| “ | You take advice from Chef Ramsay. I don't give a fuck if he tells you how to wipe your ass. | ” |
Michael Gabriel was a contestant on Season 12 of Hell's Kitchen. He ranked in 7th place.
Season 12[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1201 - 20 Chefs Compete
The twenty new chefs rode on a bus on route to Hell's Kitchen and during this time they had the opportunity to get to know each other. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Jean-Philippe who walked the chefs into Hell’s Kitchen, only to walk into a service already going on with the food receiving positive comments and Ramsay expressing that the chefs in the kitchen were doing a splendid job. That confused the chefs, and once the service ended, Ramsay approached them and welcomed them. Ramsay explained that he did a soft opening to showcase the chefs what his expectations were, and asked if they could perform a service like the one they saw. Everybody promised they would, and Ramsay revealed that the winner would become a Head Chef at one of his restaurants, but first, they had to survive Hell’s Kitchen in Los Angeles, a place he deemed the capital of entertainment. Shortly after, patrons of the restaurant began putting on a performance, taking Gabriel aback. Afterwards, Ramsay announced it was time for the Signature Dish Challenge.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Gabriel got concerned about the audience as he did not cook any much portions for that amount of people. after Mike revealed he used pre made food for his dish, he asked why the former would serve Ramsay a dish that came out of a box. He was the sixth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Bev. He made a stuffed chicken breast, it was criticized for being the type of shit Ramsay never saw in France, and he lost that round to Bev. The blue team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by resetting the dining room ahead of the opening service. During the punishment, he took notice of Mike vacuuming instead of helping out on the tables as he wanted them to be done first, and called the former lazy and asked why Mike was there if he was not acting like a team player.
During dinner service, Gabriel was on the fish station with DeMarco. When he sent up his first order of scallops, he felt they did good, but Ramsay disagreed as his scallops were beautifully seared on one side, while the other side was not. Later, Ramsay was waiting for the lobster tail, but he told DeMarco to leave the lobster tail in the butter as he refused to send out raw food. Unfortunately, DeMarco sent up an overcooked lobster tail that Ramsay compared to an elastic band, to Anton’s dismay, only for the former to blame him for that mistake. After, he sent up his refired scallops, but they were overcooked and rubbery, and it was the final mistake that caused Ramsay to kick the blue team out of the kitchen.
Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, DeMarco blamed Gabriel for holding him back that night, and Scott considered him for elimination. However, he retorted that DeMarco’s lobster tails had more problems and nominated him and Gaurav for elimination.
Gabriel was not nominated for elimination, but DeMarco still blamed him for not having a system all night.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1202 - 19 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Gabriel laughed at Beth’s flirting towards Richard. The next day, at 4:33 AM, the chefs awoke to the sounds of dirt bikes revving in the dorms, and Sous Chef Andi told the chefs to meet Ramsay outside. When it was implied that Ramsay was going to make them ride dirt bikes in a steel ball, he called Ramsay crazy as somebody would die after they received their helmets.
During the Basics Relay Challenge, Gabriel went up twice as the men were short a member. On his first run, he was paired up with Jason, they were the third pair from the blue team to compete, and their task was to shuck a dozen oysters. They got their first attempt finished quickly, and got them approved. On his second run, he was paired up with Ralph, they were the final pair from the blue team to competed, and their task was to prepare two perfect egg white omelets. After the men chanted Azul for them, they got their first attempt accepted, which was the game winning point for them. The blue team won the challenge 5-4, and they were rewarded with a trip to San Francisco, ate lunch with Ramsay at Epic Roasthouse, and went on a VIP trip around San Francisco on Segway’s. As they left to pack up, he was psyched to spend time with Ramsay at San Francisco.
During dinner service, Gabriel was on the meat station with Richard. At one point, he and Scott communicated on timings for their first entrée order, but he asked why the latter dropped the halibut when chicken took longer to cook. However, Scott wanted to get moving and walked his halibut before he was ready, and he walked pink chicken. After, Ramsay asked him if the customers deserved to eat raw chicken if he himself would not eat it. Later, he had Richard walk the refired chicken, but despite praying it was good, Ramsay discovered that the chicken was raw yet again, and frustratingly kicked the men out of the kitchen.
Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, DeMarco reminded Gabriel about his pink chicken, but while he took ownership for his raw chicken, he deemed Scott the weakest for the lack of communication. Scott argued that he did have good communication, but he reminded the former about his raw halibut, and felt Scott was being a hindrance before refusing to believe he was the weakest chef.
Gabriel was named the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with DeMarco as the first, and they joined Beth and Simone from the red team. During his plea, Ramsay asked him if he was color blind due to the raw chicken, but he said he was not and promised Ramsay he would never do it again, but the latter was not sure if that was forgivable. He survived elimination, and while being dismissed, he was not ready to go home as he was not done fighting, and knew he had to redeem himself.[2]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1203 - 18 Chefs Compete
The next day, at 5:45 AM, the chefs were woken to the sound of pigs squealing and a farmer yelling very loud. Outside, the chefs saw Ramsay in front of a animal pen, and Gabriel had a slaughter mindset. During the Potato Challenge, he was one of the first three men to go into the pen, and was seen yelling at Richard to dig at a certain location. The blue team won 100-90, but Ramsay revealed they won nothing, much to his disappoint as he thought the former would announce another trip. He was not seen during part two, and his dish was not chosen as part of the top five. The blue team lost the challenge 16-18, and they were punished by cleaning the livestock out in the pen.
During dinner service, Gabriel was on the appetizer station with Anton. He was not seen that night, but when the blue team were kicked out of the kitchen, he called it fucking embarrassing to fail a service three times. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate three each. During deliberation, he felt Chris did poorly that night, but when Mike wanted him nominated for doing the same amount of work as himself that night, he argued against his logic, and accused him of standing around like a bitch watching Chris do all of the work except for Mike.
He was not nominated for elimination.[3]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1204 - 17 Chefs Compete
During the Lobster Ravioli Challenge, Gabriel was part of a three man team with Mike and DeMarco. When the men had the lead at the start, he called it a blowout, but soon, he heard bells ringing from the women. The trio were seen only presenting one attempt, but Ramsay rejected it for having thick pasta. The blue team lost the challenge 9-10, with Ramsay in particularly calling him, DeMarco, and Mike Dumber and Dumber and Dumber. They were punished by cleaning up the pennies worth $200,000, as well as clean and prep both kitchens for that night’s service. During the punishment, he and Anton felt the men were closer than the women.
During prep, Gabriel wanted to rock it out. During the Steak Night dinner service, he was on tableside with Scott. When the blue diners were not fed, he tried to keep the customers busy by cleaning his plates in front of them, although he felt like a dumbass doing so. After telling a table about how he burned his hair off trying to make banana fosters, he begged for the food to arrive. The blue team lost the service after receiving help from the red team, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, he noticed Mike was missing as the latter went to the bathroom.
He was not nominated for elimination.[4]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1205 - 16 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Gabriel thought the women should be scared because the under dogs were coming.
During the Creative Memory Challenge, Gabriel was paired up with Jason, and they matched red rose potatoes. They cooked the ahi tuna, they were the third pair from the blue team to have their dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against the pair of Sandra and Beth. They made a tuna with couscous and kale, it was criticized for a lack of kale, and they lost that round. The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by harvesting fresh honey, making 100 pounds of honey taffy, and drinking sardine shakes for lunch. During the punishment, he called squeezing the honeycomb tedious work and hated taffy after that day. After the punishment, he knew they were all there to make a life for themselves.
During the Wedding brunch service, Gabriel was on the lobster scrambled egg station with Richard. When the men were on their final order, they were waiting on him and Richard for the scrambled eggs as the latter told him to make more as their initial batch was not enough. When he announced it could take five minutes, Ramsay was in disbelief, and Jason asked why the former did not have two pans fired. They were unable to get their dish up before the red team, the blue team lost the service, and Jason called him and Richard useless idiots. They were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Ralph and DeMarco considered him for elimination, but despite arguing that he should not go up, Ralph was looking at the overall picture as he had some fuck ups.
Gabriel was named the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with DeMarco as the first, and they were joined by Richard. During his plea, he felt he was a fighter and would not quit unless Ramsay said so, but when the latter asked him why he could not step up, he felt he realized that too late in the service. He survived elimination, and while being dismissed, he claimed his eyes were open because he did not want to be on the other side of the door.[5]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1206 - 15 Chefs Compete
While going back to the dorms, Gabriel knew that with DeMarco gone, there was nowhere else to hide as Ramsay was going to see his fuck ups more.
