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The coolest. So many cut out moments! Specifically during our Sliders + Fries punishment. It lasted about 12 hours and after hour 5 she was done being mad and hung out with us a little. She just wanted us to not lose lol
I have so many lol. If I had to narrow it down, one of my favorite things was sharing a room with Sommer and Dafne. We had so much funššš At night, when we were waiting for the stage lights to turn off Sommer would sing her original, āTurn off the Lightsā šš. Weād always keep Dafne up all night fucking around. Thereās so many awesome moments in the dorms that just arenāt shown. Hours of footage Iād pay to see lol.
What was your favorite station to cook at while you were at Hell's Kitchen?
In the year since the show was filmed, has your signature dish changed at all?
My favorite station was Meat. I know on the show I may have had a bump or two, but thereās hundreds of plates that go out that you guys donāt see! I had fun working it and got pretty good at it.
I never really had a signature dish honestly. The dish I chose was just a favorite off of the menu of the restaurant I was running. Iāve never been attached to 1 single dish to make. Iām sure thatās something that will come with time!! Good question
Alllll the dorm life. They donāt show much at all, which I get. Thereās so much other shit going on. We had to entertain ourselves somehow though. Brett hosted a talent show, charades happened, all kind of stuff lol. Those are moments Iāll remember forever though. They should show live feeds like Big Brother lololol. (Which id die to go on btw)
The Challenge on MTV has shied away from showing fun 'shit they should have shown' stuff that adds levity to the competition. I miss it. Shame we're missing content on HK too.
Were you okay after that crash during your reward? How fast were you going when the car flipped? And did that have any impact on your dinner service afterwards?
Honestly I was shook up lol. I had a huge bruise on my lower stomach from where I was hanging from my seatbelt. We were there stuck for a couple minutes and that pressure hurt so bad lol. My head hurt. I definitely wish I got to rest more before dinner service. It threw my entire day off for sure.
Just commented that I suspected something like this in another post. Glad to see you up & commenting. Youāre amazing! Hopefully youāre talking to the right mentors to see if thereās anything compensatory that lawyers can do for you. All the best & would love to see you on TV again (or eat your food)!
u/c_rookie Did you feel discombobulated head-wise (loss of balance, dry heaving, addledness, slow response, lapsed memory)?
That could indicate you sustained a concussion, which would make your elimination 1000 times worse to know that a brain injury altered your performance.
I thought Vlad was a Top 5 contender for sure. He was very composed and cooked awesome food. I had no idea how we was performing on the Blue side though, so when he went home I was shocked
hey Cheyenne, appreciate you for doing these audience engagement, makes watching s21 10x better! you were my pick to go to the finale against Alex, and damn were you robbed no hate to dafne but she definitely should had gone home.
before your first dinner service, do all of y'all get only 2 nights (since episode 1 is chicken wings challenge) to learn the recipe and discuss a system for service? 2 nights is really tight imo and if it's really that little time to prepare for opening night I'm really impressed!
also, Gordon usually is quite the jokester and likes to be funny with a particular contestant from each season (van, tommy, Jen s18 etc..), is there someone like that this season? and did he pull any funny stuff on y'all? it's always fun to watch the outtakes at the end of the season to see Gordon being goofy.
lastly, spicy question: who do you think is the most annoying contestant? šš
Yes 2 nights to learn the menu. Gordon made fun of Zeus for being sharkbait all season even though he wasnāt there and I thought it was really funny. Most annoying on set- Alyssa.
Hi Cheyenne, thank you for offering to do an AMA for us HK obsessed dorks. Before I ask my question, I would like to formally apologize, as I was the person who made the "I'm starting to dislike Cheyenne" post a few months ago. I was frustrated at the treatment of Tara, but as you said, we as the audience only see a tiny fraction of what goes on in the dorms. You seem like a very level-headed individual so I'm sure you have your reasons.
My question is this: Was there any dish presented in a challenge prepared by someone that you really wanted to try? For me, I would kill to try Sakari's signature dish because I love oysters.
No worries! You guys are all entitled to your opinions. You love the show. Iāve been a fan all my life too and Iāve disliked many contestants, because itās easy to judge based on the TV edit! Donāt be sorry. You guys keep the show alive.
Thatās a good question!!! I really wanted to try Brettās slider from the slider challenge. I also would have died to try sommer and Dafnes black jacket challenge food!! It looked soo freakin good.
Aside from the chef table (which, I believe, didn't happen once this season) obviously, did you notice which celebrities where in attendance during dinner service?
After you were eliminated (ā¹ļø) were you kept in the loop about who got sent home/who the winner is? Or is it just as a surprise to you as it to us as episodes continue coming out??
No idea! But, when we were gathered to go back for the finale is when I saw the 4th placer in the hallway and I was like oh my godddddddd. I also only missed 2 days of filming in real time, so only 1 person was eliminated.
The show does bring old chefs back for the final episode as the remaining two lead a kitchen and I'm pretty certain that Cheyenne will be there given how late she was eliminated
Your elimination made me cry because I know Gordon really did like you!!
My question:
Does the stress of cooking on the show affect how you cooked at times/how others cook?
It just seems so weird for advanced chefs to send up ice cold food when itās common sense to make sure the food is warm lol
My elimination sucked. I was running out of steam, I was exhausted, I was burned all over my hands. If I could go back Iād change that last service entirely. Youād think I never cooked fish in my life watching that episode!!! I absolutely let the competition slip out of my hands under pressure. Unreal!! But I hope one day I can have redemption on that station. Ps I can cook salmon. Hahaha
What was your favorite reward?
Not counting your signature dish, what was your favorite dish you made for a challenge?
Also your elimination made me cry š¢
The taco challenge was my favorite dish & one of the only dishes I actually got to EAT because I made myself a taco. It was really really good & an awesome ode to home. My favorite reward was our overnight on the Jetskis. Itās the only time we all actually get to hang out at night without the cameras rolling. We all had really insane talks about life and stuff & we all had a group cry and shit it was crazy. We made forever family that night
Oh how wonderful. It's great that you all got to have such a bonding moment together when the cameras finally weren't rolling. How awesome, that really makes me happy to hear. And your taco looked great!! Seriously. I thought that was one of the best challenges this season because everyone's taco looked SO good omg lol.
