Nightmare Kitchen Episode S02ground Beef Half Fat

Virginia Dalbeck was a contestant on Season 2 of Hell's Kitchen. She was the runner-up of that season.

Season 2

Episode 1

The twelve contestants arrived in Hell's Kitchen on a bus and were greeted by Jean-Philippe. They celebrated with some champagne glasses, got to know each other, and had a first look at the restaurant. Meanwhile, Ramsay, in his office, was checking the contestants' profiles and pictures. Ramsay was shocked when he saw Virginia was putting makeup on at work, while she deemed the former hot. Afterwards, Ramsay walked through the hallway, opened the dining room doors, and greeted the contestants by introducing himself and announcing that only one of them was going to win the competition. The only way that person would win though was to impress him, and asked all of them to cook their signature dishes.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Virginia was the twelfth and final contestant to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and made a coconut and pomegranate celery root salad. It had nothing cooked, except the toasted nuts, and Ramsay said it was fine as far as rabbit food goes because it was raw and crunchy. However, she was still proud of her dish, and felt a rabbit would not even eat it due to it containing coconut milk. After the challenge, she was placed in the red team because Ramsay declared that for the first time ever, the teams are divided by gender, men in the blue team, women in the red team.

Before service, Virginia was one of the four women who volunteered to be the kitchen donkey, but Heather was eventually chosen over her. During dinner service, she was on the meat station. Before the first ticket arrived, she asked Rachel how long a chicken should cook for, before holding up her hands to show how nervous she was. Two hours into service, she brought up undercooked Wellingtons to the pass, and Ramsay asked her to start over. Then, she became confused and struggled to answer Ramsay questions as she had no idea what was on the menu. However, Ramsay told her that he did not care what she sent up as he wanted food. After, she could not find the lamb sauce and tried to pass veal sauce for it instead, but Sous Chef Mary-Ann told her she could not do that. So, she desperately went into the blue kitchen to ask Keith if she could borrow him some lamb sauce. Keith categorically refused to and asked her to go back in her kitchen, which she did, making her more dismayed. After three hours of little food out of both kitchens, Ramsay shut down the service after some customers shouted "I want my food!" all over the dining room.

The red team lost the dinner service, and Heather was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, Virginia was dismayed about failing that night, and Heather told her she did not want to see her go home.

Despite Heather convincing her that she does not want her to leave, Virginia was the former's second nominee for elimination, with Polly being the first. During deliberation, she wanted to succeed despite her mistakes, and wanted to try harder. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she felt the women hated her and she hated herself.^[1]

Episode 2

Back at the dorms, Virginia stated she thought she was going home that night and felt she let the women down.

The next morning, after only two hours of sleep, the contestants were woken up by Sous Chefs Scott and Mary-Ann playing cowbells at 5:24 AM, and Virginia called it obnoxious. They were told to go outside immediately, and once outside at the loading area, Ramsay recalled how the previous service was embarrassing. Then, Ramsay told her that she was lucky to be there after being nominated. Afterward, Ramsay wanted them to have a good idea on how much food they wasted last night as a restaurant would never survive with a lot of waste. To get his point across, Ramsay ordered the chefs to jump into the dumpsters and pull out all the garbage from last night. After that, Ramsay told the contestants that he did not want another large amount of waste in the competition ever again. Now that the chefs understood the lesson, Ramsay ordered them to clean up because they stunk.

During the Perfect Steak Cut Challenge, Virginia revealed that she ever cut a sirloin side before in her life, making her nervous. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her attempts judged, and got two accepted. The red team won the challenge 12-11, and they were rewarded with a helicopter ride to The Saddle Peak Lodge to have lunch with Ramsay. During the reward, she stated she could not wait to know him on a different level.

The next morning, Virginia could not find Larry, only for the latter to call from the hospital to announce his withdrawal. During prep, she was extra motivated saying she wanted to give 150% of herself.

During dinner service, she was on the fish station. Before Ramsay could call out the first order, he threatened her with elimination if she made him read it out again. After, she sent up a monkfish with no walnuts in the vinaigrette, Ramsay broke the plate to the floor at the women's fet, and asked them to start again. When Heather left to treat her burn, she noticed that the red kitchen fell into chaos. Three hours into service, she sent up busted tortellini, but when Ramsay asked her if she would serve it in her restaurant, she answered she would, much to his dismay before asking her another time. She said she would make another batch, and Ramsay sarcastically called it a sensible idea. However, she felt that she was getting eaemed out for no reason, and to make matters worse, Jean-Philippe told Ramsay that the table left. After that, Ramsay made her and her team stand in front of the pass to have a look in the dining room. When almost every customer left, Ramsay shut down both kitchens. The red team won the service, but Ramsay reminded her that she could not buy standards.^[2]

Episode 3

After Gabe's unexpected elimination, Virginia thought Tom would have been eliminated instead. However, she acknowledged that nobody was safe at elimination, and compared the show to a soap opera.