The next day, Ramsay asked both teams to name a leader for the following service. During deliberation, Gabriel saw it as a great opportunity to show Ramsay his leadership skills, and announced he wanted the leadership role badly. However, Anton asked if he was fucking crazy and laughed about, while Richard asked how he could lead if he could not cook. Despite calling Anton out on his laughing, the latter argued he was confident in his abilities, and that he did it every day. Anton was named the blue team's leader, but he felt the former would lead with his mouth and put it in his dick.
During prep, Ralph micromanaged Gabriel on the appetizer prep, but he felt the former was pissed due to his small size. During dinner service, he was on the appetizer station with Ralph. Anton directed him and Ralph on making the risottos, but felt he knew what he was doing. The blue team eventually won the service.[6]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1207 - 14 Chefs Compete
During the Gourmet Pizza Challenge, Gabriel was paired up with Scott, they were the second pair from the blue team to have their dish judged, and went up against Joy and Jessica. They made a lobster pizza, but Wolfgang Puck felt the lobster could have been cut into smaller pieces, Ramsay was disappointed in the taste, and they scored 5 points. The blue team eventually won the challenge 15-12, and they were rewarded with a trip to the rooftop of the Andaz Hotel in Sunset Strip, and received yoga lessons. During the reward, he thanked Ramsay for a great reward.
During the Italian Family Night dinner service, Gabriel was on the garnish station. When the pizzas came out burnt, he watched in disbelief, and felt like they men were asses that night. When he sent up a pizza, it was burnt and black on the bottom, and a furious Ramsay took him, Chris, and Scott into the back-pantry room demanding an explanation. Later, he felt his heart hurting to see the trashed pizzas as it was a kid not getting fed, even believing that they trashed 20 pizzas. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Ralph claimed he had nothing sent back that night, but he asked if he was serious as the latter messed up on meat that night. Then, he agreed with Jason that they should nominate Scott.
He was not nominated for elimination.[7]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1208 - 13 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Gabriel could not believe that the men were down to six now.
During the 160th Sorority Anniversary Planning Challenge, Gabriel felt his teammates had no idea about Southern food before deciding to step up and rejecting Scott and Anton’s seafood ideas. Then, he told Ralph to keep the potatoes candied and not add any cheese, but the latter did not think he was all that despite coming from the south, and had Anton taste his mushroom gravy. While Anton agreed that it tasted gritty, they had to follow his direction, and he claimed that he knew what he was doing. After Jason scored on the chicken round, he felt the men had it. He presented the blue team's seafood entrée, was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and went up against Jessica. He presented a blackened catfish with sautéed green beans, homemade grits, and cheese and lobster, but while it was praised for the flavor of the catfish, he lost that round to Jessica. The blue team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by decorating the dining room for the 160th Anniversary service. During the punishment, he felt that the girls had no idea how to set a table, and grew frustrated when they kept changing the plans.
During the 160th Sorority Anniversary Planning Challenge, Gabriel was on the appetizer station with Ralph. He noticed a glassed diner looking at him, but Ramsay told him to pay attention to the kitchen and not the women. The men received their first order, and he wanted to come out of the gates with fire in a way to redeem themselves, before getting his appetizers accepted. Later, he asked Scott for a time on the ribeye, but the latter did not respond, much to Richard’s frustration. Then, Scott walked the ribeye’s without telling either him or Richard, forcing the two to rush their garnishes, and he accused Scott on not being team player, but Scott felt he was a team player. After Jason served pink chicken, he asked the former what the fuck he was doing, and by lending a hand, Jason got the third attempt accepted. The blue team won the service.[8]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1209 - 12 Chefs Compete
During the Dome Challenge, Gabriel was left with no no protein as Scott accidentally grabbed two by mistake, and the latter gave him the chicken breast. When Michael Cimarusti was invited as a guest judge, he was starstruck as the former was up them with the big dogs of the culinary world. He was the fourth person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and went up against Melanie. He made a coriander chicken, it was deemed nice, and he tied that round with Melanie. When the final round began, he noticed that the women always won at the last minute, but felt it was their turn. However, the blue team lost the challenge 3-4, and they were punished by doing the waiting staffs chores. During the punishment, he was told off by Richard for making a snarky comment, and later, he complained that it was the men’s sixth challenge defeat and compared it to a tunnel getting farther away.