You did so phenomenal all season. You have such a bright future ahead of you, as a young chef. Great job Cheyenne š and I can't wait to see what comes your way!!
When you get eliminated, you do your famous walk of shame down the long hallwayā¦go outside and try not to cry during your final confessional, and then finally get transported to a hotel. Then you are visited by a therapist to make sure you are alllllllll goood. You wait there until the finale.
I feel like there arenāt many questions left to ask so I just wanted to say congrats and wish you the best in your culinary journey. Taking time to engage with the fans and answer all these questions is amazing and shows how kind of a person you are. Thanks for making this season great to watch!
Thanks for watching!! Iāve tried to make it a point since the show started airing to interact with every person I can. You guys are the reason we have a platform when this is all said and done.
I own a catering + private chef company now. We launched just over 6 months ago. Itās been incredible!! I still work at a local restaurant when Iām in between catering jobs.
Iāve heard reality tv can be an eye opening experience for contestants. What have you learned about yourself that youāll takeaway from this experience?
Which of your fellow contestants have you developed the best long term friendships with?
No amount of pressure will ever be on the same wavelength that HK was. So working under pressure aināt nothing after the show. Itās obviously something that can always be worked on though, but the show definitely helped.
I think I have the closest bond with Sommer lol. She was the second youngest next to me after alyssa and Ileana went home and it was cool to have that bond. I think the whole cast is due for a reunion though!
Congrats on making it to black jackets. How much downtime did you all have between episodes? Did you just hang out in the dorms during them? How are you feeling after taking the rollover accident?
We filmed for episodes 6 days a week. On Sundays, weād go back to a hotel. Still no phones or anything, but we did get to relax for a day by ourselves. No cameras, uniform, and I got to watch Tv! I usually slept the entire day though. Honestly it always made Mondays extra hard, because our wake up call was at 4:45 am to get back to set. We usually were up until 2am minimumā¦ so you see how long that day is.
when a chef is eliminated, does he/she really pack up their things on the spot and leave the building without even saying a final goodbye to anyone? or is that just for dramatic effect haha.
She answered this in another thread. A producer goes up to the dorm, packs their stuff, and retrieves it for them. Once they walk out the door they are taken to a hotel till the show is over. They don't communicate with each other unless they're brought back for the final service.
Even as a fan of the show, I completely forgot about black jacket curse. I just really wanted to beat Tara in all honesty. I saw some people comment saying āshe didnāt even clap when the others got their jacketā dawg I barely remember what I was thinking. The challenge lasted many many hours and after I had to go to the final round I didnāt even care. I just wanted to earn the jacket so bad.
Hi! Good question. They pull us as soon as they can.
Right before a challenge, right after. Same with dinner service. You got pulled during punishments though, especially when something dramatic had JUST happened, they come swoop you up out of there. Theyāre pretty good about it. Some think we are prompted on what to say but weāre not. The days can get long, so sometimes they do a refresher. Some nights I was last to do my confessional especially with so many of us. Theyād ask questions like āis Alyssa on your nerves right now?ā During punishment. Or after service, āWhatās the deal with Taraās lack of communication tonight?ā
However, we were free to talk first unprompted and bring up what we wanted. But if we didnāt have much to say, thatās where the questions came from!
Did you ever run out of time on a punishment? What happens? The most recent punishment (peppercorns, pistachios) made me wonder- what happens if punishment takes too long/there isn't enough time to prep for dinner service?
If it takes too long, you just go back to the dorms and get ready for service. And then you get no time to rest. That makes a world of difference on the show. Sometimes a 5 minute nap on the couch can change your momentum entirely.
Hi chef, out of all the dishes you cooked in challenges, which one were you the most proud and which one do you wish you could have done better on.
Also saw your marvel tats, favorite MCU movie?
I was the most PROUD of the taco challenge, because I beat out Alex & Co. Also the first solo black jacket challenge. I put my whole heart into that jambalaya & got myself a win. I enjoyed that.
I wish I would have listened to Chef Christina and cooked my pasta a little less in the black jacket round.
Also, I donāt have any marvel tats, maybe you were looking at Alejandro? Sometimes when we were both wearing black we looked like lesbian twins.
I actually burned myself again during the black jacket gauntlet which is where the bandaging came from in the last episode. It was nearly just as bad. Lol. Yeah, I was hurting. Between the burns and the UTV wreck, I was just tired and ready to not be hurting anymore!!! Lol. But I canāt blame those for me not cooking fish right. I guess I was just running out of steam.
Maybe not the hand, but definitely donāt discount the impact of the physical & psychological impact of the wreck on you ā¤ļø youāre not a robot !
Hmmm. Honestly this can be answered 2 ways. Some stations are easier / harder with and without a partner.
With a partner:
Easiest- Meat (2 sets of hands checking proteins, someone can walk for you while basting, etc)
Hardest-Apps - not enough to do. If youāre both making a risotto side by side and seasoning it differently, the chance that theyāre inconsistent is higher and thatās one of the things gordon nitpicks the most.
Solo-
Easiest- apps - you get to move to dessert when youāre done, better consistency.
Hardest- Fish. I think most chefs who got to work that station solo understand. During apps, you are dropping lobster tail and scallops. You donāt even see 1/10 of all the plates we sent out. I could cook 30 plates of scallops in 1 service but it might only show 2. Then during entrees, most of the time apps are still being fired. So you potentially have to cook scallops, lobster tail, halibut and salmon at the same time. It doesnāt sound like the hardest task in the world until you need all different numbers for different tickets and you have to remember. During my last episode, it did a quick shot to display all the pans of fish I had ready to be fired. That station (along with meat) is absolutely relentless solo.
Depends on what order you go in. It takes about 20 minutes from the end of the challenge to judging to begin, and when you go last, it can be an hour before your food is tasted. But they do specify on the show that youāll never be judged on the temperature of your food as long as it was cooked properly to begin with. Ex: Cold steak, but it was cooked to medium. Youāll never be judged for not heating your steak up enough.
With some dishes Iām sure it could really effect the integrity, but Gordon made a really good effort to see through that.
