Jen Yemola (2024)

Jennifer "Jen" Yemola was a contestant on Season 3 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 3rd place.

Season 3[]

Episode 1[]

Main article: Episode 301 - 12 Chefs Compete

The twelve new aspiring chefs were heading down to Hell's Kitchen in SUVs, while getting to know each other on the ride. As a small-town girl, Jen explained that no opportunity like Hell's Kitchen ever happened before and believed she was destined to compete. Once they arrived at Hell's Kitchen, Jean-Philippe introduced himself, but before he could go into how he and Ramsay met, the latter appeared and told the former to cut the crap. Afterwards, Ramsay ordered the contestants to cook their signature dishes.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Jen was the eighth person to have her dish judged by Ramsay. Before he tasted her dish, she started to panic due to the recent string of poor dishes. Her dish was a Vanilla Crepe with Peaches, but Ramsay criticized it for being a thick pancake and having too much alcohol.

During dinner service, Jen was on the garnish station. She was not featured much in service due to not arguing with her teammates and the fact that they never got passed appetizers. The red team lost the service after Ramsay named the women "Hell's Bitches", and Melissa "Best of the Worst".

She was not nominated for elimination.^[1]

Episode 2[]

Main article: Episode 302 - 11 Chefs Compete

During the Dover Sole Challenge, Jen failed to clean all of her fish properly and scored zero points. When Joanna revealed that she only cleaned three Dover Sole's, she hoped they were all perfect. The red team won the challenge 9-8, and they were rewarded with a fishing trip in the Pacific with Ramsay and had lunch with him.

During dinner service, Jen was on the appetizer station. As service began, she was wanted to take the men to school that night. It was because of her leadership on that station that the red team was able to get appetizers out, and Ramsay praised her spaghetti. Her team won the dinner service.^[2]

Episode 3[]

Main article: Episode 303 - 10 Chefs Compete

During the Army and Navy Service Challenge, Jen was on the bacon station. She was not seen, and the red team won the challenge. They were rewarded with a helicopter ride and had lunch with Ramsay on the USSMidway. As the women went back to the dorms, she was happy that they won again.

During dinner service, Jen was on the meat station. After Joanna's rancid crab incident, Ramsay put her and Julia on the appetizer station. She and Julia were able to get some dishes out, but after she tossed out cooked spaghetti not needed, Ramsay asks for some on the next ticket. In a panic, she grabbed some tossed pasta from the trash, but Julia convinced her not to serve it as that was not acceptable. On entrées, she saw that all of her Wellingtons were overcooked due to the slow start on appetizers, frustrating Ramsay as they still had seventeen on order. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Julia was disappointed with her trying to recycle trashed pasta, but she tried to deflect her mistake as other people made mistakes that night. However, Joanna and Melissa reminded her that the incident proved she had no standards. Even though the red team came to a final decision, she still felt guilty over her actions.

Jen was not nominated by the red team, but she nominated herself because of her mistake of the pasta incident, and joined Joanna and Julia. During her plea, she said she wanted to take charge of situations, but Ramsay made a snide comment that she liked the take pasta out of the trash. Even though Joanna tried to throw her under the bus regarding the trashed pasta incident, she survived elimination. However, Ramsay warned her to stay away from bins. While being dismissed, she knew she made a poor decision but had to move on.^[3]

Episode 4[]

Main article: Episode 304 - 8 Chefs Compete

Back in the dorms, Jen still felt guilty over her trash pasta incident. Bonnie managed to comfort her, but Vinnie railed on her decision and stated that he would have kicked her out if she did that in his kitchen. She knew she lost her sense of judgement due to the stress of the competition. The next day, Ramsay asked her if she would stay clear of bins that day.

During the Blind Taste Test, Jen did not have to taste anything as Vinnie already missed his first food, and clinched the red team's victory 5-3. Their reward was a special lunch excursion with Ramsay by eating in the dark. She felt the women could not be beaten after winning their third challenge in a row.

During dinner service, Jen was on the garnish station. She was not featured in service as she did not have any problems. Both teams lost dinner service, but Ramsay named her "Best of the Worst" for the red team as her performance, while not outstanding, was not terrible. She was asked to nominate one of her teammates for elimination. During deliberation, she met with Vinnie, and he told her to be smart and nominate her toughest competitor. However, she wanted to play smart but struggled to pick between Bonnie and Melissa. Vinnie asked her if she wanted to win, and she said she did before noting that people will hate her decision regardless.