Later that day, Ramsay announced that he would do individual evaluation reports, making Gabriel nervous. He was the second chef to be called down and Ramsay said he was seeing two sides of him; an inconsistent chef, and a chef that was showing the potential to bloom as an individual. He felt it the nerves that got to him, and Ramsay suggested that he cooked with his eyes, which he appreciated. When Ramsay announced the Cook For Your Life Challenge, he did not know they were having an elimination challenge that night. He was not deemed the weakest by the blue team, and did not compete.[9]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1210 - 11 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Gabriel was confused about Anton feeling he let Richard down, and reminded him he was not a babysitter. While Anton felt he should have given Richard his knowledge back then, he called that fucking stupid before leaving to get a honeybun. Later that night, at 10:45 PM, everybody was sleeping, but his loud snoring was keeping Ralph up, and the latter complained that he was not getting any sleep as time passed on.
The next day, the chefs went down to Ramsay's gastropub, but Gabriel had no idea what was in store for them. Ramsay said they were there to take a tour of his restaurant, and to look at the menu for Gastropub Night. When he looked at the menu, he claimed he was allergic to skinny burgers. During prep, his snoring took effect on Ralph as the latter was went back up to the dorms, and Anton blamed him for keeping Ralph up. When Ramsay asked him to check on Ralph, he felt bad about keeping the latter up all night. Before service began, he wanted service to be perfect.
During the Gastropub Night dinner service, Gabriel was on the meat station. At one point, he was shocked when Scott sent up watery salad, but then, he pushed Anton to bring the chicken up when even Scott did not have the fries ready. Later, he said he needed eight minutes on his chicken before changing it multiple times, much to Ralph’s annoyance. While he refused to send up raw chicken, the blue diners were getting restless as some of them were threatening to leave. Ramsay berated him for his sloppy timings, but when he argued about sending up raw food, Ramsay reminded him that he should have cooked it before service as it normally takes 45 minutes when cooking from raw. While the red team were brought in to help, the blue team were eventually kicked out of the kitchen.
The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Anton deemed Gabriel, Scott, and Ralph as the weakest chefs, while the latter considered him for elimination. Despite his objections, Ralph argued about the off timings and miscommunication, which Jason agreed with. Then, Scott asked him when he ever took the lead on a station, but he accused the former of talking the talk and nothing else. Eventually, the men agreed on him and Scott as the nominees, but was shocked that his name was considered when Ralph fucked up on fish and chips, before refusing to go up despite the men’s objections.
When Ramsay asked Gabriel for the nominees, he named Scott as the blue team's first nominee, but instead of naming himself as the second, he named Ralph. However, Jason immediately told Ramsay that they all voted for him despite his protests, and Ramsay decided to call him, Scott, and Ralph down to the front. During his plea, he said he was a fighter throughout service and challenges, while believing he was progressing. However, Ramsay asked him why he was standing on the sidelines every time when something needed to be fired, and told him to cook it. He survived elimination, and while being dismissed, he said he did what he did in order to win.[10]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1211 - 10 Chefs Compete
Back at the dorms, Gabriel's move during elimination caused controversy within his team. He reflected over his decision that night, and Richard understood his decision as they had to fight for their spots now. He said he made his decision as nobody else would fight for him, but knew he was on the hot seat with the men after that night and began to regret his move. The next day, he told Ramsay he was ready to go, even though some of his teammates were still pissed about last night.
Before the Creative Pork Challenge, Gabriel was confident felt the women had no idea about pork cuts than the men. During part one, both teams had two incorrect answers, and he instantly knew the men’s mistake. The blue team won the first challenge, he picked the spareribs and decided to go up against Joy. During the cooking, he said that he cooked a lot of ribs due to being from the south, before declaring he would demolish Joy. After hearing Scott's ravioli idea, he did not think it was a good idea. He was the third person from the blue team to have his dish judged, and made pork spareribs with brandy and apricot gastric. It was praised for a fall off the bone cook, the richness that followed, and he scored over Joy. After, he told Joy that the next time she does barbecue, she better nail it in Hell’s Kitchen.
