7 Times Celebrities Were Disappointed With The Food On Hell's Kitchen

Any person would have high expectations from a restaurant associated with Chef Gordon Ramsay, even if that restaurant is technically the film set for "Hell's Kitchen," a reality cooking competition. Ramsay currently holds 7 Michelin stars, owns successful restaurant chains with locations in various countries, and is known to be a perfectionist in the kitchen. He may not personally train the chefs who compete on "Hell's Kitchen," but the association is enough for people to expect exemplary food from the contestants.

Of course, not all chefs on the show are on the same level when it comes to their training or experience. Many succumb to the pressure of the show and lose focus, which explains Ramsay's endless screams of, "It's raw!" or "It's not cooked!" across 24 seasons. Even the best chefs of each season make mistakes.

Ramsay is excellent in his role as head chef on the show. He spots the raw, overcooked, and unseasoned food the majority of the time, so those dishes rarely make it to guests' tables. But a few do get past the seasoned chef, to the disappointment of the celebrities and high-profile guests who visit the show to dine. Here are seven such instances when celebrities were disappointed with the food on "Hell's Kitchen."

Tatum O'Neal is the youngest-ever Academy Award winner, having won Best Supporting Actress at 10 years old. She appeared as a VIP guest on Season 14 with her son, and she was so demanding and nitpicky about the food served to her that — even a decade later — fans remember her as the celebrity who disliked the food on "Hell's Kitchen" the most.

O'Neal's critiques started with the appetizers. She thought her mussels were mediocre, and that her son's risotto could have been plated better, by which she meant that it should have been in a perfect circle. She ordered beef Wellington for her entrée, and found the beef too rare for her liking. (Note that there might be a reason why a restaurant undercooks steak.) She refused to eat it and ordered halibut instead, saying the Wellington was not up to her standards. Thankfully, she was happy with the fish, and had no more complaints.

O'Neal's pickiness stands out because the dishes served to her table had passed Gordon Ramsay's scrutiny. Not to say that no raw meat ever gets past the Michelin-starred chef, but it was clear he knew the dishes were perfectly cooked and plated well. He didn't yell with dismay or call the chefs over, as he normally does when someone sends undercooked food to the pass. He actually praised the six contestants for having done a great job at the end of the service.

Megan Ramsay turned 21 on the 20th season of "Hell's Kitchen." As one of Chef Gordon Ramsay's six kids, she had the privilege of hosting her birthday dinner at the show's restaurant while two teams worked hard to impress her and her guests.

Everything went smoothly with the appetizers. Ms. Ramsay and her friends received their food promptly, and everything was cooked deliciously. The problem came when the entrées arrived. The two teams in the kitchen had split the orders for Ms. Ramsay's table, and unfortunately for the birthday girl, her plate came from the team that had been struggling more that evening. Her noodles looked dull and tasted bland compared to the pad Thai prepared by the other team.

Ms. Ramsay had high expectations for the dish. In the team challenge earlier that day, she had judged various appetizers and entrées, and selected the menu that would be served for her birthday party. She loved the blue team's pad Thai so much, she picked it as the best dish of the challenge. Understandably, Ms. Ramsay was disappointed when she got a bland version of the dish from the red team that evening. She informed the show's maître d', Marino Monferrato, who brought it back to the kitchen for a re-fire.

Real Housewife and restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump was a VIP on Season 19 of "Hell's Kitchen." With her husband and beloved Pomeranian, Puffy, she arrived hungry and eager to dine. As her meal was being cooked, she called out to Gordon Ramsay and loudly whispered, "I'm starving."

Her comment increased the tension among the "Hell's Kitchen" chefs, which was already high. Unfortunately, the pressure got to Nikki, who was cooking the lobster for Mrs. Vanderpump's risotto. When the lobster was served raw, Chef Ramsay was annoyed and Mrs. Vanderpump was disappointed. Knowing the guests would have to wait longer because the chefs needed to cook the dish again from scratch, Ramsay told Nikki to personally apologize to the Vanderpumps.

As the chef's table was right next to the show's kitchens, the Vanderpumps saw and heard everything go down. From a guest's point of view, it sucks when you're famished and have to wait for your order to arrive. It's much worse when your food finally arrives undercooked, as this means that your wait time's doubled. Mrs. Vanderpump may have made things worse by asking the chefs to hurry up, but she was rightly disappointed to have waited for a raw lobster.

Actor and comedian Kel Mitchell and his wife, Asia Lee-Mitchell, were at the chef's table on Season 22 of "Hell's Kitchen." True to form, he was enthusiastic and cheerful from the moment he entered, lending his positive energy to the blue team serving him. Everything started well as Ramsay called the Mitchells' orders, and the chefs jumped into action.

