting. Afterwards, she helped prep the kitchens as they were minutes 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 her teams one last time, told them what they wanted from them during that service, and the service started.

During service, Virginia opened her Desert Oasis as Sous Chef Mary-Ann told her not to overwhelm her brigade. She struggled to be understood by her team as they told her to speak louder. After she called out her first ticket, none of her team members called back until she urged them to move. Ramsay got concerned when he saw that, as it meant the blue team was calm and sedative. Then, 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. Ramsay reminded her about quality control as she took too long plating her dishes to his liking. Despite Giacomo and Keith offering to help, she claimed she was fine even though the food was getting backed up. Later, she told Giacomo to refire a salad order as the last one he sent had too much salt and less walnut oil. Ramsay praised that decision and told Giacomo to wake up. When she told her team to go faster, Tom started to give her attitude, thinking he did not want to be talked to that way because of his age. An hour into service, she had good quality control, but Giacomo slowed the kitchen down because of the raw fish he was sending. Giacomo said he would have the snapper refire in thirty seconds, but he felt like a jackass due to running around. Ramsay told her he was worried about the little food coming out and told her she needed help with the plating station. So, she asked Keith to come and help her, but he started to give her attitude over the dishes he needed to cook. That bothered her as she felt Keith was taking advantage of her, but the latter did not appreciate her yelling at him. Despite that, she caught up with the red kitchen, and most of her customers finally received their appetizers. Many of her customers enjoyed their starters, but Kreeger thought his pasta was slightly too thick. Despite catching up on appetizers, she still needed to catch up on entrées. Ramsay caught Tom standing idly, and she told the latter not to stand around again. When Giacomo informed her that Tom had cut himself, she started feeling very concerned. Then, she called out the order, and Tom struggled to get his order out on time as his team heckled him for the chicken. She felt that Tom failed to grasp three items, but he got his dishes out and the former pushed out entrées. When Kreeger ate the chicken roulade, he liked it and said she was back in the game. When she called out the following order, Tom did not pay attention and asked what was on the ticket. Ramsay told Tom to move and check the ticket himself. Three hours into service, she rushed to get her entrées quickly, but a customer complained about his snapper containing too much oil. Jean-Philippe brought it back, and she asked for a refire. However, Keith revealed that they ran out of snapper, causing her to panic as she had no backup plan. As she franticly looked for food, the customers asked for their desserts anyway. So. Virginia ordered her team to get the desserts going. Both teams rallied to send their final desserts out, and Kreeger enjoyed both kitchens' desserts.

When the teams were lined up, Ramsay congratulated both teams 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 declared that Virginia's short ribs were the best he ever had. 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 said that Tom and Giacomo were always known as the weak links and that if she could win despite them, she could prove everybody wrong. Back in the dorms, she and Heather drank beer as she was a mix of emotions over the decision. After a few minutes, the Sous Chefs knocked at the dorms' door to get both into Ramsay's office. She had no idea what would happen. In Ramsay's office, she and Heather stood in front of a door. Ramsay congratulated the two, praising her palate as a gift. 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. She felt confident she would win as the two stood in front of their doors. After waiting nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end, both finalists turned their keys, but her door did not open. She became the runner-up of Hell's Kitchen, but she took her defeat graciously, saying she trusted Ramsay's decision and hoped to be as successful as Heather one day.[10]

Nomination History[]

Week 1 Nominated
Week 2 Win
Week 3 Win
Week 4 Nominated
Week 5 BoW
Week 6 Nominated
Week 7 Nominated
Week 8 Nominated
Week 9 Nominated
Finale Runner-Up

Season 10[]

Episode 16[]

Virginia returned to Hell's Kitchen as part of a team of returning runner-ups. She was joined by Russell (Season 8), Jay (Season 7), Kevin (Season 6), Paula (Season 5), and Bonnie (Season 3). During prep, she admitted that she would be shocked if the black jackets won instead of the runner-ups.

During dinner service, Virginia was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except for Kevin telling her and Jay to work together on scallops. The runner-ups won service over the black jackets.[11]

Post Hell's Kitchen[]

  • After her appearance on the show, she worked at Lupa Osteria Romana and Casa Mono and opened a restaurant called Cork and Pig Tavern in San Angelo.
  • She divorced her first husband, she remarried and now has a daughter.
  • Her restaurant, Cork and Pig Tavern, has several locations across Texas.
  • She opened another restaurant called Red Oak Kitchen in Odessa, Texas

Trivia[]

  • She and Heather are the first pair of finalists from the same state (New York). She and Heather are also the first pair of finalists of the same age (25).
  • She participated in the first-ever all-female finals of Hell's Kitchen.
  • She is the second runner-up and first female runner-up of Hell's Kitchen.
  • At age 25, she was the youngest runner-up in the history of Hell's Kitchen until Megan (Season 20) beat this record.
  • She holds the record for the runner-up with the most nominations in the show's history, with six.
  • She is the first female contestant to survive the opening night elimination.
  • She is the first contestant to be nominated four consecutive times, a record that stood until Season 12, and the first to have survived all four of them.
  • She is the first contestant who made it to the black jackets and the first one who made it to the finals after being nominated the first time her team lost.
  • She is the second contestant, and the first female, to be picked as a guest for a prize during the black jackets, following Michael (Season 1). She is also the first runner-up with this detail.
  • She is the only finalist up to this date to hold the record for doing the least punishments with just one punishment out of a possible nine. As a result, she holds the second-best reward/punishment ratio in the history of the show, with it being 89%, behind Kanae (Season 18) at 90%. However, she holds the best reward/punishment ratio of contestants who made it to black jackets.
  • Ironically, she also holds the worst nomination rate in the show's history, with her making it to the finals and being nominated every time she was eligible, marking a 100% eligible nomination rate for somebody who went through the entire competition.
    • Overall, she holds a 67% nomination rate, the worst for any finalist or black jacket.
  • She beat the original record of five challenge victories with seven to her name. She held the record until two seasons later.
  • She is the second contestant to be nominated consistently throughout the Black Jacket phase, following Jessica (Season 1).
  • She is the first finalist in the show's history to run the kitchen opposite her starting team without ever having been a member of that team.
  • She won the most challenges in her season with seven.
  • She was the first contestant to have a birthday during their time in Hell's Kitchen.

Quotes[]

  • "I work at a restaurant called Lupa. I go in there, throw on mascara, maybe some lip gloss."
  • (About her signature dish) "The nuts are toasted."
    Ramsay: "The nuts are toasted? Oh, fuck me. We've toasted nuts for 29 minutes and then grated a coconut."
  • "I'm really proud of that salad, and I know it's a good salad. A rabbit might like it, but I don't think rabbits like coconut milk!!"
  • "I wished Chef Ramsay was still here so he could rub lotion on us."
  • (After realizing Ramsay served cheap food) "I was taking it seriously, and then he was like, (impersonating Ramsay) 'Haha. It was catfish, hot dogs, cheese in a can, and a TV dinner. Haha.' It's embarrassing."
  • (After being named the runner-up) "I feel totally happy for Heather. I trust Chef Ramsay's decision, and, one day, I'll be just as good as Heather."

Gallery[]

External links[]


References[]

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
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