During the Relay Challenge, Virginia was the first one to go for her team. She received the information about what the 3 dishes of the challenge were, the chicken, tortellini, and salmon. She started by making a new batch of fresh tortellini. During the 15 seconds relay, she successfully communicated all the information that Rachel would need to continue. The red team won the challenge 2-1 and was awarded a day on a yacht with Ramsay. During the reward, Ramsay left after awhile, and she started flirting with him by saying miss me. Later, the women got down into their bikini's and began sunbathing, with her jokingly wondering if Ramsay would rub suntan lotion on her if he was still around.

During dinner service, Virginia was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except for helping her team get half their entrées out of the kitchen. After multiple frustrations, Ramsay shut down both kitchens. The red team won the service.^[3]

Episode 4

The next morning, when Ramsay announced that Heather, Sara and Rachel were emerging as leaders, Virginia got pissed because being bossy was not her definition of a leader. After that, she said goodbye to Heather, who was transferred to the blue team. After a trip to Los Angeles where the contestants went to Pink's Hot Dogs, where she wished to have gotten the Gordon Ramsay hotdog, they got back at the restaurant to prep the kitchen for the first lunch service of Hell's Kitchen. During prep, she and Rachel wanted to prove that even without Heather, they would be strong.

During the Lunch Service Challenge, Virginia was not seen all day, the red team finished all their tickets in time, and celebrated along with the children in the dining room. However, the red team lost the challenge as their food was rated 9.84 out of 10, compared to the blue team's 9.85. They were punished by cleaning the messy dining room after the children left.

During prep, the red kitchen was too silent because of the animosity between Rachel and Sara, which made Virginia feel very uncomfortable about that situation and was getting scared. During dinner service, she was on the meat station. When she asked Sara if she was ready with her turbot, Sara answered that she was. So, she sent her Wellingtons to the pass, but Sara did not bring her turbot, saying she did not even start cooking it. Unaware of Sara's sabotage, Ramsay accused her of lying to him and sabotaging her team. Ramsay accused her that she was not a team player, and that she was out for herself, which made Sara laugh in her head because her plan of sabotage worked. However, she was pissed at Sara for sabotaging her, but the latter had no remorse. Later, she and Rachel sent quail dishes with the bones still on them, making her ashamed about that mistake. While Rachel was gone to get some ice at the supermarket, she, Sara, and Maribel succeeded to send out many entrées. Two hours into service, she sent rare Wellingtons which were requested medium, and Ramsay noticed that the Wellingtons were covered all night with egg whites instead of egg yolks. After a lot of frustration in both kitchens and only half of the dining room served, Ramsay called her a fucking letdown since the beginning and kicked both teams out of the kitchen.

Both teams were named joint losers, and they were asked to nominate one each. During deliberation, Virginia cried about Sara's sabotage technique and felt betrayed by her. She could not take being called a liar by Ramsay and asked Sara why she was so passive aggressive. However, Sara tried to excuse herself by saying she wanted her to learn from her mistakes. Later, she knew they were all going to go against her, but Rachel told her to step up for herself. She considered Maribel for being a weaker cook than Rachel and Sara.

When Ramsay praised Sara for showing some initiative, Virginia disagreed by shaking her head. She was the red team's nominee and joined Tom from the blue team. During her plea, she said her heart and soul is in food but was willing to respect Ramsay's opinion about that night. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she felt that the red team are now against each other.^[4]

Episode 5

Back at the dorms, Virginia, who survived her second nomination, was not happy she had to spend another day with Sara, whom she called the bitch from hell. Now knowing that Sara was not a good person as once believed, she declared war against the former, saying that she was now an enemy for betraying her. However, Sara did not care one bit, telling her to grow up.

The next morning, Virginia tasted some fine-dining dishes, which included caviar, cheese fondue, pâté, and chicken kebab. After a few minutes, Ramsay revealed all those dishes were fake, which really upset her as she was taking that tasting seriously, and introduced the Blind Taste Test. She was the second person from the red team to compete, and went up against Heather. She was able to correctly guess chicken, hot dog, and Swiss cheese. The red team won the challenge 7-6, and Ramsay praised her for having the best individual performance overall, with 3 out of 4. They were rewarded with a photo shoot for TV Guide, and during the reward, she liked the positive vibe.

During prep, Virginia recalled being nominated twice before, and knew it was crucial for her not to screw up. During dinner service, she was on the fish station. At one point, was praised by Ramsay for her great communication about oysters because it was the first time he heard someone give him positive feedback. On one order, she produced a perfect salmon, but was forced to take it back after Rachel served rare Wellingtons. Three hours into service, Ramsay continued to compliment her on her strong performance on that statin, but shut down both kitchens after Rachel's problems on meat. The red team lost the service, but because of her comeback, and improvement, she was named "Best of the Worst" by Ramsay, and was asked to nominate two of her teammates for elimination. During deliberation, she was praised by Rachel for her strong performance that night, before the former fought for her survival by trying to convince her to pick Sara for many reasons, especially as the latter sabotaged her the previous service. She took that into consideration and told Sara about that, but the latter felt that one incident over overall performance was unacceptable.

