“ | I just made my Grandma proud of me!! | ” |
Wendy Mendez was a contestant on Season 16 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 8th place.
Season 16[]
Episode 1[]
- Main article: Episode 1601 - When the Wall Comes Tumbling Down
On the bus ride to Hell's Kitchen, the chefs were expecting to arrive at the restaurant, but it instead pulled up to an army base. After leaving the bus, the chefs lined up in front of their own duffel bags, and as the Drill Sargent was barking out orders, a tank pulled up behind him, and Ramsay came out of it. Then, Ramsay explained that before the chefs could enter Hell’s Kitchen, he wanted to make sure that they all had the discipline to survive, noting that the army was the perfect example to prepare them. After, Ramsay said that if they could survive boot camp, then he will be convinced that they were worthy of competing. After changing into their uniforms, the chefs were put through an obstacle course and jogged over to Ramsay who was in front of a giant wall, which he called the toughest challenge. After the chefs claimed that they were ready, Ramsay was happy to hear it as the wall fell on him, revealing the front of the restaurant, and a large crowd waiting for them. Now that he saw the chef’s commitment and desire to compete, Ramsay announced that it was time for them to cook their signature dishes.
During the Signature Dish Challenge, Wendy was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Aaron. She made a bowl of roasted tomato soup, it was criticized for stinking of garlic, and she scored 2 points. The red team eventually won the challenge 28-25, and they were rewarded with a ride on a stretch Hummer limousine, dinner at the Takami Restaurant with Ramsay, and a chance to meet Christina (Season 4) and Scott (Season 12).
During dinner service, Wendy was on the fish station with Jessica. She was not seen much, except for having her entrée accepted, and the red team won the service by a mile.[1]
Episode 2[]
- Main article: Episode 1602 - Crepe Grand Prix
Before the Crepe Grand Prix Challenge, Wendy was excited to see Ramsay drive a race car as she deemed it her thing. She was paired up with Ryan, and out of their three attempts, two of them were accepted, but they were unable to present their third one as Johnny and Koop beat them. The red team lost the challenge 9-10, and they were punished by participating in fish delivery day which included taking in seafood, prepping them for the following service, and drinking a fish guts milkshake. During the punishment, she said that despite not being a skinny bitch, she felt that carrying the large sea bass was rough, and said that it fucking sucked. Later, she revealed that she was tired of hearing Jessica’s voice, even comparing her voice to a donkey. As the women were drinking their milkshakes, she was reaching over a trash can, and even threw up. While she felt that she could not get through it, and wanted to sit in the corner and cry, she decided to drink it with the support of her teammates.
Before service, Wendy complained that her milkshake always came up instead of coming down. During dinner service, she was on the dessert station. After Jessica's carbonara had too much liquid, she said that the former was all talk and no show, before telling her to shut up and do her job. Later, she feared that Kimberly may not have a lot of line experience, and decided to help her out by giving her pointers on the lamb. Despite that, it was raw. The red team won the service after completing the blue team's orders.[1]
Episode 3[]
- Main article: Episode 1603 - The Yolks on Them
Back at the dorms, Wendy called the men salty bullies over the fact that they lost, and told Jessica to move on from it.
During the Ostrich Meat Challenge, Wendy was not seen during the first part, and during the cooking, she accidentally sliced the pearl on her cut, and not only was it bloody, she felt that it was also overcooked. She was paired up with Aziza, they were the final pair from the red team to have their dishes judged, and went up against Devin and Matt. She made an herb and garlic pearl with roasted vegetables, it was praised for well-cooked meat, and she scored that round for the red team.
The red team won the challenge 3-1, and Wendy was happy that she made her grandmother proud, and was even more proud that she showed up the men. They were rewarded with a zip lining at Big Bear Lake and got to fly in a private jet, much to her excitement as she was already flying high. During the reward, she felt that there was fire coming from her back.
During prep, Wendy got annoyed at Gia's lack of help. During dinner service, she was on the appetizer station with Ryan. At one point, she was secretly hoping that Gia's lambs were raw so they could get her out, but they were deemed perfect. Later, she got annoyed when Gia announced she had a cut on her finger. The red team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she felt that Jessica's decision to pack her bags was a defeatist attitude.