Jen nominated Melissa, but Ramsay overruled her nomination when he called Bonnie down instead.^[4]

Episode 5[]

Main article: Episode 305 - 7 Chefs Compete

During the Wedding Planning Challenge, Jen was concerned about the cooking time for the duck breast, but the women went with Melissa's decision. She was the red team's representative for presenting their meat entrée, and went up against Rock. Melissa tried to stop her from presenting their dish, but Ramsay told the former that he was getting pissed off by her attitude and ordered the women to send up their meat dish. When she revealed the women's dish, it turned out to be an overcooked duck breast with no sides. Ramsay was extremely embarrassed when he saw the duck breast and made it publicly clear to her, who felt embarrassed as she was not responsible for cooking it. The dish was disqualified as the duck breast was too rubbery to cut through, and the red team lost the challenge 1-2. They had to decorate the dining room for the wedding reception under the supervision of Francisco the Party Planner. During the punishment, she felt they would decorate until the early hours.

During prep, Ramsay had Jen redo the potato's as Melissa screwed them up twice, and she decided to stand on her own. During the Wedding dinner service, she was on the meat station. At one point, Ramsay told her to take the lead on entrées and succeeded. The women were getting entrées out, and Ramsay praised her leadership. The red team lost the dinner service, but Ramsay named her "Best of the Worst" for the second service in a row due to her strong performance. She was asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she did not know what to do for nominations. Melissa felt she was being treated unfairly, but she reminded her that she was rude to everyone. Julia told her that if she were nominated, it would hurt them. While she knew that Melissa was her nominee, she struggled between Julia and Bonnie, telling the latter that they were the same.

Jen nominated Melissa and Bonnie for elimination. Later, she said goodbye to Melissa as the latter was moved to the blue team.^[5]

Episode 6[]

Main article: Episode 306 - 7 Chefs Compete (Again)

On their way back upstairs, Jen told Bonnie that she put her up with Melissa because she knew she would be passed over. She thought Ramsay did the red team an excellent favor by transferring Melissa to the blue team. Later that evening, the red team had a meeting while coldly shutting out Melissa. The following day, everyone talked about New York and their restaurants, with her mentioning that she used to work at George Perrier in Philadelphia, much to the shock of Rock. She admitted that she never wanted to tell people this because their expectations of her would be too high. She said she would rather downplay her skills as a pastry chef so she could wow everyone afterwards. Despite that, Rock respected her decision to hold back.

During the Lobster Challenge, Jen felt that she worked well under pressure. During the cooking, she had to coach Julia, as she was worried due to the latter's lack of fine-dining knowledge. She was the final person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Brad. She made a lobster and crab bisque with thyme, saying that she never made one before. Ramsay enjoyed the bisque and liked how the lobster was not chewy. She scored that round over Brad, and the red team won the challenge 2-1. They were rewarded with a photoshoot for In Touch Magazine with Ramsay. During the reward, she felt the make up artists made her beautiful and asked Ramsay if he would fix up his hair. Later, she felt like a million bucks. When Rock came in for more of the punishment, she got confused over his presence.

During dinner service, Jen was on both the appetizer and garnish stations. It was because of her leadership that the red team was able to communicate properly, and Bonnie knew she could lead well on appetizers. After, Ramsay stated that they had the best start in Hell’s Kitchen so far and urged them not to stop. she said it was a rare thing to receive a compliment from Ramsay and took it. Later, she got her dishes praised by Ramsay. The red team won the service.^[6]

Episode 7[]

Main article: Episode 307 - 6 Chefs Compete

Back at the dorms, Jen noted that the men were acting co*cky.

During the Leftovers Challenge, Jen was at a lost at what to cook when the red team struggled on ideas. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Josh. She made steak and eggs dish, but Ramsay said it looked like something Julia would make at work, and he expected more from her. However, she knew that the dish was Bonnie's idea, and she should have done something else. She did not score that round, and the red team lost the challenge 1-2. They were punished by participating in both spring cleaning and Delivery Day. During the punishment, it was revealed that Bonnie misread the invoice and they took in the wrong items. However, she got annoyed by her dramatic attitude.

Before service, Ramsay announced that both teams would have control of their own menus. While working on the menu, Jen was concerned about Julia due to her position as a Waffle House Cook and felt she did not know fine dining. When Bonnie suggested rabbit as they knew how to cook it, she did not know if it was classy. Also, she started to get angry at Bonnie as she feared it was not good enough. As both teams went downstairs for prep, she expressed her concern to Bonnie about their menu, but Bonnie told her not to become a bitch right now, which angered her.