The blue team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with an indoor skydiving experience, and brand new Vitamix blenders. During the reward, the men saw Jean-Philippe in the vertical wind tunnel as Gabriel called him stiff as a board with only his cheeks moving. As the men took their turns in the tunnel, he said that Superman had nothing on him. When they came back to the dorms, he wondered how this could get better, only to see the Vitamix blenders, which he called the best blenders in the world.
During dinner service, Gabriel was on the garnish station. He was not seen much, except for sending up ice cold mushrooms. After admitting that it was his fault, Ramsay ordered an entire refire of the table, frustrating Richard as that meant he had to do it all over again. Both teams were named joint losers and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, he said that communication and yelling were two different things, and the reason for the men’s miscommunication was having too many chiefs. He nominated Anton and Scott, only for the latter to nominate him. While he claimed that he grabbed the wrong pan, Scott deemed the former the weakest chef of the ten remaining, and if they could not rely on him, then they had to move on. While he understood Scott’s intentions, he felt the latter was confusing Anton, but the latter argued that he was trying to help the latter out when he was struggling.
Gabriel was not nominated for elimination, and later, he said goodbye to Anton and Scott as they were reassigned to the red team, and welcomed Rochelle and Sandra as new teammates.[11]
Episode 12[]
- Main article: Episode 1212 - 10 Chefs Again
Back at the dorms, Gabriel welcomed Rochelle to the blue team.
During the King of the Hill Challenge, Gabriel felt his senses were heightened in the dark room, only to grab four ingredients instead of five. During the cooking, he complained about having only four ingredients before deciding to use what he had to make a badass dish. He was the first chef to have his dish judged by Ramsay, and felt that even with four ingredients, his dish was cooked perfectly before presenting his blackened seared chicken thigh with pan roasted carrots, corn, and squash. However, Ramsay asked where the stuffed chicken leg was, and it was revealed that he left it at his station, much to his dismay as Ramsay was upset by the two major forgets he made that day. So, Ramsay refused to have him sit in the winner’s chair. The blue team eventually won the challenge, and they were rewarded with a day at Le Spa at Sofitel in Beverly Hills. During the reward, he found Sandra’s relaxed moans to be funny.
During the Charity Night dinner service, Gabriel was trying to figure out which dishes Rochelle seasoned, but she told him to calm down as it was her course and they had to be on the same page. He was in charge of the tuna tataki course, but while he was ready to plate his course, Rochelle noticed that there were two portions of raw tuna on a plate near the hot plate, and realized that they do not have enough portions for twelve. Jason was annoyed that he seared off ten tunas instead of twelve as it meant he had issues with counting, and Ramsay told him to get organized on the basics. Sandra believed that he peaked if he could not count, but despite that, the blue team got their second course out. On the third course, he ran out after dropping one to the floor by mistake. Then, Ramsay noticed that there were thirteen plates out instead of twelve, and when he admitted to putting out the plates, Richard said it was not hard to count to twelve. However, he argued that he knew how to count.
Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Gabriel nominated Richard for the poor tortellini course, but the latter nominated him for elimination. While he claimed to have had an off day, Rochelle reminded him that only ten tuna were seared and how she jumped in to save him.
Gabriel was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Sandra as the first, and they joined Kashia and Scott from the red team. During his plea, he said he never stopped from his mistakes, but while Ramsay felt he was giving up, he denied that. He survived elimination, and while being dismissed, he was happy that he survived because he had to prove to Ramsay he was there to win.[12]
Episode 13[]
- Main article: Episode 1213 - 9 Chefs Compete
The next day, Sous Chef James entered the dorms with two delivery people and gathered both teams to the living room, although Jason got annoyed when Gabriel made a stupid comment. After, the delivery people began to rap out a message from Ramsay, revealing that the packages they had were two blank menus, and that they had one hour to create their own menu for that night’s service. As the blue team worked on their menu, he asked Rochelle for her opinion, and even urged her to speak up, but she did not care if it was either ribeye or New York striploin for the beef entrée, frustrating the men. During prep, he discovered that Rochelle was burning the crab cakes for the demo. When Ramsay looked at the demo dishes, he praised his short ribs for tasting delicious.