She was not nominated for elimination.[2]
Episode 4[]
- Main article: Episode 1604 - Surf Riding & Turf Fighting
During the Protein Identification Challenge, an annoyed Wendy suggested that Shaina and Aziza tasted the dish again as the two struggled on their dish. She was paired up with Heather, they were the final pair from the red team to compete, and they randomly picked buffalo and monkfish. Because the two immediately thought it was lobster, their first attempt, lobster and beef, was incorrect. After Kimberly's suggestion that they try monkfish as it was a poor man’s lobster the two were half right with elk and monkfish on their second attempt, but they managed to get the buffalo and monkfish pairing correct on their third attempt. After the red team finished the challenge, she complained about Aziza and Shaina eating up a lot of time, and prayed for an act of god to stop the blue team from winning. When the pair of Matt and Paulie were struggling, she prayed for the blue team to lose. the red team lost the challenge 13 minutes and 41 seconds to 9 minutes and 46 seconds, and they were punished by making sausages from scratch and eating unknown protein for lunch.
During dinner service, Wendy served mussels and sausage appetizer tableside. She was not seen that night, and the red team won the service.[3]
Episode 5[]
- Main article: Episode 1605 - Walking the Plank
During the Seven Seas Seafood Challenge, Wendy went up against Andrew, and their fish was sea bass. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged and presented her Asian inspired marinated sea bass with bok choy. While Ramsay was amazed at how perfectly cooked the sea bass was, she lost that round to Andrew.
The red team lost the challenge 4-5, and they were punished by taking in deliveries of vegetables, and prep them for a special seafood chowder appetizer the following service along with both kitchens. During the punishment, Wendy was super pissed about losing the challenge as she wanted to win the reward, and declared that she was salty. Later, she said that while she has worked with incompetent people before, she deemed Kimberly the worst of them all, before asking the latter why she had to open her mouth every time for a question.
During dinner service, Wendy was on the appetizer station with Shaina. She was not seen that night, and the red team won the service.[4]
Episode 6[]
- Main article: Episode 1606 - Let the Catfights Begin
During the Ingredient Crossword Challenge, Wendy got dismayed when Aziza spelled out chicken on the center of the board, meaning that they had very little side to work off from. During her turn, she spelled out lime. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and presented her Latin-inspired chicken. It was criticized for an unsexy presentation despite having a crispy skin, and she scored 2 points. The red team lost the challenge 16-17, and they were punished by helping Marino prep for Family Night which included inflating balloons, resetting the dining room, baking a special batch of cookies for the kids, and organizing the crayons.
During the Family Night dinner service, Wendy was on the meat station. When entrée orders were being sent out, Wendy revealed that she grew up on a farm, and that did not like the taste of gamey meat, before comparing to the smell of lamb to a milk cow. Then, while Heather gave out a time for her salmon, she did not, and Heidi tried to urge her not to slow down. Then, her lamb was raw, Ramsay said that it still had its fur on, and she was forced to start over. Both teams were named joint losers and were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, while she recalled her raw lamb incident, she felt that she was doing well for the rest of that night.
Wendy was named the red team's second nominee, with Aziza as the first, and they were joined by Paulie and Devin from the blue team. During her plea, she felt hat she was strong up until that point and knew she could fight back. However, Ramsay reminded her that her lamb still had its wool on the pass, and she admitted that she got inside her head. She survived elimination after being sent back in line, and while being dismissed, she felt that she had a wakeup call, before declaring that she was coming back stronger.[5]
Episode 7[]
- Main article: Episode 1607 - Don't Tell My Fiancé
During the Southern Cuisine Challenge, Wendy was paired up against Paulie from the blue team, and their dish was catfish. During the cooking, she admitted how frightened she was as she never cooked with southern food before, and had no idea what to do with the catfish, even though Heather suggested that she fry it. After it was revealed that Chris Hastings was invited as a guest judge, she got worried about how southern her dish was to the former. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged and presented her spicy fried catfish with bacon peppered gravy, sautéed kale, and fried red potatoes. they were praised for being beautifully cooked and crispy, she tied that round for Paulie, and she was happy that she scored that round. After Heidi failed to score, she was annoyed that the former could not score despite being the only one that presented a dish.