The VIP couple ordered a tartare, carbonara, and lobster risotto. The first two dishes made it to the pass without issue. But unfortunately, Ramsay sent the risotto back because the lobster was raw. Just like in the fiasco with Lisa Vanderpump's order, the chefs had to cook the risotto again from scratch. (Side note: Reheating is one of the mistakes everyone makes with risotto, as this can burn the rice and turn it to mush.)

Mitchell remained in good spirits while waiting, even as he held up his knife and fork while chanting, "We want food!" But when Atoyé, who was cooking the lobster, finally brought up her second attempt, it was overcooked. "Uh-oh. Was that ours?" Mitchell asked when he saw Ramsay reject the dish again. The actor and his wife had already been waiting for 30 minutes; they had to wait even longer. Fortunately, Atoyé was able to compose herself after a brief chat with Ramsay in the pantry. Her third try was cooked to Ramsay's standards, and the Mitchells finally had food on the table.

The charity night dinner service on Season 18 of "Hell's Kitchen" was a (literally) bloody fiasco that had Gordon Ramsay banging his fists and throwing plates in anger. It wasn't just one VIP who was disappointed with the food, but an entire table of actors and their companions who were dining to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Ramsay's TV restaurant was serving a five-course Italian menu for everyone in attendance that night. The first three courses flew by with a few minor hiccups. But on the fourth course, the red team messed up when their veal saltimbocca — a classic dish of pan-seared, thin veal cutlets wrapped in prosciutto — turned out to be raw. This was discovered when TV host Sabrina Soto noted that her meat was too tough to slice, then immediately saw the raw veal underneath the prosciutto.

Others at the table, including actor Kevin Zegers, were also served raw meat. The plates were marched back to the kitchens for a re-fire — one plate, three, then two more in quick succession — just as the red team was about to make desserts. It was clearly disappointing for the guests, especially as they'd enjoyed the earlier courses. But no one was more disappointed than Gordon Ramsay, who expects the best from "Hell's Kitchen" contestants during charity events.

Holly Marie Combs and her dinner companion were VIP guests on Season 12. She was excited to be at the "Hell's Kitchen" restaurant, and she quickly placed an order of scallops and risotto to start. The blue team, which was assigned to serve her, was able to produce a satisfactory risotto. However, the scallops were overcooked, and that earned the team their first loud reprimand of the evening from Chef Ramsay.

Combs was seated at the chef's table, so she could see and hear everything that happened. It couldn't have been pleasant knowing that their dinner was going to be delayed because the appetizers had to be cooked again. While she watched the blue team scramble to course-correct, Chris, who had made one of the mistakes everyone makes when cooking scallops and overcooked them, quickly fired a second batch. The blue team's captain, Anton, watched Chris very closely. Unfortunately, his anxiety got the better of him, and he committed a major blunder: He bypassed Ramsay and brought the scallops directly to Combs' table. Even worse, the scallops he plated were undercooked. This incensed Ramsay even more.

The "Charmed" actress had to wait once again for her appetizers. Thankfully, the blue team got it right the third time around. Combs was kind enough to Anton when he apologized for the wait, but undoubtedly, she would have had a happier "Hell's Kitchen" experience if the chefs had more quickly gotten their act together.

Gordon Ramsay often invites Michelin-starred chefs and acclaimed restaurateurs to judge the individual challenges on "Hell's Kitchen." On an episode in Season 8, five such personalities participated as judges of a presentation challenge: Ludo Lefebvre, Quinn and Karen Hatfield, Suzanne Tracht, and Michael Cimarusti.

The contestants were given 30 minutes to cook five servings of an amuse bouche, or bite-sized appetizer, that would be scored based on presentation and flavor. The judges had many wonderful things to say about the entries that excelled in appearance and taste. But for the ones that fell short, they didn't hold back on their criticism. Lefebvre called Sabrina's pressed garlicky French bread boring, and said the same thing about Jillian's pita bread. The other judges agreed. "It tastes like it looks," Cimarusti elaborated. "There's not much going on there."

The judges were just as unhappy with Nona's shrimp and grits. Lefebvre said it was a mess, and Tracht confessed that the cumin made her think of body odor. The final dish, Trevor's frog legs, amused the judges, but not in a good way. Karen Hatfield said it looked like the frog had been through the blender, while Lefebvre was less than impressed. "If you serve that in a restaurant, I don't know if I want to stay," he said. Cimarusti summed up the panel's collective disappointment by saying, "The most positive thing I can say about it is it's very small."