Virginia named Rachel as her first nominee, and before she announced her second nominee, she gave a very long speech about how she thinks Sara should be nominated for the incident the previous service, annoying everybody in the process. However, she nominated Maribel as her second nominee, using the hair incident as her defense. Ramsay agreed with her nominations, and while being dismissed, she felt her comeback would lose her underdog status.^[5]

Episode 6

The next morning, at 6:32 AM, Sous Chef Scott and Mary-Ann woke up the contestants with megaphones, shouting all over the dorms, and telling them to get outside immediately with their jackets on. The contestants were taken to the Grand Central Public Market in Los Angeles, with Virginia getting butterflies over the anticipation of the challenge. During the Three Course Meal Challenge, she took the leadership role, much to the annoyance of Sara as she felt she did not have what it took. Then, she ordered the biggest breast for the entrée, but Maribel felt they were all picking up the wrong things and heading the wrong way. During the cooking, she was made the unofficial leader for her team as she chose the dishes for the challenge, but said she would like everybody to lead their own station, with the help of others. She told Sara to roast the shit out of the peppers, and was micromanaging Maribel. When Sara's bell pepper soup tasted burnt, she took responsibility for that mistake as she told the former to roast the shit out peppers, but also noted that Sara did not say anything against it. However, Sara felt that her time to shine did not work out. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Keith. She made a chicken roulade stuffed with Mexican hard salami, sliced tomatoes and garlic, and it impressed Ramsay as Hell's Kitchen was not that sophisticated yet with their chicken dish.

The red team won the challenge, with Ramsay deeming Virginia's dish as his favorite, making her feel that she was coming out like a bang. They were rewarded with a night out with Ramsay at three different restaurants in Hollywood. When the red team went out to sunbathe, Keith stared attacking them for winning unfairly, and Garrett bitterly hoped they enjoyed their consolation prize as none of the three women deserved to be in the finale. However, she just plain ignored them as nothing would bring the red team down. During the reward, she felt she was a caliber ahead of her teammates when Sara tried to flirt, and knew there was no bonding going on. At Nick & Stef's Steakhouse, she was unable to properly ask a question to the owner of the restaurant, annoying both Sara and Maribel.

The next day, both teams were asked to create their own menus. While planning out her menu, Virginia suggested sushi as she used to make it in a previous job, but when Maribel tried to interject, she shushed her. During prep, she noticed that Maribel was moving slowly and wanted the latter to hurry the fuck up as it bugged her.

During dinner service, Virginia was on the fish station and had her peppered seared blue fin Hamachi sashimi featured on the menu. At one point, she sent up raw scallops, and while Sara offered to help her, she refused it. Sara got annoyed at her pride and called her an idiot. Her mistake, along with her inconsistent timings for the sashimi slowed the red kitchen down, and that forced Ramsay to send the blue team's appetizers to a few tables that had two different team orders. Then, she complained that her sashimi was fucked up when she sliced in different sizes due to the movements of the protein. Ramsay was appalled by the thickness she made and could not believe she screwed up on raw fish. So, Ramsay sent Maribel sent over to try and help her, but while it worked, the red team was way behind as it had been an hour since service started. After hours of being behind, Ramsay had the blue team help the red team complete service, making her embarrassed that the blue team came to help as that meant the situation was out of control.

The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate one teammate for elimination. During deliberation, Virginia knew the red team failed that night and called it her worst night in the competition. Sara admitted that it was the first time in years she cooked meat, but that caused her to ask why she even suggested the lamb in the first place. However, Sara pointed out that she screwed up on her station as well, leaving Heather in glee over the catfight. Then, she agreed with Maribel that Sara screwed up the most that night and accused the latter of not having remorse for her mistakes, but Sara simply did not care.

At elimination, Ramsay changed his mind and nominated Virginia, along with her two teammates. During her plea, Ramsay asked Virginia how she felt about Sara's plea, but she said she was sick over that claim, pointing out that the latter was the one who pushed for the lamb in the first place. When Maribel said she was the third wheel of the red team, she told Ramsay that she tried to push the former to say something, even though she shushed Maribel during the menu planning. Even though Ramsay reminded her about her shocking performance on the sashimi, she survived elimination. While being dismissed, she said she wanted to prove to Ramsay that she had it, and did not want to be in the same category as Sara.^[6]

Episode 7

Back at the dorms, Virginia cried on her bed as it was her third time up for elimination, and felt she sucked. Although she was comforted by Sara, the latter faked feeling compassion for her, and felt she deserved to go home.

