Steve Rosenthal

**Steven "Steve" Rosenthal** was a contestant on Season 13 of Hell's Kitchen and will be a contestant on Hell's Kitchen Roleplay Season 4: All-Stars. He finished in 11th place in Season 13 and finished in 9th place in All-Stars.

## Personality

In Season 13, Steve was a strong chef who did well in leadership, but made a lot of mistakes in his run, which he refused to recognize. However, he is most well-known for conspiring with Aaron and Santos earlier in the season to sabotage the rest his team, and for his brash attitude, often being the reason for yelling-matches between his team, and for too arrogant for his own good. This led to multiple clashes with Sade. Eventually, he was forced against his will to leave the competition over a serious knee injury that he sustained during punishment.

In Season 24, he finally returned and attempted to establish himself as a front-runner, but due to being overshadowed by larger personalities, he had struggles, which led to him getting into arguments with chefs like Zach, Jangue, Kelly, Mae and Dee. However, he did get along well with Angie.

## Season 13

### Episode 1

While the chefs were on their way to Hell's Kitchen, the bus pulled over to Pacific’s Cinerama Theatre as Ramsay wanted to show them an inspirational video before going there. After Ramsay revealed the grand prize of the season, he asked the chefs to cook their signature dishes.

During the Signature Dish Challenge, Steve was the sixth person from the blue team to have his dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Jennifer. He made a lamb dish and scored 3 points out of 5 for a solid effort. Despite that, the blue team lost the challenge 23-24, and they were punished by setting up the dorms for both teams, and carrying the red team's luggage when they would come back from their reward.

During dinner service, Steve was on the meat station with Bryant. He was not seen much, except when he told Bryant to help JP and JR, who were struggling on the fish station. After the men were kicked out, he angrily yelled that four of them screwed the team up, referring to JP, JR, Aaron, and Fernando. The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people.

He was not nominated for elimination.

### Episode 2

Back in the dorms, the blue team was reviewing the menu, but Steve got annoyed by Sterling's antics and asked if he was dropped on his head a couple of times.

During the Geoduck Challenge, Steve was not seen during the first part, but during the second part, he was paired with Aaron. Out of their two attempts, only their first was accepted as their second was two grams short. The blue team lost the challenge 14-15, and he was pissed off that they did by only one point. They were punished by cleaning all the sand outside the restaurant, prepping the remaining geoduck for the next service, and eating a boiled salt cod for lunch.

During dinner service, Steve was on the fish station with Frank. At one point, Ramsay came over, noticed that his scallops were overcooked, and he got lectured to ask for help if he needed it. Despite that, he was able to rebound. When Sterling said that he needed three more minutes on his meat, it led to an argument as his halibut was ready, but Frank calmed them down, and reminded him to pay attention to Sterling’s timings. Then, he sent a raw halibut that Ramsay smashed with his fist. After he announced that Sterling's pork may take four more minutes, Ramsay kicked out the entire team.

Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. During deliberation, Steve was considered by JR due to the raw halibut incident, and while he admitted his mistake, he also retorted that he set them up for success.

He was not nominated for elimination.

### Episode 3

Back in the dorms, Steve said that Sterling should have been eliminated, and felt that he was not taking the competition seriously. Then, when he told Sterling to shut the fuck up, that infuriated the latter, who called him out for being disrespectful, though he threatened to beat Sterling up.

During the Jacket Challenge, Steve got annoyed when Sterling was reading his recipe. He was the second person from the blue team to compete and went up against Katie on the frittata. Despite his potatoes being undercooked, he tied that round with Katie. The blue team won the challenge 6-4, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Venice Beach boardwalk, a zip line experience, and lunch on top of the Erwin Hotel.

During dinner service, Steve was on the appetizer station with JR. After the men were sent to the pantry room for a meeting, he told the men to stop panicking. After Bryant and Sterling were kicked out, Ramsay relocated him to the fish station, and he sent an acceptable serving of halibut. The blue team won the service.

### Episode 4

During the Brunch Service Challenge, Steve was not seen much, but the blue team lost the challenge. They were punished by grinding chorizo sausages for the next service. During the punishment, he said that he appreciated his electric grinders a lot more after this experience. Later that night, he, Santos, and Aaron labeled half of their teammates as dead weight, and agreed to sabotage them in order to cause a repeat of their last service. During prep, he was waiting for them to drop like flies.