During prep, Bonnie asked for some suggestions for the bacon, but Jen and Julia ignored her. That caused Sous Chef Mary-Ann to remind the women that this was still a team effort. However, she retorted that she was okay leaving with or without a friend that night. Despite Bonnie feeling that they developed a friendship, she felt she was not as nice as before.

During dinner service, Jen was on both the appetizer and fish stations. She had her seared ahi tuna on the menu. When Ramsay told Bonnie to help Julia with the rabbit, she got upset as that meant Bonnie never made the dish before. Later, Ramsay noticed that she was not doing much in the red kitchen and was about to clear down her station and mocked her walk. Despite feeling insulted by Ramsay's comments, she was ordered to get a grip. On desserts, she and Bonnie were arguing over the desserts as the latter had no idea what was going out. Both teams lost the dinner service, and for the red team, Julia was named "Best of the Worst".

She was not nominated for elimination.^[7]

Episode 8[]

Main article: Episode 308 - 5 Chefs Compete

The next morning, Ramsay announced that both teams would become the black team, and Jen received her black jacket in the dorms. She said their individual success would now bank on their success as a team. When Ramsay said they would be serving to trendsetters, she believed they would cook for Mariah Carey or the Rock.

Before the Alhambra High School Lunch Challenge, Jen thought Ramsay had a plan for them after announcing the Las Vegas reward. She made a baked chicken fettuccine as kids loved chicken and pasta. When she served her dish to the students, she urged them to vote for her dish. She did not win the challenge but was eventually chosen by Julia to go on the reward with her. She went to Las Vegas, where she visited the Green Valley Ranch and the Red Rock Resort, and met Heather, the winner of Season 2, for some tips and recipes. During the reward, she and Julia saw all the famous hotels on the strip. When meeting with Heather, she was excited as the latter was her inspiration. When Heather told them to keep their enemies closer, she deemed that excellent advice.

During dinner service, Jen was on the dessert station. She was later switched to the appetizer station after Josh's automatic elimination. She called it a true test to impress Ramsay, she managed to get a good order of risotto up, and the kitchen went back on track. Later, she tried to communicate with Rock on appetizers, but he ignored her and sent up his scallops before her spaghetti was ready. She managed to catch up, but Rock's attitude in service pissed her. That led to an argument between them where she called him out on his behavior. On desserts, another argument between her and Rock occurred when Rock put the ice cream base on the counter where Bonnie worked instead of the sink. That led him to call Rock an asshole. However, Ramsay overheard it and reminded them that he got rid of Josh and they should start working as a team. More arguing between the two occurred despite Bonnie telling them to stop, and it led Ramsay to bang the overhead to get them to stop. Even though they continued to argue, desserts were all served.

After service, Bonnie was named "Best of the Worst". Back at the dorms, Jen said that Rock acted like an ass, broke down by the stress of service and admitted that she wanted to go home.

Jen was not nominated for elimination. While being dismissed, she thought she had what it took to win and wanted to motivate herself to become a leader.^[8]

Episode 9[]

Main article: Episode 309 - 3 Chefs Compete

On their way back upstairs, Rock approached Jen and apologized to her for his behavior in service. The two made up by hugging each other. She said she would not dwell on the argument they had. Back in the dorms, she and Bonnie were upset that Julia was eliminated, and she added that Rock was determined to win as he had a poor upbringing in the past.

Before the American Classics Challenge, Jen was thrilled to see Ramsay's mom and found it cute that he called her the best chef of his life. She picked fried chicken which excited her. During the cooking, she started with the chicken and made a roulade out of it. She a fried chicken roulade stuffed with crab meat, spinach, and goat cheese. Her mother was a judge, along with Rock and Bonnie's mothers and she teared thought it would be chefs from other restaurants and was thrilled to see her mother. Her dish was judged second and she was worried about her mother hating it. Fortunately, she liked it. She won the challenge after all three mothers unanimously liked it and she was thrilled that her dish was picked the best because it validated her place in the competition.