Before the next challenge, Ramsay announced the remaining five contestants would become one team, which was the black team. She was the first one to receive her black jacket, felt great to receive a black jacket as it meant there were no more teams, and that they were soldiers that were on their tippy toes. During the 10 Ingredient Challenge, she was the third person to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and made a chiffonade of spinach and beet tops, with poached prawns garnished with truffles. It was praised for the presentation along with delicious prawns were delicious and vibrant, though Ramsay said that had she performed like that on her last service, he would have been very happy. She lost the challenge to Keith, but was picked to go on the reward with him because she finished in second place. So, she went to Las Vegas to visit the Red Rock Resort, where one of the remaining contestants would win their own restaurant. During the reward, she and Keith arrived at Las Vegas, where they drove in a pink limousine, and were welcomed by Ramsay at the Red Rock Resort. They began a tour of the resort, and were greeted by Albie Colotto, the architect of the restaurant project in the resort. Both visualized their dream restaurant, and after that, they were left to enjoy a tour of Las Vegas, with her wishing to move to Las Vegas for the rest of her life.

The next morning, Keith and Virginia arrived from their reward, but while she told the others about the trip, Keith did not want to rub it in Garrett's face too much as he still felt bad about his decision. However, Garrett did not care of what she said, as he would learn what he needed when he won. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. At one point, she struggled on as she had to cook twenty different orders of vegetables. When she had her romaine hearts break on her, Ramsay warned her that he was not going to wait on lettuce. On their last order, she was panicking as she put her garnish in a pot when she could have left it in the pan, and then, she brought up garnishes with too much butter. Ramsay was angry when she said she was making tortellini, and none was on order, leading him to call her a stupid fucking fat mouth bitch, and ordered her to read out the order instead of talking crap. When the final five were lined up, Ramsay reminded the lack of teamwork, despite the completed service. He told her that she put herself in the shit that night, which she agreed, and Keith was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, she begged Keith not to nominate her.

Virginia was Keith's first nominee for elimination, with Garrett being the second. During her plea, she said she loved making food for people, and despite her mistakes, she wanted to keep moving forward. She survived elimination, and while being dismissed, she knew there was a reason she was still around.^[7]

Episode 8

While going back to the dorms, all but Virginia celebrated being in the final four as Keith apologized for nominating her. She went lying on her bed, crying and ashamed about her poor performances and being nominated a fourth time, saying said she does not want to be there if she does not deserve to. While she knew she was good in challenges, she sucked in dinner services, making her frustrated.

The next morning, when Ramsay asked the final four who they think was the strongest chef, Virginia was the only one who did not answer herself because she was still feeling ashamed about her last dinner service performance until Ramsay made her say it. Ramsay declared they were all strong chefs, and named the reward of the next challenge before explaining it, which was a guaranteed spot in the final three. After hearing that, she was more determined to win the challenge. Then, she put blindfolds on, along with her teammates, and they were taken to a secret location where they would run their own individual restaurants. On the ride there, she refused to get intimidated if it were a high-class restaurant.

During the 100 Portions Construction Workers Challenge, Virginia prepared a turkey, prosciutto, and feta cheese sandwich. When she served it to the workers, she used a very flirtatious approach. Back in Hell's Kitchen, she wanted redemption, and Ramsay revealed that her dish was named the best by the workers, making her the winner of the challenge. She was surprised by the results and asked Ramsay if he was lying, but he reminded her that the construction workers were the ones that decided the vote.

Virginia was rewarded with a guaranteed spot in the final three, along with a shopping spree at the Sur La Table boutique with Ramsay. Back at the dorms, she was happy to be in the safe zone with immunity, but wondered what the shopping spree entailed, just as Keith mocked her in the bathroom out of jealousy. During the reward, she called her shopping spree a dream, and as the two shopped, she got more comfortable with Ramsay, even flirting with him at certain points before finding one of Ramsay's cookbooks and having him sign it. Then, she found a porcelain cow for Sara after a certain insult in a previous service. In the end, she bought for close to $970 worth of kitchen items. When she came back from her reward, she received a very cold shoulder from her teammates as she gave them cheap presents. Sara received a cow statue, Heather received a glove, and Keith crab crackers. A pissed Keith felt that she should have given them better presents based on her $1000 shopping spree, especially as picked her to come on his Las Vegas trip, while she felt that they were being rude to her just because she won. So, she went back upstairs to sleep while the remaining chefs continued their punishment.