The red team won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a horseback riding experience at Gibson Ranch and lunch from the Wings and Waffles food truck. Also, Wendy's catfish dish was named the best dish overall, and it was added to the following night's dinner service, much to her joy. During the reward, she deemed herself a country girl at heart and rode a horse named Big John. and during lunch, she was stoked that despite being targeted for elimination, the red team was going to cook her dish that night.
During dinner service, Wendy was on the fish station. After Andrew's catfish was rejected, Ramsay called her into the blue kitchen to feel it, which caused her to believe that the former fried it off too early and let it sit. Later, while she said that it was her time to shine with her catfish dish, it was raw, a pissed Ramsay called the red team to the pantry room, and an annoyed Heather asked how she could have failed on her own dish that won them the challenge. At the pantry room, while she took responsibility for her mistake, Ramsay berated the red team for falling apart after their strong start, accused her of giving up, and yelled that he was embarrassed over the chef's table looking at him like an idiot. After, Ramsay ordered the red team to sort it out, and an angry Heidi yelled that they should start talking, which shocked her. After Shaina sent up poor Wellingtons and blamed Kimberly for turning down the oven, she admitted that while they have always turned the convection oven down for desserts, they were way behind on entrées that night when it happened. Soon after, her catfish was raw and cold, and a fed-up Ramsay kicked the red team out of service. Despite claiming that she checked it, Ramsay bluntly told her to check out a lens’s crafter. While going back to the dorms, she was fearful that her poor performance was the excuse the red team needed to get rid of her.
The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Wendy immediately tried to argue that she should not be nominated that night despite the raw catfish, and considered Kimberly and Shaina for elimination, before accusing the former of fucking everything up by turning down the convection oven. However, she was considered by Kimberly and Heather for elimination, and while she argued that they were basing it off of overall and not that night, an angry Heidi argued that they were basing it off on both factors.
Wendy was named the red team's second nominee for elimination, with Shaina as the first. During her plea, Ramsay reminded her that it was supposed to be her night to shine, and she admitted that she rushed on the final two tickets. After much thinking, Ramsay asked her for her jacket as the red team has given up on her, but while she believed she was eliminated, Ramsay told her to stay put, before reassigning her and Shaina to the blue team, being exchanged for Andrew and Matt. After moving into the blue team, Ramsay told her that a new environment might help her get back to the level she was at from the start of the competition. While being dismissed, she was stoked over not having to deal with the mean girls any longer and proclaimed that she was going to personally destroy the red team.[6]
Episode 8[]
- Main article: Episode 1608 - Dancing with the Chefs
The next day, Wendy admitted how excited she was over being in the blue team as she not only worked better with men but looked better in blue.
During the International Ballroom Planning Challenge, Wendy told Johnny that there was other creamy shit in the kitchen besides mayonnaise as the latter was struggling with making some. She was paired up with Devin on the chicken entrée, they were the first pair from the blue team to have their dishes judged, and went up against Heather and Heidi. When Heidi presented a Spanish inspired dish, she asked how much the former knew about Spanish cuisine as Heidi was from Maine. She made an El Pastor styled chicken, and while it was criticized for having a sloppy presentation, it praised for tasting nice, she scored that round for the blue team, and she declared it her resurrection. After Johnny's dish was poorly received, she dismayingly deemed it not good at all and prayed for Paulie to bring in the win. The blue team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by prepping a raw bar for the following service. During the punishment, she was having fun prepping the lobsters by tearing them apart, but Johnny called her a seafood serial killer due to that.
During the International Ballroom dinner service, Wendy was on the appetizer station with Paulie. At one point, she discovered that Johnny was firing every fish they had because he did not sear them earlier, even warning him that they would not have a great sear on them. The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she was considered for elimination by Paulie, Devin, and Johnny, for her poor performance on appetizers, while she considered Paulie and Johnny for elimination. Then, she argued that they could have come back from the poor appetizers had the fish been ready, but Johnny tried to push the blue team to nominate her for failing on the easiest station that night, she angrily felt that they were kicking her as the men were placing the blame on her, before challenging the blue team to put her up for elimination. However, that led to a fierce argument when Johnny accused her of giving up.
