Hell’s Kitchen Season 24 saw the elimination of a chef for the first time not because of poorly cooked protein, but because of subpar vegetables. The eighth episode, titled “Cook for Your Life,” aired on November 13, 2025, and featured a dramatic twist that bypassed the traditional dinner service, leading to the departure of Cara Marie Hall, the executive chef from Rhode Island.
The episode introduced a high-stakes challenge where the lowest-scoring chefs had to fight for their place in the competition. Chef Gordon Ramsay’s decision to eliminate Cara Marie over her vegetable preparation came as an ironic blow, given her reputation as a vegan chef who had consistently handled proteins beautifully throughout the competition.
The “State to Plate” License Plate Challenge
The main team challenge required chefs to decode ingredients spelled in the style of license plates. The teams had to correctly identify these ingredients and then use them to create cohesive dishes. The Blue Team decoded their ingredients first, giving them an early advantage.
Once in the kitchen, the chefs had 45 minutes to prepare their dishes, each working with one of three assigned proteins: Atlantic Cod, Pork Chop, or Lamb. Because the Red Team had an extra member, they had to skip preparing one dish. The scoring was close, with points awarded for the best preparations of each protein. Alexandra, Anthony, Chris, and Cara Marie earned a point for their Atlantic Cod. Henry, Cydni, and Ellie each earned a point for their Pork Chop. Jada secured a point for her Lamb, while Jayden and Anaiya received no points. The challenge ended in a tie, but Gordon Ramsay declared the Blue Team the winner, noting that Henry’s dish was a standout and suggesting that a dropped dish from Lisa might have won the Red Team the challenge.
The Shocking Elimination Twist
Instead of proceeding to a dinner service, Ramsay announced a major twist. The four chefs with the lowest overall challenge scores—Cara Marie, Jayden, Chris, and Ellie—were told they would have to “cook for their life.”
Ramsay addressed the nervous chefs, stating, “I’ve called you down for a very, very important reason. Tonight there will be no dinner service. But the competition will continue. I am analyzing everything you do here in Hell’s Kitchen, your dinner services and, of course, your challenges as individuals. Tonight, the four chefs who have scored the lowest in challenges will now be cooking for their life.”
In a tense cook-off, all four chefs decided to prepare fish dishes, a choice that concerned observing teammates given the historical difficulties with fish in the Hell’s Kitchen kitchen. Ellie and Jayden worked with salmon, while Cara Marie prepared halibut. Ramsay praised Ellie’s dish, and Cara Marie’s halibut was also well-received. However, her accompanying mashed potatoes were critically flawed, ultimately leading to her elimination.
Ramsay’s Final Verdict
After tasting all the dishes, Ramsay determined that Cara Marie’s was the weakest of the night. He eliminated her, marking the end of her journey in the competition. His final comment highlighted the irony of her exit: “Even as a vegan chef, Cara Marie could cook proteins beautifully. Ironically, tonight it was the vegetables that did her in.”
With Cara Marie’s elimination, eleven chefs advanced further in the competition. The remaining chefs in the Red Team are Alexandra, Anaiya, Cydni, Ellie, Jada, and Lisa. The Blue Team consists of Anthony, Chris, Jayden, and Henry.
The Battle of the States Season
Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the States premiered on September 25, 2025, on Fox. This season features twenty chefs, each representing a different U.S. state, competing for a head chef position and a grand prize of $250,000. Gordon Ramsay returns as host and head chef, with James Avery as the Blue Team’s sous-chef and Michelle Tribble as the Red Team’s sous-chef. All episodes are filmed at the Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant located within the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut.
The season began with a intense Signature Dish challenge and has seen several eliminations, including Carlos Walker from Alaska, who was the first chef eliminated after a scallop challenge, and Maddy Bender from New York, who was eliminated after the first dinner service. Chase Cardoza from Montana voluntarily left the competition to focus on his mental health after a stressful breakfast challenge.
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