During prep, Virginia was not feeling secured even though she was safe. When the chefs were lined up, Ramsay reminded them that three master chefs would be eating in the dining room that night, which gave them extra pressure. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station, and served a crab amuse-bouche for every table. She was able to get the amuse-bouches out, and Ramsay felt that was the fastest he has seen her so far. However, when Ramsay called out a six-cover, she was caught staring at him, not doing anything, leading him to tell her that she had to move her ass by mimicking what she was doing. Then, she could not find her green beans, holding Heather up on her entrées, but when she told Ramsay she was trying to move fast as many things were going at once, the latter told her to watch Heather. Later, she did not understand her when Heather called a ticket out and made her repeat it. After a minor fire erupted on her station, Heather was sent there to help her, going to the back store looking for bok choy. When she realized she was out of cream, she asked Keith if he could run to get her some as fast as he could, but he refused. When Ramsay asked her if her panicking was because of her immunity, she answered no, even though the former reminded her that Heather was working her station for her. When Jean-Philippe returned to the kitchen with the chefs' dishes, he said to Heather that the meat was cooked perfectly, but her peas were burned. Heather sarcastically thanked her for that, while a pissed Ramsay asked her if she was playing against Heather and not with her due to being safe. However, she argued that she was trying to play with them, and asked why they were harsh to her. Much later, she told Heather to slow down as well as she could not make it in time, leading Ramsay to tell Heather that she was screwing her. Then, she told Ramsay she burned the cabbage, forcing Heather to take her meat back. That led Ramsay to revoke her immunity, which made Heather smile and thanked God for that. Then, she became confused and started to panic on time she needed, which discouraged Ramsay even further as it was her worst night ever, making her wish she was a server right now.

After service Heather was named "Best of the Worst". During deliberation, Virginia convinced Heather to put her up as she was so ashamed about her performance, and seriously wondered if she was ready to run a restaurant.

Virginia was Heather's first nominee for elimination, with Sara being the second. During her plea, she flat out told Ramsay that after being nominated multiple times, she questioned her ability to run a kitchen if she could not run garnish, and felt she did not deserve to win Hell's Kitchen. However, Ramsay reminded her that because she won the challenge, she had a spot in the final three, offering to give her back her immunity if she wanted it. Although she did not want to be in the final three because Ramsay was a man of his word or because of the challenge, the latter told her that this was her decision, before telling Sara to shut the fuck up when the latter tried to speak up. After much deliberation, she changed her mind and declared she wants to stay in the competition. Ramsay respected her decision, and she survived elimination. While being dismissed, she was in better spirits than earlier as she wanted to stay.^[8]

Episode 9

While going back to the dorms, Virginia started crying because she still felt ashamed about her poor performance, and questioned her place in the competition as she still did not know if she survived because of Ramsay, or because she deserved it. However, she did tell Heather that she felt a little more fight back when in front of Ramsay than earlier that night. Heather was still shocked over her decision, and felt bad as she told Sara she would survive over the former. However, she was glad that Sara was gone, and yelled that nothing was sure in Hell's Kitchen. On the patio, she asked others if she was better than Sara, but both Heather and Keith yawned in her face, as it was not important. she left the patio table in anger, and took a moment to herself in the bathroom, where she motivated herself so she could finally convince herself that she deserved to stay. The next morning, she, being determined to not fail on another service, asked many questions to Heather, but the latter refused to answer her, thinking that she would not help her win the competition as she herself wanted to win.

When the final three came downstairs, they saw Ramsay was cooking a dish for them, making Virginia shocked. During the Taste It, Now Make It Challenge, she used wild stripped sea bass, Tuscan white beans for the purée, couscous for the sauce, which she took from Keith who tried to hide it from her and called him a brat as a result, and grapefruit for the sides. She was the winner of the challenge for correctly guessing all the ingredients of Ramsay's dish. Ramsay praised her palate, and told her she had to use it from now on. She was very proud of herself.

Virginia was rewarded with some quality time with Ramsay in the kitchen, and had the opportunity to ask him as many questions as she wants. He would give her some tips on how to cook on the line, run the hot plate, and eventually become a top chef. Back at the dorms, Heather accused her of taking the recipe of the dish used in the challenge from the recipe book she got during her shopping spree reward. However, she accused Heather of being jealous of her success, and did not listen to her as she was proud of herself. During the reward, she called it cool to train with Ramsay, and then, he let her have a chance at running the pass. During her simulation, she made Ramsay and the Sous Chefs laugh when she was simulating running the hot plate. While she felt she could not have been rude to people earlier, she truly believed she could be a bitch in the kitchen now.

Later that night, Heather gave cold shoulder to Virginia when she asked her if she was mad at her. Heather told her she did not want to be her friend anymore as she continued to accuse her of cheating, while Keith showed an attitude to her when he told her that Ramsay picked a dish only she knew because he was attracted to her. She told Keith to shut the fuck up, and that he was being rude. When left alone, she was sick and tired of being an outsider, and got on her knees, in front of her bed, to send some prayers. During prep. Heather ignored her questions, and she was annoyed by the latter's and Keith's behavior as both of them thought they already won. She took it as extra motivation to prove everybody and herself wrong.

