Who Won Hell's Kitchen

Who won Hell's Kitchen? This popular reality show, which is based on a cooking competition overseen by chef Gordon Ramsay, has had many winners who have gone on to land high paying jobs at some of Ramsay's own restaurants.

Hell's Kitchen is a cooking competition reality show.

Hell's Kitchen is a competition based reality television show. Each season a new batch of chefs from different backgrounds, and with different levels of experience, face off against each other. The contestants actually work in a restaurant called Hell's Kitchen, where they are divided into teams and must prepare dishes for eager customers.

At the end of each dinner service, a winning team is determined. The losing team then has to nominate two of its own members for elimination. The choice of who gets sent home is left to Ramsay himself.

When the contestants are down in numbers so that team play is difficult, the teams merge and become one. At this point though, each contestant is playing individually.

Finally, when only the last two contestants remain, the restaurant is divided into two sections, and each contestant takes one section. The contestant is then responsible for menu choices and décor on his or her half of the establishment. Six past contestants from the same season return to help out with the service, with three going to each team.

To determine who won Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay once again makes the decision himself. Comment cards are filled out by patrons of the restaurant as the services end, but ultimately, it's Gordon Ramsay's show and he is the sole judge.

Since Hell's Kitchen began in 2005, there have been several past seasons of the hit reality show on the FOX network with more still to come. Here are the winners of these seasons so far.

The first season of Hell's Kitchen was a huge success. Fans were drawn to Ramsay's over-the-top personality and his tendency toward hurling abuse and foul language at the contestants.

The season finale aired on August 1, 2005, and the winner was Michael Wray. Wray was offered a job as head chef in one of Ramsay's London based restaurants, but eventually declined the offer.

Hell's Kitchen wrapped up its second season on August 14, 2006. The winner was Heather West, who took on a job as senior chef at Ramsay's Terra Rosa restaurant. She is currently a sous chef in Hell's Kitchen, working with the red team.

Season three finished on August 13, 2007, with Rahman "Rock" Harper crowned the winner. After working at the Terra Verde restaurant for over a year, he is now a chef at the Carlyle Club in Virginia.

The fourth season of Hell's Kitchen concluded on July 8, 2008. The season started early due to a strike by the Writer's Guild of America, which halted production and airing of most scripted television shows.

The winner was Christina Machamer, whose prize consisted of the position of executive chef at one of Gordon Ramsay's West Hollywood restaurants. The job came with a salary of $250,000 per year.

Season five ended on May 14, 2009. The winner was Daniel Veltri, who earned a job at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This job is also valued at $250,000 per year.

Season six of Hell's Kitchen is currently underway. The prize job opportunity this time is at a Canadian restaurant, which is a first for the show. The establishment is called Araxi Restaurant, and it is located in Whistler, British Columbia, which is a busy ski resort town.

To keep up with the show and find out who has been eliminated each week, or to watch full episodes of Hell's Kitchen online, visit the network site at FOX.com.

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