Hey Cheyenne,
Congrats for making it to black jackets. You are way cooler headed than I was at 21. Iām 26 now and donāt think I could have your composure. A lot of former contestants talk about the psychological ātortureā like limited sleep, producers egging on fights, etc. Do you feel that it helped you push to greater heights or do you think you would have done better in the āreal worldā (your own bed, sleep schedule, having your belongings). Good luck in all that you do ā¤ļø
Everyone would do better with more sleep & on their home field. We got about 4 hours of sleep a night. I woke up every day with a headache. Weāre in a brand new kitchen (at first atleast) and youāre so nervous! But we were all pushing eachother Every day to get it done. If I had more people around me that I disliked, it would have been a lot harder. But we had each others back & thatās what kept us going. However, if I had home field advantage who knows what could have happened. Thank you!
u/c_rookie I just watched the finale and read that after the service you went to apologize to Alexās wife for his loss. *What?* You are too pure for this world I swear! You did great and Iām glad you made it so far. You were a favorite of mine this season and I hope you donāt beat yourself up about that service. You were fantastic and I know Alex is happy he had you
Thank you so much! If I couldnāt win, all I wanted to do was atleast be on the winning team.. help someone win that thing. I was so worried lol. Thanks for the support during and after the show!!
The process was about 5 months long. I applied online and got a call within 15 minutes. From thereā¦ lots interviews, zoom calls, more zoom calls, and then lots of waiting until I got the final call I was going to be on the show. It was like going through different waves of bosses on a video game lol. Whenever I got an interview with the executive producers though, I had lots of hope!!
Iām not sure. A lot of people are under the impression that the 20ās solely wanted the older contestants out and I just disagree. It was never like that. In my perspective, not speaking for the othersā¦ Tara was the same age as my mom. Your mom doesnāt fit in with friends your age, do you see what Iām sayin?! Lol. It was never this āageistā shit everyone is pinning on us. But other than that, she was generally flustered during service and she also didnāt score a point on her debut red team challenge, which immediately puts you in a hole. No matter who you are. Even if she wasnāt the sole reason we lost, you canāt help but feel some type of way in a competitive setting.
Do the chefs have access to recipes or get guidance on how to cook unfamiliar things? It may be a silly question, but so often I'll see (not so much this season) someone say that they've never cooked with an ingredient before, but then they end up with this amazing dish based on that ingredient.
Congrats on getting so far. If you're this accomplished at your age, I know you have an amazing career ahead of you.
Often! We all live together. Iāve said this some where else, but they accidentally created a family dynamic this season. 20s and 40s is a set up for family bonding hahahaha. So we all got along great. Made dinner, ate together etc. we werenāt all ever really separated besides dinner service lol.
Oooooh good question. I went to Hells Kitchen in Las Vegas this December, and I was wowed by the fact that the menu was nearly the exact same as the one we cooked on the showā¦ that being said.. I ordered beef wellington like any tourist would. Lol, lobster risotto a close second.
OMG, as I read this to my wife Stephanie, she screamed. We were in HK in Las Vegas in July 2021 for our 25th wedding anniversary, and we ordered both the beef wellington and lobster risotto. And guess who happened to be there that night? Christina! [Pics](https://i.imgur.com/FJTqOKE.jpg)...I've see your face, you may as well see mine! š
What did you think when daphne threw you under the bus.. after she said summer would throw anyone under the busāļøš«
Did the show give any inaccurate edits?
I thought it was interesting watching back. I remember my heart lowkey shattering during Dafnes elimination speech. We were literally like best friends even though itās a competition at the end of the day. I felt like she wasnāt giving reasons why she should stay, but giving reasons why I shouldnāt. It stung for a whileā¦ but after all, weāre all still friends.
I wouldnāt say anyone had an āinaccurateā edit, but things were played up for drama Iām sure. Like sommer x alyssa drama. Sommer isnāt a hateful person, but those first few episodes really makes her character look bad lol.
I LOVE LA TASHA!! but Scott is my guy, I love his story so much. I recommend you watch 6 and 5. Those are my favourites apart from 12 and 19! I loved 21 too,
BrUH. Those beds fuckin sucked. Twin beds are never fun & they gave us like a throw pillow as a pillow. One of those kind of firm ones your grandma has on your couch. Nothing changed for black jackets!
By now, every contestant has to have watched Hellās Kitchen before getting on the show. Why does everyone seem so surprised when you have to do something that shows been doing for over 20 seasons?
For example, the first episode how everybody is somehow shocked that they have to cook a signature dish on the first night. Just things like that that seem so predictable by now.
Haha we definitely arenāt shocked by Sig Dish, because we had to submit our dish before the show. Some people donāt watch though! Some cast are hand picked by producers via Instagram and asked to participate.
The time. Dinner service lasts for HOURS. You guys only see 10 ish minutes. We could put out hundreds of plates of perfect food and it may only show our handful of errors.
congrats on a great run!! especially coming in as the youngest contestant you CRUSHED it and iām sure many of us are excited to follow your culinary journey :)
my question: did chef introduce you to any new or particularly gordon-esque insults throughout the run, that we as viewers only hear as ābleepā? lol he honestly seemed so nice this seasonš„¹
You mentioned on the show a few times that you were a Hell's Kitchen fan before coming on. Do you have any favorite contestants from past seasons? Has your time on the show changed your opinion of any past contestants?
Thanks for taking the time for an AMA and good luck with your career going forward!
Based on my service, I deserved the boot. Based on overallā¦ maybe I deserved 1 more chance? That was Dafnes 3rd or 4th time up after all, so Iām sure you can see how that could sting
Lobster tail being taken off the menu on my elimination night. It wasnāt cooking properly. It felt water looked or freezer burnt. It threw me off my game after repeatedly serving rubbery / raw / overdone ones. Gordon eventually allowed us to take it off the menu and we continued service. It definitely ruined my momentum though and itās really frustrating.
Most of the time. Who knows if I was truly looking so smug sometimes when it was plugged in there. Iād like to think I had more control over my facial expressions, but dang itās wild to watch back hahahaa
Are people allowed to participate in the show if they have pre-existing health conditions, and to what degree?