During dinner service, Steve was on the appetizer station with Sterling. Despite Ramsay telling him to wait for the salads, he wanted Sterling to go home, along with the rest of the dead weight. So, he sent his risotto despite Sterling not being ready with his beet salads and got lectured that the cold appetizers had to go to the pass before the hot ones. Later, he ignored Sterling's warning that his risotto was soupy, but Ramsay rejected it.

The blue team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Steve said that he wanted to get rid of the screw-ups, and considered Frank and JR. However, he was considered by JR for the soupy risotto incident, but while claiming that he took responsibility for his mistake, it led to Bryant and Sterling changing their votes from Frank to him.

Steve was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with JR being the first, and they were eventually joined by Frank. During his plea, he said that he had no idea why the blue team nominated him as he was never kicked out. He survived elimination and said that being nominated was a wake-up call to get back to the top.

### Episode 5

During the Protein Identification Challenge, Steve was paired with Sterling, and they got the calamari chowder. It took them six attempts to get the correct protein, and the blue team eventually won the challenge 7:07-7:41. They were rewarded with a day at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica.

During the Family Night dinner service, Steve was on the garnish station. He was not seen much, except when he expressed dismay when Aaron did not have his scallops on. The blue team eventually won the service.

### Episode 6

During the Farm Animal Challenge, Steve was paired with Frank in the first part. Despite claiming to have been at a farm a lot, he grabbed a goat instead of a lamb, but after Frank grabbed the correct animal, they picked risotto as their side. His dish was chosen for the second part, and he was the second person from the blue team to have his dish judged. His lamb chops with pea and mint risotto scored 9 points out of 15 as the risotto lacked seasoning. The blue team eventually won the challenge 28-25, and they were rewarded with a trip to the Santa Barbara wine country, to sample wine and eat lunch.

During prep, Steve rudely rejected Sterling's claim that he loved him. However, that angered Sterling, who proceeded to yell that he should say if he had a problem with him, and that while he talked a big game, he was not worth shit, though he called Sterling shit in response. During dinner service, he was on the fish station. Despite getting a review from Ramsay on how to cook scallops, which he called an honor, he accidentally tossed one piece onto the burners when he tried scooping them, instead of dropping them from the pan like Ramsay explained, causing Ramsay to lecture him on his listening. Later, he was brought into the pantry room with Santos, and ordered to wake up. When he sent his halibut, it was raw, and an angry Ramsay kicked him and Santos out.

Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. During deliberation, Steve nominated Sterling, only to get nominated by the latter due to him getting kicked out of service. While he told Sterling to go fuck himself and that the latter should go home, Bryant agreed with Sterling that his recent performances were not matching his experience.

Steve was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Sterling being the first, and they joined Katie and Roe from the red team. During his plea, he said his goal was to become Ramsay’s next head chef, but Sterling reminded him that his dishes were not sent back in the last few services, compared to his own dishes, and that he fucked up a lot. He survived elimination.

### Episode 7

After Katie left, Steve said goodbye to Sterling, who was transferred to the red team. While going back to the dorms, he said that not only was he happy to have survived elimination, he was glad that Sterling was finally off the blue team.

During the Italian Cuisine Challenge, Steve was the first person from the blue team to have their dish judged by Ramsay and went up against Jennifer. He presented his eggplant and mozzarella tortellini, and while it was praised for having a lovely broth, he lost the round to Jennifer. The blue team eventually won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a $3000 shopping spree at American Rag Cie for a new wardrobe, and eating lunch at Cecconi’s.

During the Italian Night dinner service, Steve was on the appetizer station with Santos. He started off slow and asked Fernando what the first order was. Ramsay noticed his slow performance and asked where the fire in his belly was, before accusing him of not caring. When he sent his risotto, it was salty and watery, which Ramsay deemed an embarrassment, but managed to get his second attempt approved. Later, Frank blamed him for sending overcooked chicken for him, but he was pissed to be thrown under the bus. Then, he tried to help Aaron on fish but got pushed away by him.

Both teams were named joint-losers, with Ramsay berating Steve for his slow start on appetizers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. During deliberation, he was considered by Aaron and Bryant for his slow start, but he refused to be nominated again, even though Aaron reminded the soupy risotto incident, and considered Frank for going down on meat.