During dinner service, Gabriel was on the meat station. At one point, he walked up an undercooked steak, but Ramsay was angrier that the former had it resting despite the temperature not being correct. He got his second attempt was cooked perfectly to his relief, but on the next order, he sent up stone cold filet, which Jason felt was nearly refrigerator temperature, and he had no excuses for his mistakes. While Ramsay felt he was finished, he said he was not. He got the refire accepted, but soon got annoyed over waiting on Richard for the garnishes. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Jason considered him as an obvious nominee, but when he asked why, Jason and Rochelle reminded him about his mistakes that night. When Rochelle left to lie down, he refused to go up again, and felt Rochelle should go up instead. Richard agreed with that based on her emotional breakdown earlier, but Jason knew Rochelle kicked ass that night.
Gabriel was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Richard as the first. During his plea, Ramsay felt that he disappeared for his mistake, but the latter said he never quit and bounced back, before asking for another chance. He survived elimination, but Ramsay told him to wake up before sending him back in line. He welcomed Melanie as a new teammate, and while being dismissed, he said he was not a quitter and that he would fight until he died.[13]
Episode 14[]
- Main article: Episode 1214 - 8 Chefs Compete
While returning to the dorms, Gabriel felt like he dodged another bullet, but did not think he would dodge too many more as Joy urged him to come back flawlessly the next day. He called it a chance of a lifetime and vowed there would be no more mistakes after that night as there were no more chances for him.
The next day, Ramsay had Gabriel try some spaghetti and meatballs, but called it the nastiest spaghetti and meatballs he ever had. Ramsay asked why he was scratching, he replied that the spaghetti tasted like shit. Ramsay revealed that the spaghetti and meatballs was a strawberry and apricot marinara with date and walnut meatball on a bed of zucchini, which he called fucking gross. During the Blind Taste Test, he was the second person from the blue team to compete, and went up against Anton. He could only get mozzarella. After Jason failed to score any points, he was disappointed with the former getting no points as he knew he was better than that. The blue team lost the challenge 4-6, and they were punished by unloading shipments of ice and making ice cream by hand. During the punishment, he did not think it would be a workout, while Jason noticed that he was not in it that day, much to his concern.
During prep, Gabriel was quieter than usual, something Melanie took notice of, but he said he was focused. While Melanie wanted him to stop moping, Jason felt that he was depressed rather than focused, and Rochelle asked him what the matter was. Seeing that, Ramsay took him to the back pantry, making him fear he was getting an ass chewing before service began. Ramsay told him he was worried about the lack of fight back, and if he got in the weeds, he should bounce back as he has not given up on him. Afterwards, he took the advice to heart, declared there was no more joking around, and he planned on making that night’s service the best.
During dinner service, Gabriel was on the garnish station. When Rochelle served raw chicken, he knew it was a big 101 rule. When the blue team was concerned about what was going next, he decided to step it up and gave his teammates what was going out. It worked as the blue team got refocused, and his garnishes were accepted. The blue team won the service, Ramsay welcomed him back, and he was excited over his strong performance.
After elimination, Gabriel said that if he got Rochelle out, he was going to win.[14]
Episode 15/16[]
- Main article: Episode 1215 - 7 Chefs Compete
- Main article: Episode 1216 - 7 Chefs Again
The next day, the chefs drove to Bistrol Farms, and Gabriel had no idea what Ramsay had in store for them. During the Budget Challenge, he suggested they grab trout, but got concerned when Melanie bought a whole Cornish hen. During the cooking, he knew the Cornish hen would take a while to cook as Jason struggled to string it, and when the latter was forced to sear a raw piece, he knew they were fucked if they send it out raw to the judges. On Jason's turn, he prayed that the Cornish hen was cooked perfectly, and it was. He was paired up with Rochelle, they were the second pair from the blue team to have their dish judged, and went up against Scott. They made a trout dish, it was criticized for having a sloppy texture due to the compound butter, and they scored a $21 average. The blue team lost the challenge $69.33-$73.01, and they were punished by participating in spring cleaning day in the dorms. He was upset as everybody were slobs in the dorms.