During dinner service, Virginia was on the fish station. On the first ticket, she burned her two salmons due to a hot grill, and trashed them. Ramsay asked her to get them out of the bin, schooled her on her careless attitude, and asked her if that was the start of what would come that night. She answered no, knowing she did not want to get mauled that night. During Keith's turn on the pass, he called out his second ticket, but she did not answer, and Ramsay had to tell him that she had to answer him. She was unable to give Keith a proper time, which the latter did not give himself. Her problems with fish resulted in only twenty-five tables receiving their orders. During Heather's turn, she was asked for a proper time on her food to be ready. She was the final person to run the pass, and Ramsay ordered her to run Hell's Kitchen. On her first ticket, she was not taken seriously by Keith as he thought she sounded like a cartoon character, and Heather asked her to repeat the order because she did not understand her well. Despite her rocky start, she was very energetic, and Ramsay told Sous Chef Scott to send a Chilean sea bass instead of salmon. She successfully spotted the mistake, and asked for a salmon. Ramsay praised her quality control. With that compliment from Ramsay, she was determined to finish her turn at the pass strong. She gave clear instructions to Heather, and with three tables left, Ramsay took back control of the hot plate. On the final ticket, she started to struggle with ifs, and lacked communication and teamwork with Heather.

When the teams were lined up, Ramsay told each of them to name one person who they think do not deserve to advance in the finals. During deliberation, Virginia said she would not be surprised if she would leave, but also knew it was Ramsay's decision as she had been nominated multiple times. However, she and Heather talked about Keith's quiet behavior on the pass. Later, she was packing her bags as she knew she would be sent based on her inexperience, but Keith reminded her about Heather's frantic performance on the pass.

At elimination, Virginia nominated Keith for his lack of leadership, and the lack of fire, while being nominated by the latter and Heather. During her plea, she said she was not an old dog, and could replicate Ramsay's skills if he was willing to teach her. She survived elimination, but was ignored by a pissed Keith on his way out. Afterwards, Ramsay congratulated her and Heather for making it to the final two and reminded them that one of them was going to win their own restaurant in Las Vegas. He told them to get back in the dorms, and get some rest. Back at the dorms, both were excited and shouted all over the place, when they saw champagne bottles waiting for them on the table with a letter of congratulations. They opened a bottle, drank a glass, and somebody knocked at the door. Before the people were revealed, the episode ended in a cliffhanger.^[9]

Episode 10/11

Coming back from the previous episode, it was revealed that the people knocking at the doors were both finalists' respective loved ones. Virginia got a visit from her mother and husband. She told them what she have done so far in the competition, which included winning the Blind Taste Test, and the Taste It, Now Make It Challenge. After some appreciated time, her family left, along with Heather's, and she gave a hug to her, telling it was a sweet gift.

The next morning, Virginia was back to business, aware that only Heather was standing between her and her dream. She was giving kicks into a punching bag to stay focused. Moments later, she went downstairs with Heather, where some members of the media were waiting for them in the dining room, holding cameras and taking pictures. After Ramsay talked in the microphone, reporters asked a series of questions to the finalists. At some point, she declared that if she was to win, she would hire her husband who was also a chef. Moments later, the finalists revealed the dance they made up in the dorms and performed it, much to our amusement. After that, Ramsay revealed the final challenge, and a huge red blanket came down from the ceiling. He told both finalists that the restaurant is divided, with Virginia working in the blue kitchen with Sous Chef Mary-Ann, and that she would design her dream restaurant. Before they left to the dorms, Ramsay gave her, and Heather, a head chef's jacket. Back in the dorms, both of them were really excited, and changed in their new outfits.

Back downstairs, Virginia stood on her respective side of the restaurant, thinking about how she could design her new restaurant. She wanted to give art on the plates and on the wall, so the customers could understand who she was. With 36 hours left until the last dinner service, Ramsay introduced her, and Heather, to John Janavs, the designer of Hell's Kitchen, and Albie Colotto, the designer of the Red Rock Resort & Spa. He told her to work with them, and after, work with Jean-Philippe for the uniforms and atmosphere of her restaurant. After that, she met all those people and explained to them her visions of her dream restaurant in details, and the construction began. She later met Sous Chef Mary-Ann to design her menu.

After some hard work in her kitchen, Virginia was told by Ramsay to pack her bags because she, him, and Heather, would go to Las Vegas. They traveled in a huge GMC limousine, and on the way to Vegas, Ramsay reminded her signature dish on the first day, and her incredible challenge winning streak. Arrived in Las Vegas, Ramsay introduced the Final Signature Dish Challenge, where she had one hour to prepare her new signature dish to the customers of the Red Rock Resort & Spa. She prepared her chicken roulade which she served on episode 6's challenge. During the judging, both dishes were neck-and-neck, with a very close score the whole time. After a tie at 10, one last customer was approached to taste the dish, and he clinched the victory for Virginia. After the challenge, Ramsay invited both her and Heather to the roof top to admire Las Vegas, and inviting them to London as VIP guests at his own establishment to come and enjoy themselves. She was very excited about the gift, and after that, they went back to Hell's Kitchen.

