'Hell's Kitchen' Season 21: From Rachel Brown to Paulie Giganti, a look at the chefs who tragically died
Popular cooking show 'Hell's Kitchen' undoubtedly has a reputation for being one of the most cutthroat cooking reality TV shows out there. Complete with the fiercely brutal host Gordan Ramsay. Ramsay holds the title of one the most hot-headed chefs to land in the culinary scene and doesn't shy away from throwing many insults at contestants. Indeed, only those with thick skin and minds can stand this test of fire.
The show has released 20 seasons, with its newest Season 21 just around the corner. Many of the winners who survived the gruelling show have gone on to become successful culinary experts. Even those that did not make it to the finals have created impactful careers. However, some of the contestants we rooted for in the past, are not with us today. Let's take a look at some of them who died.
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Rachel Brown
Competing in Season 2 of 'Hell's Kitchen', Rachel Brown made a strong impression after her initial appearance on the show. A proud Redneck, she stood up to host Ramsay when he criticized her dish on an episode. She did falter on several dishes as the season progressed and later nominated herself for elimination by Episode 4. However, she was given another chance by Ramsay, only to be disqualified in Episode 5. Brown was the first to die after starring in the show. She died on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, in Dallas from a gunshot wound, with her death being ruled a suicide by a Tarrant County medical examiner's office representative.
Paulie Giganti
Season 16 contestant Paulie Giganti was a fairly average contestant who performed well on challenges but faced difficulty participating in services. He was nominated for elimination multiple times but nevertheless managed to make it to fourth place. Though he did impress Ramsay with his preparation of biscotti-crusted scallops over crispy polenta with a basil curry cream sauce in the Signature Dish Challenge, becoming the first male contestant ever to score a perfect five on the new format of this challenge. However, he made plenty of mistakes to get eliminated by Episode 9 of the show. After Paulie sent up raw lamb during service, Ramsay flew into a rage and sent him and his team out. This was the sixth time they were ejected from the kitchen. Though not an official suicide attempt, he died of an accidental overdose on Thursday, April 20, 2017.
For those unaware, there are other contestants who have also died after starring on the show. Kieth Green from Season 2 died from accidental drowning, Season 3's Aaron song died of complications with diabetes, and Louis Petrozza of Season 4 died of lung cancer. Also, Season 12's Jessica Vogel's heart gave out while being treated for chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
'Hell’s Kitchen' Season 21 is scheduled to release on Thursday, September 29 at 8 pm ET/PT on Fox.