Fox’s cooking competition series Hell’s Kitchen is back for season 19. Finally, this absolutely delicious “cooking” show is here again. Cooking in quotes here because, let’s be honest, cooking is the secondary reason for tuning into this wild reality drama. What’s first? Gordon Ramsay’s jaw-dropping, blush-worthy string of brutal insults, of course! The way he turns words into weapons is enviable and unmatched. He is the king of zingers. But the contestants are certainly important as well. The chefs competing for the grand prize of $250,000 and becoming an executive chef position at one of Gordon’s many restaurants run a wide range of talent and experience. However, one thing they all have in common is a big, bold personality. Though Hell’s Kitchen season 19 took over two years to come out, it’s finally here!
Looking back over the many and wonderful series of our beloved Hell’s Kitchen, a trend emerges. The kinds of characters cast on the show reappear time and time again. Like a warm soup on a chilly day, the similarity between competitors season to season make us feel like we’re home. There’s always a woman who’s got more energy than she knows what to do with, a man who, having been underestimated his whole life, has a lot to prove now that he’s a father, and then there’s the new young chef still wet behind the ears. Though their stories are all unique, there is a comforting familiarity.
One of the potentially talented personalities coming to Hell’s Kitchen this season is Nicole Hanna. At 27 years old, Nicole is one of the youngest chefs competing on the show this time around. She was also one of the least experienced chefs entering the arena. Before going on Hell’s Kitchen, Nicole worked as a chef at Wolfe’s Tavern, a small joint located in the even smaller town of Wolfeboro, NJ. But don’t let all that sleepy talk fool you. Nicole says she is “happiest when [she is] in a professional kitchen under great stress five minutes before close making 15 meals at once.” That sounds like a prime attitude to have when it comes to succeeding under the heat of Hell’s Kitchen.
But her attitude and strength aren’t her only winning attributes. Nicole, who eats “like an 80-year-old French woman” and has “an ongoing passionate love affair with cured meats, cheeses, pickled veggies, berries, bread, and wine,” was a brain injury specialist before finding her way into a kitchen. And when she’s not working the line? She’s working as CEO of her company, Yellow Jacket Chef Wear. Yellow Jacket Chef Wear is a company aimed at designing chefs jackets that fit women and all of their curves.
Nicole is on a mission to win Hell’s Kitchen. Those other chefs better watch out!
Hell's Kitchen airs Tuesdays at 8pm EST on Fox.
Source: Nicole Hanna's Instagram