Arrived in Hell's Kitchen, Virginia learned that the color of her column was too dark and would not fit with her waterfalls. Colotto suggested getting some lighter colors, which she agreed. Colotto was also concerned about her waterfalls as he was struggling to think about how he could make them work well during the night. After that, she went to sleep, exhausted, but having a lot of things on her mind. The next morning, her former teammates came back to the dorms to greet and congratulate both finalists. Rachel said she was surprised to see Virginia in the finals, like everybody else. Then, she answered the phone and Ramsay ordered her to come down to the kitchen, along with Heather and all their friends, for the team selection. Because she won the final challenge, Virginia got the first pick. She chose Keith as her first pick, which he was not very happy about it as he would rather be on Heather's team. For her second pick, she chose Tom, which surprised everybody, including Tom himself. For her last pick, she chose Giacomo, thinking it would boost his confidence for not being picked last. After the selection, she got back to the dorms with her team for briefing time. She managed to "demotivate" them by saying she picked the people who everybody thought were weak, apart from Keith, and see what she could do with them. She told Keith that she picked him because he could carry Tom and Giacomo over. However, all three of them were happy about the menu she designed, Keith even saying that it was adapted to his style. He also said he would only work hard for her if she would guarantee something for them at the end. She was reluctant the first time, but she eventually promised $1000 each if she was to win. Tom, being unemployed, was happy about that gift.

During prep, Virginia was concerned about Tom and Giacomo as they were the weakest under pressure. When she got in the dining room, Janavs and Colotto declared that her waterfalls might not be ready for the opening as they were already supposed to be ready. She was worried about it, but the two architects told her to concern about her food, and let them focus on the dining room. Four hours before opening, the design of her dining room was way behind schedule, but fortunately, the kitchen was running smoothly. When she presented her menu to Ramsay, he praised her presentations, but told she had to match ingredients that taste well together. Minutes before opening, the architects revealed her waterfalls, who finally came alive. She was very happy with tthem. When Ramsay was presented with her dining room, he found the color nice, and praised the lighting. After Ramsay told her he was proud of her and that her brigade was not her friends, she briefed her team one last time, telling her staff what she wants from them during that service.

When she called her first ticket, Virginia struggled to be understood by her team as they told her to speak louder, and none of her team members called back. The appetizers did not come out as fast as in the red kitchen, because she was taking way too long to plate her dishes. She even pushed Giacomo and Keith, who were trying to help her, away. Moments later, she told Giacomo to refire a salad order like the last one he sent had too much salt in it, a decision Ramsay praised. When she told her team to begin going faster, Tom started to give her attitude, thinking he does not want to be talked like that because of his age. An hour into service, and unfortunately, despite Virginia doing a good quality control, she was slowed down by Giacomo because of the raw food he was sending. Ramsay then told her that he was worried about the little food that was coming out. He also told her she needed help on the plating station. So, she asked Keith to come and help her, but he started to give her attitude, bothering her. Despite that, she was catching up on the red kitchen and most of her customers finally received their appetizers. Many of her customers were enjoying their starters, but the Red Rock Resort president complained that his pasta was a little bit too thick. Later, Tom was caught not doing much, and when she told him to get moving, he gave her attitude saying he could take any shit from a man, but not a woman. After that, Giacomo informed her that Tom sustained an injury, and she started to feel very concerned. Tom came back in the kitchen minutes later, asking what was needed, so she called out the order, and Tom successfully sent out acceptable main courses. She was determined to catch up with the red team, leading the main courses to be delivered to most of her guests. The Red Rock Resort president really enjoyed his chicken roulade. Three hours into service, Virginia was rushing to get her entrées quickly, but a little too much as a customer complained about his dish containing too much oil. When she asked for a reorder of snapper, Keith revealed they ran out of snapper. So, she started to panic, but the customers asked for their desserts anyway. So, she ordered her team to get the desserts going. Both teams rallied to send their final desserts out, and the Red Rock Resort president enjoyed his. After service, she congratulated and thanked her team, and celebrated with champagne glasses.

When the teams were lined up, Ramsay congratulated them and asked for a big round of applause. After that, Ramsay revealed that the president of the Red Rock Resort was dining in both restaurants that night, and the president himself came in the kitchen to give his reviews about the different dishes. Virginia's short ribs were declared the best he has ever had. Ramsay told her to say goodbye to her staff and wait in the dorms. Before she left, she told Tom and Giacomo they were always known as the weak links, and that if she could win despite them, she could prove everybody wrong. Back in the dorms, she was drinking beer with Heather, and both of them told how nervous they were. After a few minutes, the Sous Chefs went knocking at the dorms' door to get both of them in Ramsay's office. Arrived there, she stood in front of a door, knowing that it would only open if she was declared the winner. Ramsay praised her palate, which he said it was a gift. After declaring he read every customer comment cards, and that one of the finalists was holding a slight advantage in front of the other, Ramsay gave both of them a key each. Ramsay then declared that one of those keys would not only open the door, but also their very own restaurant in Las Vegas. After waiting nervously for Ramsay's countdown to end, she turned her key, but her door did not open.