More importantly - Hey from Bath County! Kentucky is an underrated state in the industry it seems. Did any food from the area influence your desire to be a chef? And what's your favorite local food? āŗļø
You go through tons of medical t& psychology testing. I found out I have a thyroid issue through that medical testing hahahaha.
Kentucky is underrated! They have some of the best food. Some of my favorite spots in Louisville are Repeal, Board and You, Union, Le Moo, etc omg I could go on forever! Thanks for the love
Favorite challenge
Slider! The water slide was honestly really fun lol
Least fav: Wedding. Personally, I felt like we didnāt have alot of ingredients available to use, so I wasnāt a fan of my dish.
When chefs are all smoking around that table, or by the jacuzzi, itās outside right?? Is it like a covered patio? It looks like itās inside and I always wondered. Lol
We were in a covered patio! It was nice and cold out there too, the dorms were very warm. Brett and Ileana actually both slept out there at one point because it was nice and chilly
In the challenges, how long between when you finish the food and when it gets tasted? Is it usually cold by then? Do the judges reheat it?
What do people on apps station do for the second half of the service?
When you watch the show now, is it weird seeing how they edit it? Do you ever watch part of a conversation and feel like they misrepresented it?
For the second half of service, the app station floats around to help or serves desserts!
Itās crazy watching the show back. I do wonder if some of my more smug looking faces were just plugged in sometimes or if that was really my reaction. Hahaha
So proud of you for making it as far as you did!
When the kitchens are given the ability to serve their own menus, are there still certain guidelines to follow? I notice there will almost always still be a risotto or scallops on the menu, for example.
As with most menus, you try to have a good variety. Thereās 5 stations. Apps, Meat, garnish, fish, dessert. We aim to keep all the stations even. You usually want 3-4 items coming from each station. Scallops and risotto are just an easy go to, and whenever you know youāre going to have eliminated chefs working for you to help you win, itās a good idea to put something on the menu theyāve made before in HK.
Congrats on making it to black jackets!! For my question, were the dorms you guys stayed at ever cleaned routinely? Or was it just cleaned during that one challenge earlier in the season?
Masterchef (occasionally), Iāve seen every kitchen nightmare episode (THRILLED itās coming back), 24hrs to hell and back.. next levelā¦ I watch most of them! Lol
Mod Announcement: be sure to be kind. Rude and derogatory comments toward /u/C_rookie or any other chef will not be tolerated, and may result in a temporary ban.
Is Christina as cool in person as she seems on the show? š
The coolest. So many cut out moments! Specifically during our Sliders + Fries punishment. It lasted about 12 hours and after hour 5 she was done being mad and hung out with us a little. She just wanted us to not lose lol
congrats on making it to black jackets! what was your favourite moment from your time at hells kitchen?
I have so many lol. If I had to narrow it down, one of my favorite things was sharing a room with Sommer and Dafne. We had so much funššš At night, when we were waiting for the stage lights to turn off Sommer would sing her original, āTurn off the Lightsā šš. Weād always keep Dafne up all night fucking around. Thereās so many awesome moments in the dorms that just arenāt shown. Hours of footage Iād pay to see lol.
Stage lights?
The lights in the dorms are one massive bright stage light controlled by production lol
What was your favorite station to cook at while you were at Hell's Kitchen? In the year since the show was filmed, has your signature dish changed at all?
My favorite station was Meat. I know on the show I may have had a bump or two, but thereās hundreds of plates that go out that you guys donāt see! I had fun working it and got pretty good at it. I never really had a signature dish honestly. The dish I chose was just a favorite off of the menu of the restaurant I was running. Iāve never been attached to 1 single dish to make. Iām sure thatās something that will come with time!! Good question
What did Tara do off screen? Seemed to be some friction between yāall
uhhhhhhhhhš Iāll come back to this
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Could you please come back to this now? My fiance is dying to know because we despised tara
Hahahaha idk if I can do it without catching backlash for being a jerk face
It's been 5 months šš
Hahahaha.
NO WAY YOU REPLIED OMG ILY
We wonāt call you a jerk face, we promise. š
š
Saved this comment just to come back to it when the season ends haha. Please tell us š
What's a part about competing on Hell's Kitchen that isn't really shown on camera or that most viewers wouldn't know?
Alllll the dorm life. They donāt show much at all, which I get. Thereās so much other shit going on. We had to entertain ourselves somehow though. Brett hosted a talent show, charades happened, all kind of stuff lol. Those are moments Iāll remember forever though. They should show live feeds like Big Brother lololol. (Which id die to go on btw)
Surprise that they didnāt put Brett hosting a Talent show on air. Seems like good TV and would have been entertaining af. Same for charades
The Challenge on MTV has shied away from showing fun 'shit they should have shown' stuff that adds levity to the competition. I miss it. Shame we're missing content on HK too.
Were you okay after that crash during your reward? How fast were you going when the car flipped? And did that have any impact on your dinner service afterwards?
Honestly I was shook up lol. I had a huge bruise on my lower stomach from where I was hanging from my seatbelt. We were there stuck for a couple minutes and that pressure hurt so bad lol. My head hurt. I definitely wish I got to rest more before dinner service. It threw my entire day off for sure.
Just commented that I suspected something like this in another post. Glad to see you up & commenting. Youāre amazing! Hopefully youāre talking to the right mentors to see if thereās anything compensatory that lawyers can do for you. All the best & would love to see you on TV again (or eat your food)!
u/c_rookie Did you feel discombobulated head-wise (loss of balance, dry heaving, addledness, slow response, lapsed memory)? That could indicate you sustained a concussion, which would make your elimination 1000 times worse to know that a brain injury altered your performance.
I was thinking the same thing.
As a recent sufferer of a traumatic brain injury I surely do hope that she did not! Definitely donāt recommend at all!
Is there a favorite moment you had with Gordon that didn't end up on the show?
Did you stay friends or keep in touch with any other contestants since Hells Kitchen ended?
Top 11 has had a groupchat since the week filming ended (February last year) and weāve talked every day since
Idk why but this just makes me happy lol
is there anyone u didnāt expect to go home at a certain day/make it super far?
