Morgana Vesey

Morgana Vesey was a contestant on Season 20 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 14th place.

Season 20[]

Episode 1/2[]

Main article: Episode 2001 - Young Guns: Young Guns Come Out Shooting

Main article: Episode 2002 - Young Guns: Temping the Meat

The eighteen Young Guns arrive at Las Vegas on a bus heading to Hell's Kitchen, and they drove past the real Hell's Kitchen restaurant. The bus arrived at Hell's Kitchen, where Marino greeted the chefs. Josie wanted to say Ramsay's opening line for every service. Marino explained Ramsay created a museum to celebrate the past nineteen seasons in honor of the twentieth season. Giving the tour were Shakala and Sean, who led the chefs into the museum. As the chefs toured the museum, they saw photos of past contestants, hung jackets, the Hell's Kitchen Wall of Fame, and lines said from the past seasons. Then, they see video clips of moments from the show. The last stop was an exhibit of the doors used to reveal the winner of each season. Sean said that the final part of the tour was a documentary film about the show's history. However, the curtain pulled back to reveal an audience waiting for them and Ramsay on a stage behind them. Once on stage, Ramsay explained the museum was meant to showcase the past, while the eighteen of them were the future. Ramsay added that the desire to become a chef was a dream for many young people, and food has evolved over the years since the show began. So, Ramsay announced the winner of that season would become his protégé and become the new Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Afterwards, Ramsay announced the Signature Dish Challenge and gave the chefs 45 minutes to cook their dishes.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Morgana revealed she ran a kitchen despite her age and knew nobody respected her in her position and for being a woman. Regardless, she felt her food should matter. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Jay. When Ramsay asked her what her age was, she said twenty-one, taking him aback because of her babyface. She said she accidentally started her cooking career at sixteen when she became a line cook at a restaurant, but she rose to the challenge and did a lot in her career. She presented her pan-seared duck with Brussel sprouts and prosciutto, which Ramsay said had a beautiful presentation. After tasting it, Ramsay returned her dish without saying a word, and Megan was anxious over his decision. In the end, Ramsay gave her a perfect five, and the women won 30-28. She called Ramsay her idol as he deemed her dish the best of the night. The red team were rewarded with dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak 2.0 and had three previous winners joining them: Season 17 Michelle, Season 18 Ariel, and Sous Chef Christina.^[1]

During the Alcohol Challenge, Ava asked Megan and Morgana for some space on her station. She lost the challenge as her dish was not in the Top Three.

During the 300th dinner service, Morgana was on the appetizer station with Victoria. She was seen getting her appetizers ready alongside Victoria. The red team won the service.^[2]

Episode 3[]

Main article: Episode 2003 - Young Guns: Come Hell or High Water!

Before the Whole Squid Prep Challenge, Morgana was unwilling to have Marino's mouth close to her. She was not seen getting an attempt accepted, but the red team won the challenge 16-14. They were rewarded with an off-road racing experience at Speed Vegas and eating lunch provided by BLT Steak.

During dinner service, Morgana served a tableside appetizer of squid ink tagliatelle. At one point, she was seen cooking tableside for a table of mimes. Still, they psychologically bothered her due to their non-vocal communication skills. Regardless, she was able to serve her tagliatelle to the table. The red team won the service.^[3]

Episode 4[]

Main article: Episode 2004 - Young Guns: Young Guns Going Big

While going back to the dorms, the women commented on the chicken gate controversy on the way up as Morgana did not feel well after witnessing that.

During the Paris Hotel Brunch Service Challenge, Morgana was at the eggs Benedict station with Victoria. She was not seen at all, and the red team won the challenge. They were rewarded with a Caesars Entertainment's Private Jet ride to see locales such as the Paris Strip, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon. They also won a staycation at Planet Hollywood's mega-suite.

During dinner service, Morgana was at the meat station with Brynn. When Josie struggled on flatbreads, she decided to help her while giving her directions. When Brynn barked out orders for the women, she got annoyed that she was getting things incorrect and wanted her to shut up. Later, Victoria ignored her and Brynn's time calls. Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Brynn told her that she should have told her to shut up if she thought it was a problem. Still, she argued that Brynn would have gotten salty if that happened. She nominated Brynn but struggled on her second.