Virginia became the runner-up of Hell's Kitchen, and took her defeat graciously, saying she trusted Ramsay's decision and hoped to be as successful as Heather one day.^[10]

Nomination History

Week 1	Nominated
Week 2	Win
Week 3	Win
Week 4	Nominated
Week 5	BoW
Week 6	Nominated
Week 7	Nominated
Week 8	Nominated
Week 9	Nominated
Finale	Runner-Up

Season 10

Episode 16

Virginia returned to Hell's Kitchen as part of a team of returning runner ups. She was joined by Russell (Season 8), Jay (Season 7), Kevin (Season 6), Paula (Season 5), and Bonnie (Season 3). During prep, she admitted that she would be shocked if the black jackets won instead of the runner ups.

During dinner service, Virginia was on the garnish station. She was not seen much, except for Kevin telling her and Jay to work together on scallops. The runner ups won service over the black jackets.^[11]

Post Hell's Kitchen

After her appearance on the show, she worked at Lupa Osteria Romana and Casa Mono, and opened a restaurant called Cork and Pig Tavern, in San Angelo.
She divorced her first husband, she remarried and now has a daughter.
Her restaurant Cork and Pig Tavern has several locations across the state of Texas.
She opened another restaurant called Red Oak Kitchen in Odessa, Texas

Trivia

She and Heather are the first pair of finalists to come from the same state (New York). She and Heather are also the first pair of finalists to be the same age (25).
She participated in the first ever all-female finals of Hell's Kitchen.
She is the second runner-up, and first female runner-up of Hell's Kitchen.
At age 25, she is the youngest runner-up in the history of Hell's Kitchen.
She holds the record for the runner-up with the most nominations in the history of the show, with six.
She is the first female contestant to survive the opening night elimination.
She is the first contestant to be nominated four consecutive times, a record that stood until Season 12, and the first to have survived all four of them.
She is the first contestant who made it to the black jackets, and the first one who made it to the finals, after being nominated the first time her team lost.
She is the second contestant, and the first female, to be picked as a guest for a prize during the black jackets, following Michael (Season 1). She is also the first runner-up with this detail.
She is the only finalist up to this date to hold the record for doing the least punishments with just one punishment out of a possible nine. As a result, she holds the second best reward/punishment ratio in the history of the show, with it being 89%, behind Kanae (Season 18) at 90%. However, she holds the best reward/punishment ratio of contestants who made it to black jackets.
Ironically, she also holds the worst nomination rate in the history of the show, with her making it to the finals and being nominated every time in which she was eligible, marking a 100% eligible nomination rate for somebody who went through the entire competition.
- Overall, she holds a 67% nomination rate, the worst for any finalist or black jacket.
She beat the original record of five challenge victories with seven to her name, and held the record until two seasons later.
She is the second contestant to be nominated consistently throughout the Black Jacket phase, following Jessica (Season 1).
She is the first finalist in the history of the show to run the kitchen opposite her starting team without ever having been a member of that team.
She won the most challenges in her season with seven.

Quotes

"I wished Chef Ramsay was still here so he could rub lotion on us."
"I'm really proud of that salad and I know it's a good salad. A rabbit might like it, but I don't think rabbits like coconut milk!!"
(After realizing Ramsay served cheap food) "I was taking it seriously, and then he was like, (impersonating Ramsay) 'Haha. It was catfish, hot dogs, cheese in a can, and a TV dinner. Haha.' It's embarrassing."
(After being named the runner-up) "I feel totally happy for Heather. I trust Chef Ramsay's decision and, one day, I'll be just as good as Heather."

Gallery

External links

References

↑ (June 12, 2006). "Episode 201 - 12 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 1.
↑ (June 12, 2006). "Episode 202 - 11 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 2.
↑ (June 19, 2006). "Episode 203 - 9 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 3.
↑ (June 26, 2006). "Episode 204 - 8 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 4.
↑ (July 10, 2006). "Episode 205 - 7 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 5.
↑ (July 17, 2006). "Episode 206 - 6 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 6.
↑ (July 24, 2006). "Episode 207 - 5 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 7.
↑ (July 31, 2006). "Episode 208 - 4 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 8.
↑ (August 7, 2006). "Episode 209 - 3 Chefs". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 9.
↑ (August 14, 2006). "Episode 210/211 - Winner Announced". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 2. Episode 10/11.
↑ (August 13, 2012). "Episode 1016 - 6 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series). Season 10. Episode 16.

Hell's Kitchen Season 2
Staff
Gordon Ramsay (Head Chef) • Scott Leibfried (Blue Team Sous Chef) • Mary-Ann Salcedo (Red Team Sous Chef) • Jean-Philippe Susilovic (Maître d'hôtel)
Contestants
Giacomo Alfieri • Rachel Brown • Virginia Dalbeck • Gabe Gagliardi • Keith Greene • Polly Holladay • Sara Horowitz • Maribel Miller • Tom Pauley • Larry Sik • Garrett Telle • Heather West

burtdithery1989.blogspot.com

Source: https://hellskitchen.fandom.com/wiki/Virginia_Dalbeck