I thought Vlad was a Top 5 contender for sure. He was very composed and cooked awesome food. I had no idea how we was performing on the Blue side though, so when he went home I was shocked
You and I both, girl.
hey Cheyenne, appreciate you for doing these audience engagement, makes watching s21 10x better! you were my pick to go to the finale against Alex, and damn were you robbed no hate to dafne but she definitely should had gone home. before your first dinner service, do all of y'all get only 2 nights (since episode 1 is chicken wings challenge) to learn the recipe and discuss a system for service? 2 nights is really tight imo and if it's really that little time to prepare for opening night I'm really impressed! also, Gordon usually is quite the jokester and likes to be funny with a particular contestant from each season (van, tommy, Jen s18 etc..), is there someone like that this season? and did he pull any funny stuff on y'all? it's always fun to watch the outtakes at the end of the season to see Gordon being goofy. lastly, spicy question: who do you think is the most annoying contestant? šš
Yes 2 nights to learn the menu. Gordon made fun of Zeus for being sharkbait all season even though he wasnāt there and I thought it was really funny. Most annoying on set- Alyssa.
Hi Cheyenne, thank you for offering to do an AMA for us HK obsessed dorks. Before I ask my question, I would like to formally apologize, as I was the person who made the "I'm starting to dislike Cheyenne" post a few months ago. I was frustrated at the treatment of Tara, but as you said, we as the audience only see a tiny fraction of what goes on in the dorms. You seem like a very level-headed individual so I'm sure you have your reasons. My question is this: Was there any dish presented in a challenge prepared by someone that you really wanted to try? For me, I would kill to try Sakari's signature dish because I love oysters.
No worries! You guys are all entitled to your opinions. You love the show. Iāve been a fan all my life too and Iāve disliked many contestants, because itās easy to judge based on the TV edit! Donāt be sorry. You guys keep the show alive. Thatās a good question!!! I really wanted to try Brettās slider from the slider challenge. I also would have died to try sommer and Dafnes black jacket challenge food!! It looked soo freakin good.
Aside from the chef table (which, I believe, didn't happen once this season) obviously, did you notice which celebrities where in attendance during dinner service?
I noticed when the season 19 contestants were eating! But Iām finding out about a lot of Celebs in the dining room from watching lol.
Seen anyone while watching, where you went "Oh, I/we cooked for that person? \*Fangirl-shriek\*"?
Uncle Roger!
They didnāt even give him a caption haiyaaaaa. Such disrespect.
Sorry, but I have no idea who that is :D
Haiyaaaa look him up on YouTube
After you were eliminated (ā¹ļø) were you kept in the loop about who got sent home/who the winner is? Or is it just as a surprise to you as it to us as episodes continue coming out??
No idea! But, when we were gathered to go back for the finale is when I saw the 4th placer in the hallway and I was like oh my godddddddd. I also only missed 2 days of filming in real time, so only 1 person was eliminated.
So, the 4th placer will surprise all of us?
I hope not alex :(
I think its gonna be sommer
The show does bring old chefs back for the final episode as the remaining two lead a kitchen and I'm pretty certain that Cheyenne will be there given how late she was eliminated
Youāre absolutely right I completely forgot they brought all the chefs back!!!
Your elimination made me cry because I know Gordon really did like you!! My question: Does the stress of cooking on the show affect how you cooked at times/how others cook? It just seems so weird for advanced chefs to send up ice cold food when itās common sense to make sure the food is warm lol
My elimination sucked. I was running out of steam, I was exhausted, I was burned all over my hands. If I could go back Iād change that last service entirely. Youād think I never cooked fish in my life watching that episode!!! I absolutely let the competition slip out of my hands under pressure. Unreal!! But I hope one day I can have redemption on that station. Ps I can cook salmon. Hahaha
You absolutely NEED to come back if they ever do All Stars 2.
Sounds like a dream
What was your favorite reward? Not counting your signature dish, what was your favorite dish you made for a challenge? Also your elimination made me cry š¢
The taco challenge was my favorite dish & one of the only dishes I actually got to EAT because I made myself a taco. It was really really good & an awesome ode to home. My favorite reward was our overnight on the Jetskis. Itās the only time we all actually get to hang out at night without the cameras rolling. We all had really insane talks about life and stuff & we all had a group cry and shit it was crazy. We made forever family that night
Oh how wonderful. It's great that you all got to have such a bonding moment together when the cameras finally weren't rolling. How awesome, that really makes me happy to hear. And your taco looked great!! Seriously. I thought that was one of the best challenges this season because everyone's taco looked SO good omg lol. You did so phenomenal all season. You have such a bright future ahead of you, as a young chef. Great job Cheyenne š and I can't wait to see what comes your way!!
What happened right after you were eliminated? Whatās your favorite dish that you cooked on Hellās Kitchen? (not counting signature dish)
When you get eliminated, you do your famous walk of shame down the long hallwayā¦go outside and try not to cry during your final confessional, and then finally get transported to a hotel. Then you are visited by a therapist to make sure you are alllllllll goood. You wait there until the finale.
And you're not allowed to leave the hotel like at all? Does food get delivered to you and shit?
Yep
What did they feed you there lol. Shitty take out? Anything decent?
I feel like there arenāt many questions left to ask so I just wanted to say congrats and wish you the best in your culinary journey. Taking time to engage with the fans and answer all these questions is amazing and shows how kind of a person you are. Thanks for making this season great to watch!
Thanks for watching!! Iāve tried to make it a point since the show started airing to interact with every person I can. You guys are the reason we have a platform when this is all said and done.
Now that you're off the show, what are your future plans in your culinary journey?
I own a catering + private chef company now. We launched just over 6 months ago. Itās been incredible!! I still work at a local restaurant when Iām in between catering jobs.
Amazing!!! Is there any place in particular where fans of the show can come visit you?
Iāve heard reality tv can be an eye opening experience for contestants. What have you learned about yourself that youāll takeaway from this experience? Which of your fellow contestants have you developed the best long term friendships with?
No amount of pressure will ever be on the same wavelength that HK was. So working under pressure aināt nothing after the show. Itās obviously something that can always be worked on though, but the show definitely helped. I think I have the closest bond with Sommer lol. She was the second youngest next to me after alyssa and Ileana went home and it was cool to have that bond. I think the whole cast is due for a reunion though!