Jen was rewarded with lunch with Ramsay at The Lodge Steakhouse and brought along their mothers for the trip. She also won a $1000 shopping spree at Surface with her mother. During the reward, she said she was finding her niche as the group rode to the Steakhouse. Ramsay gave her some encouragement for the next service during lunch as he wanted her assertive and in control. She thought the one-on-one time with Ramsay was important as she and the group toasted. At Surface, she managed to buy a lot of equipment while maintaining the $1000 budget. Later that evening, she returned to Hell's Kitchen and said goodbye to her mother, encouraging her to continue her journey. Returning to the dorms, she caught up with Bonnie as Rock watched from afar. She told the two how their next service would be their biggest one yet, and she knew she had to be in control.

During prep, Jen said she was a fighter and claimed the prize was hers. When given her assertive training, she had a weak start as Ramsay compared it to a drunken cowboy. Fortunately, she did better the second time.

During dinner service, Jen was on both the appetizer and garnish stations. She ran the pass first and felt the pressure because she never exhibited before. After some hesitation from receiving an order from Jean-Philippe, she called out her first ticket with assertiveness after Ramsay pushed her. Her first quality test soon came as Sous Chef Scott sent up spaghetti with no crab. She failed to notice it, forcing Ramsay to stop the waiter from sending it up and told her she must pay more attention. However, she recovered by refusing Sous Chef Scott’s risotto as it was overcooked with no seasoning. She was happy to catch that and felt a boost in confidence. She said she had a lot to handle in the pass and wanted to be strong to survive. However, her assertiveness began to mess up some orders as Rock got confused about what was going out. Still, she got some appetizers and entrees out. During Bonnie's turn, the former called her out for not adding enough salt to the risotto and questioned her palate. She soon revealed that she ran out of risotto as she overcooked the rest of her rice, much to Ramsay’s dismay. She had to cooked more rice for the risotto.

After service, Ramsay asked the final three to explain why each of them deserved to be in the finale. Back at the dorms, Jen thought she belonged in the final two and asked Bonnie if she still wanted this. Bonnie said she did, but she feared the former's heart was not in the right place.

The final three made it downstairs to meet Ramsay, who asked each of them why they deserved to be in the finals. Jen said she was passionate about cooking and thought that would take her into the finale. She was eliminated after Rock and Bonnie were named the finalists. Before leaving, Ramsay Ramsay praised her for her drive and her passion for food, urging her to continue it. She hugged Ramsay goodbye and left the competition as he told her not to stop. During her exit interview, she received a retrospective montage of her run.

Ramsay did not comment on Jen's elimination, and she did not receive the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.^[9]

Episode 10/11[]

Main article: Episode 310 - 2 Chefs Compete

Main article: Episode 311 - Winner Announced

Jen was one of the six chefs that returned for the final dinner service. She and Bonnie reconnected as the latter called her her buddy, and she rooted for Bonnie to win. When she came down in the kitchen, Ramsay reminded her victory on the American Classic Challenge. She was Bonnie's first pick, before Melissa and Julia, and the first pick overall. She said she had Bonnie's back.^[10]

During dinner service, Jen was on both the appetizer and meat stations. At one point, Bonnie tried to push her to get more vocal even though she was already doing so in the red kitchen. That annoyed her as she thought she was loud enough. On desserts, Julia asked her to wrap up the goat cheese despite Bonnie telling the latter to do it. After service, Rock said that had he won the final challenge, she would have been his first pick because he thought she was the strongest chef throughout the competition. That shocked but honored Jen. Bonnie eventually lost the finals to Rock.^[11]

Nomination History[]

Post Hell's Kitchen[]

• After her appearance on the show, Jen became suicidal after living all the extreme conditions she went through during the taping of the show.
• She returned to her career as a Pastry Chef at The Inn at the Turkey Hill, in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
• She got married, has one daughter, and changed her last name to Revak. She is currently running a cookie decorating business called Jentastic Sweets, named after a TV cooking show she hosted.

Trivia[]

• Jen is the first contestant from Pennsylvania.
• She is the first contestant to be nominated after self-nominating herself.
• She is the only contestant to this date to be named “Best of the Worst” two consecutive times.
• She is tied with Rock for most instances announcing the nominees in Season 3, with 2, having been "Best of the Worst" twice.

Quotes[]

• "We're gonna take the boys to school!"
• (Regarding the pasta incident") "212 degrees kills the bacteria... and I decided to serve it."
• (After being eliminated) "I'm from a small town. And things like this don't happen to people like us every day. I'm going to be successful. I know I am. I tried so hard. And I sacrificed so much so far. And it just wasn't enough."

Gallery[]

External links[]

• Jen Yemola on Instagram

References[]