Season 19 of the coveted Head Chef position? After last week's episode, Declan Horgan, Adam Pawlak, Kori Sutton, Cody Candelario, Nikki Hanna, Marc Quinones, Amber Lancaster, Jordan Savell, and Mary Lou Davis all remain.
As the competition has played out so far, several chefs have stood out from the pack. Declan and Amber, for example, were early frontrunners. Both contestants came to Hell's Kitchen with impressive backgrounds and had experience already as executive chefs. Other chefs, like Mary Lou, Kori, and Cody, have been consistently strong and risen in the ranks as they prove that they're well-rounded cooks all around. Lastly, though she brings less experience to the table, Nikki has also begun to stand out. Last week, Ramsay determined that she had the best dish of her team and therefore had to nominate others for elimination.
Though there is still half of the season left to go in the US, the show started airing in the UK way back in October. Due to this discrepancy, the winner and the runners-up, for those who are desperate to know, can already be revealed. Coming in at third place, representing his home country of Ireland with pride was one of Ramsay's early favorites, Declan Horgan. In second place, so close to the title that she could smell it, was the amazingly spunky Mary Lou Davis. And the winner? None other than 37-year-old Kori Sutton.
As the season continues to progress, there are still lots of twists and turns to come. Though she flies under the radar at times, Kori starts to garner more and more praise from Ramsay and gradually moves to the front of the pack. Declan manages to keep up his reputation for perfection until nearly the end, and Mary Lou fights hard to make it to the finale. Unfortunately, Nikki and Amber begin to slip, and Marc and Adam barely hold it together. As the number of contestants begins to dwindle, Chef Ramsay reiterates how important leadership skills are for anyone he'd consider making Head Chef at his Lake Tahoe restaurant. However, not everyone is able to deliver the leadership he's ordered.
There are also some more celebrity cameos to look forward to, including singer Sarah McLachlan and former NFL defensive end Chris Long. In a particularly heated dinner service benefiting both celebrity's charities, Jordan once again fails to step up to the plate and figure out how to lead effectively. This error ends up getting her eliminated. Though Nikki is thrown out not too long after that, Ramsay emphasizes how impressed he's been with her work in the kitchen and urges her to stay in touch and continue training. Cody holds on a bit longer, but he too ends up getting the boot for his lackluster leadership skills.
When it comes down to the final two, Mary Lou and Kori both put up an incredible fight, and the call Ramsay must make is an extremely close one. Ultimately though, it is Kori's level-headed nature and "natural-born" leadership ability, according to Ramsay, that leads him to choose her to be the winner of season 19 of Hell's Kitchen.