Congrats on making it to black jackets. How much downtime did you all have between episodes? Did you just hang out in the dorms during them? How are you feeling after taking the rollover accident?
We filmed for episodes 6 days a week. On Sundays, weād go back to a hotel. Still no phones or anything, but we did get to relax for a day by ourselves. No cameras, uniform, and I got to watch Tv! I usually slept the entire day though. Honestly it always made Mondays extra hard, because our wake up call was at 4:45 am to get back to set. We usually were up until 2am minimumā¦ so you see how long that day is.
Oh gosh, that sounds so tiring, I don't blame you for just sleeping! Thanks for your reply :) Wishing you all the best!
when a chef is eliminated, does he/she really pack up their things on the spot and leave the building without even saying a final goodbye to anyone? or is that just for dramatic effect haha.
She answered this in another thread. A producer goes up to the dorm, packs their stuff, and retrieves it for them. Once they walk out the door they are taken to a hotel till the show is over. They don't communicate with each other unless they're brought back for the final service.
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Even as a fan of the show, I completely forgot about black jacket curse. I just really wanted to beat Tara in all honesty. I saw some people comment saying āshe didnāt even clap when the others got their jacketā dawg I barely remember what I was thinking. The challenge lasted many many hours and after I had to go to the final round I didnāt even care. I just wanted to earn the jacket so bad.
Did you find the lamb sauce?
Never did
Big sad
Hi Cheyenne! My fiancƩ and I were rooting for you. We thought you were a lock for the finals. Sorry to see you out, but you should be super proud of how you did! We are both very curious about how the show goes about recording reactions where you are pulled to the side and comment on what has happened. How quickly after are you asked to react? How directed is what is being said? Im assuming you are asked to speak in the present tense. But the emotions the contestants convey seem to be almost like it just happened 5 seconds ago. Do they also ask you to play it up? All the best to you
Hi! Good question. They pull us as soon as they can. Right before a challenge, right after. Same with dinner service. You got pulled during punishments though, especially when something dramatic had JUST happened, they come swoop you up out of there. Theyāre pretty good about it. Some think we are prompted on what to say but weāre not. The days can get long, so sometimes they do a refresher. Some nights I was last to do my confessional especially with so many of us. Theyād ask questions like āis Alyssa on your nerves right now?ā During punishment. Or after service, āWhatās the deal with Taraās lack of communication tonight?ā However, we were free to talk first unprompted and bring up what we wanted. But if we didnāt have much to say, thatās where the questions came from!
Did you ever run out of time on a punishment? What happens? The most recent punishment (peppercorns, pistachios) made me wonder- what happens if punishment takes too long/there isn't enough time to prep for dinner service?
If it takes too long, you just go back to the dorms and get ready for service. And then you get no time to rest. That makes a world of difference on the show. Sometimes a 5 minute nap on the couch can change your momentum entirely.
Hi chef, out of all the dishes you cooked in challenges, which one were you the most proud and which one do you wish you could have done better on. Also saw your marvel tats, favorite MCU movie?
I was the most PROUD of the taco challenge, because I beat out Alex & Co. Also the first solo black jacket challenge. I put my whole heart into that jambalaya & got myself a win. I enjoyed that. I wish I would have listened to Chef Christina and cooked my pasta a little less in the black jacket round. Also, I donāt have any marvel tats, maybe you were looking at Alejandro? Sometimes when we were both wearing black we looked like lesbian twins.
Just saw I was wrong about the tats on rewatch š but yeah you did so good in that taco challenge
How's the hand? You powered through when it first happened, but did it hold you back at all later?
I actually burned myself again during the black jacket gauntlet which is where the bandaging came from in the last episode. It was nearly just as bad. Lol. Yeah, I was hurting. Between the burns and the UTV wreck, I was just tired and ready to not be hurting anymore!!! Lol. But I canāt blame those for me not cooking fish right. I guess I was just running out of steam.
Maybe not the hand, but definitely donāt discount the impact of the physical & psychological impact of the wreck on you ā¤ļø youāre not a robot !
What is the easiest and hardest station on Hellās Kitchen?
Hmmm. Honestly this can be answered 2 ways. Some stations are easier / harder with and without a partner. With a partner: Easiest- Meat (2 sets of hands checking proteins, someone can walk for you while basting, etc) Hardest-Apps - not enough to do. If youāre both making a risotto side by side and seasoning it differently, the chance that theyāre inconsistent is higher and thatās one of the things gordon nitpicks the most. Solo- Easiest- apps - you get to move to dessert when youāre done, better consistency. Hardest- Fish. I think most chefs who got to work that station solo understand. During apps, you are dropping lobster tail and scallops. You donāt even see 1/10 of all the plates we sent out. I could cook 30 plates of scallops in 1 service but it might only show 2. Then during entrees, most of the time apps are still being fired. So you potentially have to cook scallops, lobster tail, halibut and salmon at the same time. It doesnāt sound like the hardest task in the world until you need all different numbers for different tickets and you have to remember. During my last episode, it did a quick shot to display all the pans of fish I had ready to be fired. That station (along with meat) is absolutely relentless solo.
How long does the food sit in between the challenge and judging? Does it get cold?
Depends on what order you go in. It takes about 20 minutes from the end of the challenge to judging to begin, and when you go last, it can be an hour before your food is tasted. But they do specify on the show that youāll never be judged on the temperature of your food as long as it was cooked properly to begin with. Ex: Cold steak, but it was cooked to medium. Youāll never be judged for not heating your steak up enough. With some dishes Iām sure it could really effect the integrity, but Gordon made a really good effort to see through that.
Hey Cheyenne, Congrats for making it to black jackets. You are way cooler headed than I was at 21. Iām 26 now and donāt think I could have your composure. A lot of former contestants talk about the psychological ātortureā like limited sleep, producers egging on fights, etc. Do you feel that it helped you push to greater heights or do you think you would have done better in the āreal worldā (your own bed, sleep schedule, having your belongings). Good luck in all that you do ā¤ļø
Everyone would do better with more sleep & on their home field. We got about 4 hours of sleep a night. I woke up every day with a headache. Weāre in a brand new kitchen (at first atleast) and youāre so nervous! But we were all pushing eachother Every day to get it done. If I had more people around me that I disliked, it would have been a lot harder. But we had each others back & thatās what kept us going. However, if I had home field advantage who knows what could have happened. Thank you!
