On Hell's Kitchen, contestants can either take the heat or get out of the kitchen, literally. Regarded as one of the highest stressed job interviews anyone will ever have, Fox's Hell's Kitchen turns on the heat and keeps it there for the 17-to-20 chefs that compete for a chance at a $250,000 salary to be the head or executive chef at some of the world's best restaurants.

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Along the way, there are some chefs that can't take the heat and are eliminated—some deservingly, and others not so much—and those eliminations became the sticking point for many fans of the show. Here are the 10 of the most shocking eliminations from Fox's hit reality competition.

Guy Vaknin (Season 10)

Guy Vaknin came in talking a big game, but his performances at dinner services were mediocre at best. However, he didn't deserve to go out in the sixth episode of Season 10. He did struggle on his station during that episode's dinner service, however, he was one of the few on the blue team that was able to get through the service without being kicked out. Nevertheless, he was voted after a passionate plea from Clemenza, the other chef up for elimination, which sealed his fate.

Jeffery Dewberry (Season 1)

Right from the start, Hell's Kitchen courted controversy with its eliminations. Jeffery Dewberry was solid during episode two's dinner service, and, if he didn't almost walk out of service, he would have stayed rather than Jeffery "Jeff' LaPoff, whom everybody hated—including Gordon Ramsey.

It was a controversial elimination, given that Jeffery was clearly a better chef than Jeff. Not to worry, though, as Jeff was ordered to give up his jacket in the very next episode.

Robert Hesse (Season 6)

Midway through Season six, it seemed like Robert Hesse would have at least earned a black jacket. However, in the eighth episode, he was up for his first elimination of the season and got sent home, which was controversial at the time because he was up against Andy Husbands, who was on his third elimination. Normally, that would be a red flag for Chef Ramsey, but, when Robert spent his pleading time attacking Andy instead of defending his skills, he was sent home.

Jillian Flathers (Season 8)

Jillian Flathers had the talent to go all the way in Season eight. She was among the black jackets and was right up to the precipice of being in the final two. However, she had a horrible time at the pass, which prompted Ramsey to take over for her.

That basically sealed her fate, and, by the time Ramsey announced his final two, Flathers was on the outside looking in. It was shocking, as she was a consistent performer who could have won if she was able to control the pass.

Joshua "Josh" Wahler (Season 3)

Joshua "Josh" Wahler will live in infamy in Hell's Kitchen history. Some fans were shocked that Josh even made it to the black jackets given his erratic performances at dinner services.

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However, once he got that jacket, he self-destructed, which led him to become the first chef ever to be eliminated during dinner service. While it's more common now, it was a shocking elimination back then that had fans talking for weeks.

Sara Horowitz (Season 2)

By the time of Sara Horowitz's elimination in the ninth episode, her performances were slipping. However, her performance wasn't as bad as Virginia Dalbeck's, who won immunity from elimination in a challenge before that episode's service.

Her performance was so bad that Ramsey revoked her immunity, and she was up for elimination for the fifth time that season. It was reasonably assured that she would be giving up her jacket, but he chose Sara instead, which sent shockwaves throughout Hell's Kitchen nation. It was a shocking twist in a season full of them, and there would be plenty of more to come.

Craig Schneider (Season 4)

For all intents and purposes, it looked like Benjamin "Ben" Caylor was going to be the next chef to be sent home in episode four. He was subpar at dinner services and celebrated completing an order... while being four tables behind. Alas, at that episode's elimination, Ramsey threw a curveball and sent Craig Schneider home.

While shocking at the time, a re-look at the episode may prove that Ramsey made the right choice, as Craig had a sour attitude, and his own failures at his station caused the blue team's demise at dinner service. Also, the "I don't know percentages" line may have sealed his fate.

Salvatore Coppola (Season 7)

This is one shocking elimination in which luck may have played a part in a contestant staying in the kitchen. Salvatore Coppola wasn't a strong chef, but he managed to dodge being sent home until the seventh episode, where a particularly horrible dinner service cost him his jacket.

The main reason Salvatore's exit was shocking was that he wasn't the only chef to suffer from mediocre dinner service, but, in the end, his consistently poor dinner services cost him to get the boot.

Jennifer Normant (Season 9)

Jennifer from Hell's Kitchen

A lot of fans think that Jennifer Normant got the short end of the stick. A consistent performer in dinner services, she deservedly earned a black jacket. But, in the first black jacket elimination service, she was sent packing instead of Elise Wims, the villain of the season that couldn't get along with others and manipulated her way into the top three.

Made even more shocking was the fact that Jennifer was largely considered a favorite along with William "Will" Lustberg. To this day, fans can't fathom how Ramsey kept Elise over Jennifer.

Nicole Rutz (Season 12)

There have been plenty of bad chefs that entered Hell's Kitchen, and then there was Nicole Rutz. She was uninspired and a poor chef, and, in the second episode's elimination ceremony, Nicole's ultra-poor performance prompted Ramsey to send her home.

Nicole's elimination wasn't shocking from a performance standpoint, but what made it truly eye-opening was that she was on the team that won that episode's dinner service, and the team that wins service is normally safe from elimination. Nicole's performance was so horrible that she was sent home on a night her team was safe from elimination.

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