Wendy was one of the three nominees from the blue team, along with Paulie and Johnny, as they failed to nominate two people for elimination, and Ramsay called the three down to the front. During her plea, she said that she fought a lot and that she tried to remain a team player that night, but Ramsay reminded her that she shut down that night. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she now knew why the blue team could not complete services and felt that she and Shaina had to whip them into shape.[7]
Episode 9[]
- Main article: Episode 1609 - Spoon Fed
During the Blind Taste Test, Wendy volunteered to go up twice as the blue team was short a person. On her first turn, she was the first person from the blue team to compete and went up against Heidi. She managed to correctly guess all four of her ingredients, saving Shaina from being splattered. On Devin's turn, she got splattered once. On her second turn, she was the final person from the blue team to compete and went up against Andrew. She could only get cauliflower correct due to the baby food on her clothes messing up her senses, and Shaina got splattered once. With the score tied at 13, she and Andrew went into sudden death. After failing to get cabbage, she got turnip, the blue team won the challenge, and she was happy to have won the challenge for the blue team. The blue team was rewarded with massages at the Intercontinental Hotel, and during the reward, she called the suite sweet.
During dinner service, Wendy was on the garnish station. She was not seen that night, the blue team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she told Koop to calm down and grow up after his outburst, before wanting him to realize that he and Paulie were the ones that fucked up that night.
She was not nominated for elimination.[8]
Episode 10[]
- Main article: Episode 1610 - Dancing in the Grotto
Before the Creative Sliders Challenge, Wendy welcomed Ryan as a "new" teammate. She was responsible for the pork sliders, she was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Kimberly. She made an Italian styled pork slider with parmesan crisp, and while it was criticized for uneven flavors, and having dry pork, she tied that round with Kimberly. The blue team lost the challenge after a tie at 3, and they were punished by cleaning up trash at the LA River. During the punishment, she was the only one that did not complain as she was an environmentalist, and believed that if they did not take care of the planet, they would die. However, her constant chatter annoyed Ryan and Devin.
During dinner service, Wendy was on the meat station. When Ryan was slow on the crab cakes, she got annoyed as they were supposed to be sent up with Paulie's carbonara. Later, she did not answer Ramsay’s question for a time on the entrées, and Ryan accused her of getting frazzled easy, before asking how she could go far in the culinary industry without multi-tasking. Then, she served pink chicken, Ramsay reminded her that it was for the chef's table, but she managed to get the refire accepted, and she was happy to see the people in front of them eating. However, she soon sent up an overcooked New York striploin, and that led to Ramsay kicking the blue team out of the kitchen.
Both teams were named joint losers and were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, Ryan reminded Wendy on how she did not respond to anybody’s questions, but she felt like choking the former as, despite Ryan pointing out other people’s flaws, she did not recognize her own.
Wendy was named the blue team's first nominee for elimination, with Shaina as the second, and they were joined by Matt and Kimberly from the red team. During her plea, she claimed that she has been fighting back in the competition despite being quiet, but Ramsay reminded her that being quiet is not the sign of fighting back. She survived elimination after being sent back in line, and while being dismissed, she knew that she had to get out her lone wolf mentality and become part of the pack.[9]
Episode 11[]
- Main article: Episode 1611 - Aerial Maneuvers
During the Taste It Now Make It Challenge, Wendy was paired up with Ryan, and she was the taster. They used veal, persimmon, and spinach. During the judging, she weirded out Ramsay when she revealed that she licked the protein to identify it. The two were able to get all but the greens correct, the blue team won the challenge, and she was happy that she won it for the blue team. The blue team was rewarded with trapeze lessons at the Santa Monica Pier, and she and Ryan each received a Vitamix blender. During the reward, she decided to bail out of the lessons as she was afraid of heights.
Before the Charity Night dinner service, Wendy was hit hard as most of the females in her family had cancer before. She oversaw the lobster risotto course, and she had Ryan and Paulie cook her risottos as she trusted them. Then, Ramsay showed her that four of the risotto portions had different colors on them, and she blamed Ryan for not noticing that before. Despite that, the course was served, and she felt that it was a good start for the blue team. During Devin's course, she told him that some of the scallops did not look good. During Paulie's course, he told her to cook up more potatoes, but Ramsay noticed that she failed to put in the capers for the potatoes, and she argued that Paulie grabbed her pan before she put in the capers. Then, when she told Ramsay that they walked away from her, he mocked her for that comment.