Morgana was not nominated for elimination. After Alex's elimination, she said goodbye to Victoria, Emily, and Megan, as they were reassigned to the blue team. She welcomed Sam, and Payton as new teammates.^[4]

Episode 5[]

Main article: Episode 2005 - Young Guns: Stirring the Pot

Back at the dorms, there was an uncomfortable silence amongst the group on the red side before Morgana asked her new teammates how they felt. Even though Sam was vocal about his displeasure, she and Josie were willing to work with him and Payton.

During the Emoji Jacket Challenge, Morgana figured out Brynn's dish, which was crab cakes. She cooked spaghetti and meatballs. She was the second chef from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Steve. When describing her dish, she spoke quietly, leaving Ramsay concerned. Still, she won that round over Steve. The red team won the challenge 4-2, and they were rewarded with a ride on the High Roller and lunch at Chayo.

During dinner service, Morgana was at the fish station. At one point, she was unsure about Payton as she compared him to a lost puppy dog as he acted too cocky. Later, Josie asked her if she could help with mussels. However, she did not respond to that and only asked if they dropped the halibut on order. Her halibut broke in the pan, and she asked for six minutes on the refire. Ramsay got upset because nobody told him that and had the entire team sit at the chef's table and eat the wasted entrées from the pass. When she walked up her fish, it turned out that her halibut was raw. She wanted to cry out of frustration, while Josie felt she was gone due to a weak mindset. While she got her refire accepted, Ramsay warned her to wake up. On the following order, Keanu tried to calm her out while Brynn wanted to get through the night as a team. When the entrées were walked to the pass, Ramsay called them to the pass and showed them her raw salmon. That served to be the final straw as Ramsay kicked the red team out of the kitchen.

The red team lost the service and was asked to nominate three people for elimination. During deliberation, Josie asked Morgana if she felt the pressure that night. She quietly argued that everyone who worked on fish had someone else, but Josie reminded her that she could have asked for help. Then, Josie told her to speak up more as she could barely hear her. She said that Payton's mistake on garnish sunk them. When discussing their third nominee, Brynn asked her if she had anything else to say. However, she left in tears, causing Payton to feel that girls took things too personally.

Morgana was the second person from the red team nominated for elimination, with Payton as the first and Keanu as the third. During her plea, she said she learned from her mistakes that night and wanted to push herself. She was eliminated for her poor performance on fish and her lack of voice all day. During her exit interview, Morgana was disappointed as she should have asked for help and did not perform to her standards.

Ramsay's comment: "Morgana might be baby-faced, but tonight, she behaved like a baby when her fish station struggled. The protégé I'm looking for needs to be confident and outspoken. Morgana was neither." ^[5]

Nomination History[]

Post Hell's Kitchen[]

• After her appearance on the show, Morgana opened a bar called 86'd with two other co-owners.
• She is currently working at Water Street Cafe, which has good reviews.
• She also helped open a number of successful restaurants.

Trivia[]

• At 21-years-old, she is one of the fifth-youngest chefs of the season alongside Brynn, Payton, Steve, and Victoria. She is also one of the seven youngest contestants to compete in Hell's Kitchen.
• She is the third contestant from the state of Connecticut, following Van (Season 17) and Kevin (Season 18).
• She is the only contestant to date to hold the record for the most rewards without doing a single punishment, with 4.
• She is the sixth contestant, third female, and third non-returning chef to score a perfect 5 in the Signature Dish Challenge without making it to Black Jackets, following Van, Elise (both from Season 17), Kevin, Gizzy (both from Season 18), and Marc (Season 19).
• She and Kevin (Season 18) are tied as the lowest ranking contestant to score five out five for a signature dish.

Quotes[]

• (After being eliminated) "I'm disappointed in myself, I should have done better, I should have asked for help, I should have reached expectations that I was given, I know I can cook, but tonight I didn't perform."

Gallery[]

• Chef
• Dishes

Morgana in Red Jacket

Morgana's Confessional

Morgana and Payton Nominated

Morgana Eliminated

Morgana's Signature Dish (Episode 1)

Morgana's Jacket Dish (Spaghetti and Meatballs) (Episode 5)

External links[]

• Morgana Vesey on Instagram

References[]