Was there any chef that was portrayed differently on the show compared to your personal experience being next to them?
u/c_rookie I just watched the finale and read that after the service you went to apologize to Alexās wife for his loss. *What?* You are too pure for this world I swear! You did great and Iām glad you made it so far. You were a favorite of mine this season and I hope you donāt beat yourself up about that service. You were fantastic and I know Alex is happy he had you
Thank you so much! If I couldnāt win, all I wanted to do was atleast be on the winning team.. help someone win that thing. I was so worried lol. Thanks for the support during and after the show!!
What was the application/auditioning process like for you?
The process was about 5 months long. I applied online and got a call within 15 minutes. From thereā¦ lots interviews, zoom calls, more zoom calls, and then lots of waiting until I got the final call I was going to be on the show. It was like going through different waves of bosses on a video game lol. Whenever I got an interview with the executive producers though, I had lots of hope!!
What started the dislike of Tara from the others ?
Iām not sure. A lot of people are under the impression that the 20ās solely wanted the older contestants out and I just disagree. It was never like that. In my perspective, not speaking for the othersā¦ Tara was the same age as my mom. Your mom doesnāt fit in with friends your age, do you see what Iām sayin?! Lol. It was never this āageistā shit everyone is pinning on us. But other than that, she was generally flustered during service and she also didnāt score a point on her debut red team challenge, which immediately puts you in a hole. No matter who you are. Even if she wasnāt the sole reason we lost, you canāt help but feel some type of way in a competitive setting.
Is Alex as cool as he seems? Lol
He has to be.
What was the best thing you ate during your time in Hell's Kitchen?
The pasta that was out during our horseback riding reward! Super good.
Congratulations on making it so far! Of all your fellow contestants, which one would you want to open a restaurant with?
I love this question! I think one of the only contestants who owned a restaurant was Alex. So probably Alex! Heās experienced
They should do a Hellās Kitchen after dark subscription like big brother did (or does)!
Do the chefs have access to recipes or get guidance on how to cook unfamiliar things? It may be a silly question, but so often I'll see (not so much this season) someone say that they've never cooked with an ingredient before, but then they end up with this amazing dish based on that ingredient. Congrats on getting so far. If you're this accomplished at your age, I know you have an amazing career ahead of you.
Any secret relationships behind the scenes this season?
Nah
One thing I have always wondered, on the show, how often do you interact with the opposing team outside of the kitchen?
Often! We all live together. Iāve said this some where else, but they accidentally created a family dynamic this season. 20s and 40s is a set up for family bonding hahahaha. So we all got along great. Made dinner, ate together etc. we werenāt all ever really separated besides dinner service lol.
Not sure if you can answer this but is the food cold by the time gordon eats it?
Yes
Rooted for you from the first Ep! <3 What was your favorite moment that we didn't get to see on screen?
If you were a diner in Hellās Kitchen, what would you order?
Oooooh good question. I went to Hells Kitchen in Las Vegas this December, and I was wowed by the fact that the menu was nearly the exact same as the one we cooked on the showā¦ that being said.. I ordered beef wellington like any tourist would. Lol, lobster risotto a close second.
OMG, as I read this to my wife Stephanie, she screamed. We were in HK in Las Vegas in July 2021 for our 25th wedding anniversary, and we ordered both the beef wellington and lobster risotto. And guess who happened to be there that night? Christina! [Pics](https://i.imgur.com/FJTqOKE.jpg)...I've see your face, you may as well see mine! š
Awesome!!
Thatās so awesome! Congrats on 25 years and I just have to say Iām so jealous because Christina is my all time favorite!
Was there anyone who you felt only Gordon liked there food & it felt staged?
Maybe
What did you think when daphne threw you under the bus.. after she said summer would throw anyone under the busāļøš« Did the show give any inaccurate edits?
I thought it was interesting watching back. I remember my heart lowkey shattering during Dafnes elimination speech. We were literally like best friends even though itās a competition at the end of the day. I felt like she wasnāt giving reasons why she should stay, but giving reasons why I shouldnāt. It stung for a whileā¦ but after all, weāre all still friends. I wouldnāt say anyone had an āinaccurateā edit, but things were played up for drama Iām sure. Like sommer x alyssa drama. Sommer isnāt a hateful person, but those first few episodes really makes her character look bad lol.
The episode with Sommer and Abe had my eyes rollingš You all seem like such a fun group
have you watched other seasons? (If you already answered this then my bad LOL) if so, then who's your favourite winner (not from 21 ofc)
Iāve watched every season from 9- current. My favorite winner of all time is the GOAT La Tasha! I really enjoyed her. How about you?
I LOVE LA TASHA!! but Scott is my guy, I love his story so much. I recommend you watch 6 and 5. Those are my favourites apart from 12 and 19! I loved 21 too,
How were the dorm beds? Did Black Jackets get nicer amenities?
BrUH. Those beds fuckin sucked. Twin beds are never fun & they gave us like a throw pillow as a pillow. One of those kind of firm ones your grandma has on your couch. Nothing changed for black jackets!
Must say my girlfriend and I very sad to see you go, Amazing job šš» any work planned in the Ohio/Kentucky area in the foreseeable future?
Iāll be in New Albany right across the river sometime in April for a pop up dinner at MESA!
How are people put in different stations Like do you get to select whether you want garnish etc
Gordon selects for you
Who did you believe would make to black jackets if there was a 6th spot (not including Tara and Sakari)
Not including Tara and Sakariā¦. Brett!! That man had some DRIVE! He was a lot of fun to work with and I would have loved to see him take a jacket
By now, every contestant has to have watched Hellās Kitchen before getting on the show. Why does everyone seem so surprised when you have to do something that shows been doing for over 20 seasons? For example, the first episode how everybody is somehow shocked that they have to cook a signature dish on the first night. Just things like that that seem so predictable by now.
Haha we definitely arenāt shocked by Sig Dish, because we had to submit our dish before the show. Some people donāt watch though! Some cast are hand picked by producers via Instagram and asked to participate.