The blue team lost the service and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Wendy was considered by Devin and Paulie for elimination based on her lacking leadership, but she angrily accused Devin of throwing her under the best. Then, she accused Devin of not trusting the blue team, but he retorted that she had no trust in herself.
Wendy was named the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Paulie as the first. During her plea, she said that she knew her mistakes and learned from them, using the multiple colored risottos as an example, but when Ramsay reminded her about the missing capers, she said that the potatoes were moved from her station before she got a chance to put the capers in. She was eliminated for her string of poor performances, but before she left, Ramsay praised her for her amazing palate. During her exit interview, she was proud of how far she went in the competition but knew that she should have expressed more confidence.
Ramsay's comment: "First, Wendy told me her capers took a walk. Then it was the potatoes. But, after watching her lack of consistency and confidence, I knew it was her turn to take a walk." [10]
Episode 16[]
- Main article: Episode 1616 - Leaving It on the Line
Wendy was one of the eight chefs that returned for the final dinner service. She and Koop were the final picks for Ryan, after Heidi and Paulie.
During dinner service, Wendy was on the fish station. At one point, she sent up raw salmon, Ryan told her to start over, Ramsay called her out for ruining the latter’s night, and she apologized for sucking that night. Later, she continued to struggle, and Ryan reassigned her to meat. Ryan would eventually win the finals over Heather, and during the celebration, she expressed proudness in the former's victory.[11]
Nomination history[]
Week 1 | Win |
---|---|
Week 2 | Win |
Week 3 | Safe |
Week 4 | Win |
Week 5 | Win |
Week 6 | Nominated |
Week 7 | Nominated |
Week 8 | Nominated |
Week 9 | Safe |
Week 10 | Nominated |
Week 11 | Nominated |
Post Hell's Kitchen[]
- After her appearance on the show, Wendy went back to her previous job as a Line Cook.
Trivia[]
- She is the third contestant, and first female contestant, to achieve a perfect score of 4 out of 4 during the Blind Taste Test, following Justin (Season 10), and Milly (Season 14). She is also the first one who did without making it to the black jackets.
- She is the tenth female contestant who switched teams without making it to the black jackets, following Melissa (Season 3), Lacey (Season 5), Melissa (Season 8), Natalie (Season 9), Roshni (Season 10), Nedra (Season 11), Sandra (Season 12), Dannie (Season 15), and Shaina (also from Season 16).
- She, along with Frank (Season 13) and Shaina (also from Season 16) holds the record for the most consecutive times being ejected from the kitchen, with 4.
Quotes[]
- (After scoring in the Southern dish challenge) "I think it's awesome! Paulie got his point too BUT I GOT MY POINT!"
- (After being declared having the best Southern dish) "There are not words for the joy in my heart, cause I think it exploded."
- "Say AVOCADO!!!"
- "How fun is it to rip these Maine bred Lobsters in half, it's extremely fun!!!"
- (While prepping lobster) "I'm gonna rip your body in half. I'll rip off your tail then I'll pull off your claws!!"
- (About the reward) "The suite is appropriately named, 'cause it was freaking sweeet!"
- (After being eliminated) "I'm proud of myself for making it this far. I struggled, I tried, I should have, you know, maybe portrayed more confidence from the beginning like everybody else, but I hate those chefs who think that they are the best shit since sliced bread and suck. A wise man thinks he's a fool and a fool thinks he knows everything, and that house is full of fools."
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Wendy Mendez on Instagram
References[]
Hell's Kitchen Season 16 |
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Staff |
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Aaron Mitrano (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Andi Van Willigan-Cutspec (Red Team Sous Chef) • Marino Monferrato (Maître d'hôtel) |
Contestants |
Jessica Boynton • Genaro Delillo • Paulie Giganti • Shaina Hayden • Matt Hearn • Johnny McDevitt • Wendy Mendez • Heidi Parent • Andrew Pearce • Kimberly Roth • Kimberly-Ann Ryan • Devin Simpson • Aaron Smock • Pat Tortorello • Heather Williams • Koop Wynkoop • Aziza Young • Gia Young |