Hell's Kitchen Season 21: Release Date, Episodes, And More - What We Know So Far

It seems like only yesterday that Trenton Garvey opened up to Mashed about winning "Hell's Kitchen" Season 20, but the final episode of that season aired all the way back in September 2021. That means fans of "Hell's Kitchen" have been without their favorite show for months now, and many are desperately awaiting news of the next season. "I miss Hell's Kitchen, waiting for Season 21," one fan shared on Twitter in May.

Fox finally announced in February that "Hell's Kitchen" had been renewed for two more seasons, but at the time, the network didn't share anything about the seasons' release dates, cast, or any other information about what might happen (per Variety). However, now the network has an unusual claim to fame. 

Though it was the major network this year to announce its fall 2022 lineup, per Deadline, it's the first to announce premiere dates for the fall schedule. That includes the premiere date of "Hell's Kitchen" Season 21, which Fox shared on June 6.

While the last season of "Hell's Kitchen" ended in September 2021, in 2022 the new season of "Hell's Kitchen" will premiere in September. Fox shared that the first episode of Hell's Kitchen Season 21 will air at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 29. It will be preceded by episodes of "MasterChef Junior" or "MasterChef" and will be followed by "Welcome to Flatch" and "Call Me Kat," according to Deadline.

The "Hell's Kitchen" Twitter account also shared the news of the premiere date in a post that generated lots of discussion among fans. "How long ago was this filmed lol. The current MasterChef was filmed in 2019," said one person, referring to one of Gordon Ramsay's other shows. "Bummer I wish it was sooner," said another user; "Gordon always can cheer me up." 

Fans seem to wish the show was coming out before September, but overall, they appeared relieved to know that a new season is, in fact, coming.

We don't yet know how many episodes it will take for the winning chef to take home their prize. But "Hell's Kitchen" Seasons 13 through 20 all aired for 16 episodes (per IMDb), so it's likely that Season 21 will be around the same length. (Then again, "Hell's Kitchen" Season 12 had 20 episodes, per IMDb, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that Season 21 could be more than 16 episodes.)

And while the number of episodes isn't clear yet, fans are sharing any details they can about the new season. One person claimed they saw the new season being filmed in January, which would line up with the production timeline Goldderby shared in February. According to the outlet, filming for the new "Hell's Kitchen" season took place over a three-week period sometime between January and March.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about Season 21 of "Hell's Kitchen." Season 20 of the show, for instance, had a theme. "Hell's Kitchen: Young Guns" featured 18 youthful chefs who were all 23 years old or younger (per Fox). Season 18 had a special theme, too: "Hell's Kitchen: Rookies vs. Veterans" (per IMDb).

So far, there's no word on what the theme of "Hell's Kitchen" Season 21 might be, if there is one. However, a fan on Reddit did find one detail in a March article from the Courier Post: The Season 21 winner gets the prize of being head chef at the new Hell's Kitchen restaurant that's opening in Atlantic City this summer. 

Another hint that the season will feature Atlantic City, where gambling is legal, is the dice in the promo imaged shared by Hell's Kitchen on Twitter. Combined with the Courier Post report, it seems likely the new season will have an Atlantic City theme.