The next day, the chefs came downstairs to see a lot of people from the press waiting for them as Ramsay led them to the stage. Gabriel felt like he was getting the red-carpet treatment, and after learning that the December spot on the calendar was up for grabs, he hope he would be called Mr. December if he won. Before the Black Jackets Challenge, Ramsay explained the rewards the winner would receive, and he deemed the immunity reward badass. During the cooking, he decided to do lamb, and felt he needed to make his dish colorful and resemble Christmas. Two and half minutes left, most of the chefs began platting their dishes when he feared that his lamb was still raw, but when he put it in despite not having a lot of time left, Melanie said he always made that mistake. So, he decided to plate the two lamb chops he had cooked. He was the sixth person to have his dish judged, was confident about his chances, and he made roasted rack of lamb dish. It was deemed incomplete due to the two chops, and he was forced to show them the other half that he left behind. Ramsay was disappointed as he reminded him that in every challenge, he pushed them to plate their proteins, and to make things worse, Paul and Dana deemed it overcooked as he seared it after slicing it. Unfortunately, the part that he failed to serve was cooked perfectly, and he scored no points.[15] He lost the challenge to Joy, and was punished by making lunch for her and the three judges.
During dinner service, Gabriel was on the fish station. When the blue team received their first order, he was confused on the order of scallops, leading Jason to call him dumb, and not being able to produce what he talked. Then, he walked up scallops Rochelle knew were not on order, and tried to push herself on the appetizers before Ramsay called them to the front and asked him why he walked them, before getting criticized for confusing himself. However, he rebounded and got his scallops accepted. On the ten-tops appetizer order, he knew it was a big deal for Ramsay, but when both teams walked up their appetizers to the pass, Ramsay saw that his scallops were overcooked and rubbery, and was not happy that he made that mistake on the ten-top. Rochelle urged him to pick it up as Ramsay was forced to serve the order incomplete, and to his relief, the refire was accepted. When they began on the ten-tops entrée order, Ramsay warned him not to screw him like he did on the appetizers. He felt his blood pressure up because Ramsay was on his ass like a hawk, only to cook the salmon and the halibut in the same pan. Ramsay reminded him that they were two different fishes with two different cooking styles, and they needed to be, while Melanie called it a big fucking no no. Then, Ramsay told him that they never cook two fishes in one pan in the past, and if he was lucky enough to own a restaurant, he could teach others that bad practice. When he walked up the salmon, it was dry, and he had no other extras ready to fire, much to Ramsay’s annoyance. Then, his refire came out with soggy skin, and a pissed Jason said it was a simple thing to do. Then, Ramsay took him and Scott to the back-pantry room, berated them for being out of control, and asked if they were ready to go home. They said they were not, and once back in their kitchens, he was working on the third attempt as Jason offered his assistance because he was struggling. He felt he was going to bounce back like he did before, and got his third attempt accepted. On their next order, he ignored Jason’s suggestion of adding stock to the salmon, infuriating the latter. Then, he walked up raw salmon, and having reached his limit of his mistakes, Ramsay yelled that his time in the competition was effectively over. Just when he was about to walk back to the dorms and pack up, Ramsay ordered him out the front door instead, which Rochelle called a bad way to leave, and Jason knew how serious it was in that stage of the competition. Jean-Philippe followed him outside for his jacket and shook his hand, and during his exit interview, he knew he had too many bad services during his stay, and was disappointed about losing his blue jacket when he was close to a black jacket. He did not receive to coat hanging and portrait burning sequence.
Ramsay's comment: "With Gabriel causing such a disaster in the kitchen tonight, it was hard to tell who else I should send home. So, I gave everybody the thrill of getting a black jacket. But somebody will definitely be going home after the next dinner service." [16]
Episode 20[]
- Main article: Episode 1220 - Winner Chosen
Gabriel was one of the ten chefs that returned for the final dinner service. He was Jason's third pick, after Anton and Melanie, and was followed by Bev and Sandra.