Steve was the blue team's second nominee for elimination, with Aaron being the first, and they joined Ashley and Roe from the red team. During his plea, he said that he had a lot of fight left, and blamed the meat and fish stations for the blue team’s poor performance. He survived elimination.

### Episode 8

After Ashley left, Steve said goodbye to Frank, who was transferred to the red team and welcomed Sade as a new teammate. Back in the dorms, he was happy that Frank was off the blue team and did not have any problems having Sade on the blue team, as long as she was a team player.

During the Dog Show Planning Challenge, Steve got confused when Sade announced that she would be making dog food, mentioning that she was not making any sense. He was the last person from the blue team to have his dish judged and went up against Jennifer. He presented his Chilean sea bass with roasted potatoes. While it was praised for being moist and having a nice seasoning, he lost the round to Jennifer. The blue team lost the challenge 2-3, and they were punished by setting up the dining room for the next service, and washing and grooming dogs that the American Kennel Club sent over.

During prep, Steve saw Sade telling the blue team to fuck off, and said that he hoped she would work with them, and not against. During the Dog Show dinner service, he was on the meat station. He kept calling Santos a lot, without a time, and an annoyed Ramsay ordered Sade to help him. Despite that, he had a strong performance, and the blue team won the challenge.

### Episode 9

When Ramsay announced that the next challenge was the Craps Challenge, Steve said that he was missing his bourbon. He rolled a T, chose tomatoes, and was confident as the blue team’s ingredients worked well together. His dish was not chosen, and the blue team eventually lost the challenge. They were punished by taking part in Double Delivery Day, including taking orders of ice, wine, and a 650 pounds halibut. During the punishment, he calmed down an argument between Sade and Bryant, reminded them that it was what it was, and suggested that they focus their attention on the next service. When he was forced to take in a delivery at 3:29 AM, he complained that his body was sore after all the heavy lifting, especially his knee.

The next day, Steve was still sore and told Bryant that he could not straighten his right leg. The medic decided to send him to the hospital for x-rays, and he swore that he would not go out on a bad knee and come back stronger than ever. When he came back, he had a leg brace on and was visited by Ramsay on the patio. He revealed to Ramsay that his leg would not straighten and that his knee was swollen and had shooting pain. While Ramsay was disappointed to hear that, he reminded him that the competition would get tougher, with a lot of running around, and that he could not continue with only one proper leg. While he was upset that he was forced to leave, Ramsay praised him for being strong in the blue kitchen, having a lot of great accomplishments, and even hinted a possibility of him coming back on an eventual season. He shook Ramsay's hand goodbye, and during his exit interview, he swore that Ramsay did not see the last of him.

Ramsay gave no comment on Steve’s departure, and he did not receive the coat hanging and burning picture sequence.

### Nomination history

 Week 3
 Week 4
 Week 5
 Week 6
 Week 7
 Week 8
 Week 9

## Post Hell's Kitchen

* After his appearance on the show, Steve returned to his old job at the Old Ebbitt Grill before moving to Musselbar and Grill.
* He is currently an Executive Chef at Alexandria’s Tequila and Taco in May 2019.

## Trivia

### Season 13

* He is the third contestant, and the first male, to withdraw from the competition because of an injury, following Vanessa (Season 4) and Ji (Season 5). He is also the first contestant that was forced to because of it.
* He was originally going to take Aaron's place in the final dinner service, but he did not because of his injury, so Ashley took his place.

### Season 24

* He is the eighth returning contestant to place higher in his second season, following Jason (Season 12), Robyn, Nick, Benjamin, Michelle (all from Season 17), Bret, and Ariel (both from Season 18).
* He is the sixth contestant with no nominations during their second run on the show, following Ben, Jennifer, Nick, Benjamin, and Jen.

## Quotes

* "Aaron, you fucking put your hands on me. I'm like about to knock you the fuck out right now."
* (*To Sterling*) "Love you too brother! ...not really."
* (*About Chef Ramsay's help*) "I'm feeling honored right now that Chef Ramsay is standing right next to me, you know. That guy talks, you fucking listen."
* (*After being forced to withdraw*) "I'm pissed I had to leave because my fucking leg. It's heartbreaking telling Chef Ramsay I can't go any farther, I'm not gonna let this break me. I'm gonna get my knee fixed so I can get better and get back in the kitchen. Chef Ramsay definitely hasn't seen the last of me or heard the last of me yet."