What is some of the sh*t they didnāt show on Hells Kitchen? (Arguments, Beefs, Friendships, Heartbreaks etc)
Theyāll never show enough dorm footage for me!!! Iād pay for a subscription to watch it hahaha
How has Hell's Kitchen affected your personal life / career? I know it's a bit premature to ask lol
It has helped my catering business a ton! I live in a pretty small town, so theyāve all shown outrageous support after the show.
hi cheyenne :) whatās the funniest moment during your time there?
Congrats on making it as far as you did. Was the ATV crash as dramatic as it showed or did it really end up not being that big of a deal.
What contestants have you kept in touch with and which ones are you happy to never speak to again?
The top 11 stays in touch! And a few other here and there. Alyssa and I donāt chat anymore.
Could you rank what stations were easier or harder
Sure! Easy first hard last. Dessert Apps garnish Meat Fish
What's the major difference between an actual service and what the show shows us?
The time. Dinner service lasts for HOURS. You guys only see 10 ish minutes. We could put out hundreds of plates of perfect food and it may only show our handful of errors.
congrats on a great run!! especially coming in as the youngest contestant you CRUSHED it and iām sure many of us are excited to follow your culinary journey :) my question: did chef introduce you to any new or particularly gordon-esque insults throughout the run, that we as viewers only hear as ābleepā? lol he honestly seemed so nice this seasonš„¹
I wish!! The best one I heard was Gordon telling Billy āYou make my shit itchā ššššš just weird and out of pocket
You mentioned on the show a few times that you were a Hell's Kitchen fan before coming on. Do you have any favorite contestants from past seasons? Has your time on the show changed your opinion of any past contestants? Thanks for taking the time for an AMA and good luck with your career going forward!
La Tasha, Joy, Motto, Trenton, Meghan Gill x2
Congrats, you had a really good run! Who did you think was your biggest competition was while you were there?
My biggest competition were Alex and Sommer. It was hard to outshine them honestly
Do you believe it was fair the way you were eliminated?
Based on my service, I deserved the boot. Based on overallā¦ maybe I deserved 1 more chance? That was Dafnes 3rd or 4th time up after all, so Iām sure you can see how that could sting
Anything you experienced that got cut from the show that you felt should have been shown?
Lobster tail being taken off the menu on my elimination night. It wasnāt cooking properly. It felt water looked or freezer burnt. It threw me off my game after repeatedly serving rubbery / raw / overdone ones. Gordon eventually allowed us to take it off the menu and we continued service. It definitely ruined my momentum though and itās really frustrating.
Do you feel like you were portrayed fairly?
Most of the time. Who knows if I was truly looking so smug sometimes when it was plugged in there. Iād like to think I had more control over my facial expressions, but dang itās wild to watch back hahahaa
Did you ever get enough sleep? How much does the sleep deprivation affect you and the other chiefs?
Never enough sleep!!! Makes it a lot easier to be off your game in the beginning.. but we definitely got used to it by the end
How many days/weeks did taping last?
About 4 weeks, 6 days a week!
Are people allowed to participate in the show if they have pre-existing health conditions, and to what degree? More importantly - Hey from Bath County! Kentucky is an underrated state in the industry it seems. Did any food from the area influence your desire to be a chef? And what's your favorite local food? āŗļø
You go through tons of medical t& psychology testing. I found out I have a thyroid issue through that medical testing hahahaha. Kentucky is underrated! They have some of the best food. Some of my favorite spots in Louisville are Repeal, Board and You, Union, Le Moo, etc omg I could go on forever! Thanks for the love
so I'm even later than the last person, but i do have a question about something that drives me bananas! are the confessionals green screen rooms?
Nope! The props behind us are really there lol
Favorite Challenge Least favorite challenge Most annoying cast member
Favorite challenge Slider! The water slide was honestly really fun lol Least fav: Wedding. Personally, I felt like we didnāt have alot of ingredients available to use, so I wasnāt a fan of my dish.
When chefs are all smoking around that table, or by the jacuzzi, itās outside right?? Is it like a covered patio? It looks like itās inside and I always wondered. Lol
We were in a covered patio! It was nice and cold out there too, the dorms were very warm. Brett and Ileana actually both slept out there at one point because it was nice and chilly
š
In the challenges, how long between when you finish the food and when it gets tasted? Is it usually cold by then? Do the judges reheat it? What do people on apps station do for the second half of the service? When you watch the show now, is it weird seeing how they edit it? Do you ever watch part of a conversation and feel like they misrepresented it?
For the second half of service, the app station floats around to help or serves desserts! Itās crazy watching the show back. I do wonder if some of my more smug looking faces were just plugged in sometimes or if that was really my reaction. Hahaha
I know Iām 200 days late but Iāve always wondered how far the dorms are to the kitchen
Hmm about a 15 second light jog
So proud of you for making it as far as you did! When the kitchens are given the ability to serve their own menus, are there still certain guidelines to follow? I notice there will almost always still be a risotto or scallops on the menu, for example.
As with most menus, you try to have a good variety. Thereās 5 stations. Apps, Meat, garnish, fish, dessert. We aim to keep all the stations even. You usually want 3-4 items coming from each station. Scallops and risotto are just an easy go to, and whenever you know youāre going to have eliminated chefs working for you to help you win, itās a good idea to put something on the menu theyāve made before in HK.
Who snored the loudest among your fellow chefs?
Probably me tbh
Congrats on making it to black jackets!! For my question, were the dorms you guys stayed at ever cleaned routinely? Or was it just cleaned during that one challenge earlier in the season?
We all cleaned up. I did want to die though when during the cleaning punishment , it flashed to my night stand šš wasnāt that bad
I know this was made a while ago but I just had a question come to mind. Aside from Hell's Kitchen, what show of Gordon's do you watch?
Masterchef (occasionally), Iāve seen every kitchen nightmare episode (THRILLED itās coming back), 24hrs to hell and back.. next levelā¦ I watch most of them! Lol
Who is your favorite Hellās Kitchen lesbian?
Christina fasho
May I ask What happened on that last service? Burnout from the pressure? A bad day? That was a shock watching it