During prep, Gabriel deemed Sandra the weakest link as she was lazy and knew she would not give it a 100% that night after she was late. During dinner service, he was on the meat station. At one point, he felt Sandra was moving like molasses, and slow as snail poop. On entrées, he wanted to show Ramsay that his mid service elimination was not the end of him, only to walk up an overcooked steak. That led Jason to call him a dumbass as he done it before, and when he worked on the refire, the latter was losing his patience. That led Melanie to tell him not to get on Jason’s bad side as the latter was already crazy. Fortunately, his refire was accepted, he felt he rocked it out, and thought maybe he should have been in the final two. Jason eventually lost the finals to Scott.[17]
Nomination History[]
| Week 1 | Safe |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Nominated |
| Week 3 | Safe |
| Week 4 | Safe |
| Week 5 | Nominated |
| Week 6 | Win |
| Week 7 | Safe |
| Week 8 | Win |
| Week 9 | Safe |
| Week 10 | Nominated |
| Week 11 | Safe |
| Week 12 | Nominated |
| Week 13 | Nominated |
| Week 14 | Win |
| Week 15 | Ejected |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After his appearance on the show, Gabriel went on to compete in Cutthroat Kitchen, winning $54,900 in the Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton's Revenge tournament.
- He works as a Private Chef and owns a food truck.
- He got married and is now a father.
Trivia[]
- He is the sixth contestant to be eliminated during service, following Josh (Season 3), J, Lacey (both from Season 5), Louie (Season 6), and Nilka (Season 7). He is also the first of those contestants who was told to exit by the front door.
- He is the third ejected contestant eliminated who was on the fish station, following J (Season 5) and Nilka (Season 7). He is also the second contestant and the first male to be eliminated mid-service right before black jackets, and the second contestant to rank 7th place as a result of being ejected, all of that following Nilka (Season 7).
- He holds the record for the most nominations throughout one season from a mid-service ejected contestant, with five.
- He is the fifth contestant whose show name was his surname, following Dewberry (Season 1), Petrozza (Season 4), Curtis (Season 8), and DeMarco (also from Season 12).
- He is the last contestant of that season to be eliminated before the black jackets were given.
Quotes[]
- (Upon seeing motorcycles in the Wheel of Death) "Chef Ramsay is crazy, man. Somebody's gonna die!"
- "WTF is going on?!?"
- (About Mike's signature dish) "His whole meal came out of a box, who does that? You know you're cooking for Chef Ramsay!"
- (After sending raw chicken twice) "Fuck me, man!"
- "Mike's fucking lazy! We're moving tables and you're on the vacuum. If you can't be a team player, then why are you here?"
- (To Mike) "Also, you are responsible, but if he said that he didn't do it right, YOU'RE HIS FUCKING BACKBONE!"
- (While reacting to Mike nominating him for no reason) "What?! Are you FUCKING CRAZY?! You stood there like a BITCH! Just standing there watching him.
- "You take advice from Chef Ramsay. I don't give a fuck if he tells you how to wipe your ass. He might know how to do it a little bit better."
- (After beating Joy) "Yes I freaking won! Joy, if you're gonna go on a barbeque you better nail it 'cause you're going down in flames, this is Hell's Kitchen baby!"
- "It's not my fault, I can fucking count... you know... one two three four five six seven eight nine ten, you know what I'm sayin'?"
- (After being ejected mid-service) "It just didn't go my way tonight. It was just one bad service too many. Instead of getting a black jacket, they took my...took my blue jacket. Yeah, my fucking heart hurts right now man, because...I was this fucking close."
Gallery[]
.png "Gabriel's Confessional (Blue Jacket).png (339 KB)")
.png "Gabriel eliminated midservice (part 2).png (265 KB)")
.png "Gabriel's Confessional (Red Jacket).png (341 KB)")
_and_Gabriel%27s_Creative_Memory_Ingredient_Dish.png "Jason (S12) and Gabriel's Creative Memory Ingredient Dish.png (245 KB)")
.png "Gabriel's Dome Dish (Chicken Breast).png (214 KB)")
.png "Gabriel's Creative Pork Dish (Spareribs).png (244 KB)")
References[]
External links[]
Michael Gabriel on Instagram
| Hell's Kitchen Season 12 |
|---|
| Staff |
| Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • James Avery (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel) |
| Contestants |
| Mike Aresta • Rochelle Bergman • Scott Commings • Michael DeMarco • Chris Eversole • Melanie Finch • Sandra Flores • Michael Gabriel • Bev Lazo-Gonzalez • Simone Hammond • Ralph Johnson • Richard Mancini • Gaurav Navin • Nicole Rutz • Beth Taylor • Anton Testino • Joy Parham-Thomas • Jessica Vogel • Jason Zepaltas • Kashia Zollicoffer |