Winning Hell's Kitchen May Not Be The Opportunity We Think - Exclusive Dark Side Of Reality TV Clip
"Hell's Kitchen" is a long-running reality TV competition show in which emerging chefs participate in cooking challenges devised by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. It's also the subject of an episode of "Dark Side of Reality TV," a Vice TV production that provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of popular reality programs. While Hell's Kitchen finalist Johnathan Benvenuti claimed the show changed his life for the better, not all contestants share his point of view.
In the "Hell's Kitchen" episode of "Dark Side of Reality TV," which airs October 8 on VICE, Season 15 winner Ariel Malone tells viewers what happened after besting the other contestants and landing a dream job at Ramsay's Las Vegas restaurant BLT Steak. While Malone says she was promised an executive chef position at the dining establishment, she later learned that she was considered "paid talent" and was asked to, in her words, "take pictures and kiss babies and that kind of thing." Ultimately, Malone was told that someone else would be in charge of dinner service, despite her being promised a role as the restaurant's head chef (complete with a $250,000 annual salary) after winning the competition. The episode will also feature other "Hell's Kitchen" contestants and winners, including Michael Wray, Elsie Ramos, Tek Moore, and Van Hurd.
Ariel Malone's post-competition role was not what she expected
Chef Gordon Ramsay is no stranger to controversy, with some incidents including accusations of tax avoidance and past sexist remarks. According to Ariel Malone's reported experiences following her time on "Hell's Kitchen," Ramsay's restaurant backed out of the show's promise that she would be given a head chef position for winning Season 15. "My understanding was that I would be the executive chef at BLT Steak in Las Vegas," Malone explains. Instead, Malone claims she performed the necessary food prep and other tasks for dinner service but was allegedly told, "Just Kidding. He's gonna run service."
While some "Hell's Kitchen" winners did actually work for Ramsay for an extended period, including Trenton Garvey and Christina Wilson, Malone's time at BLT Steak was relatively brief. (She won the reality TV competition in April 2016 and resigned from the restaurant in January 2017.) As reported by Eater Las Vegas in 2017, a hostess at the restaurant claimed Malone "got a really big offer she couldn't refuse." Based on Malone's claims in "Dark Side of Reality TV," it's likely that the chef was unsatisfied with her superficial position at BLT Steak. As stated by Malone, her response when asked to perform ancillary duties at the restaurant was "No, I'm a chef."
You can watch the "Hell's Kitchen" episode of "Dark Side of Reality TV" on VICE TV, premiering Tuesday, October 8 at 9 p.m.