Hell's Kitchen (American TV series) season 5
The fifth season of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen
premiered on Fox on January 29, 2009, and concluded on May 14, 2009. Gordon Ramsay returned as host and head chef, while Scott Leibfried returned as the Blue Team's sous-chef and Gloria Felix returned and her last appearance as the Red Team's sous-chef. Jean-Philippe Susilovic returned as maître d'.
The season was won by executive chef Danny Veltri, with executive sous-chef Paula DaSilva finishing second.
This season was filmed in November 2007.
This season saw a high number of unusual eliminations, with one chef eliminated without nomination, two leaving for medical reasons, and two chefs eliminated during service, and the first time a chef was eliminated despite being on the winning team, which would become more prominent in later seasons. Also this is the last time the final 2 decorated their resraurant in season 5, because next season there is no decorated againt in final 2
Contestants
300 chef invited in Hell's Kitchen, but sixteen chefs competed in season five.| Contestant | Age | Occupation | Hometown | Result |
| Danny Veltri | 23 | Executive Chef | Edgewater, Florida | Winner |
| Paula DaSilva | 28 | Executive Sous Chef | Coconut Creek, Florida | Runner-up |
| Andrea Heinly | 30 | Line Cook | Reading, Pennsylvania | Eliminated before finals |
| Ben Walanka | 26 | Executive Sous Chef | Chicago, Illinois | Eliminated after twelfth service |
| Robert Hesse | 29 | Sous Chef | Quogue, New York | Hospitalized after Atlantic City trip |
| Giovanni Filippone | 37 | Executive Chef | Destin, Florida | Eliminated after tenth service |
| Carol Scott | 30 | Sous Chef | Knoxville, Tennessee | Eliminated after ninth service |
| Alicia "LA" Limtiaco | 22 | Line Cook | Las Vegas, Nevada | Eliminated after eighth service |
| Lacey D'Angelo | 24 | Corporate Buffet Cook | Charlotte, North Carolina | Ejected during eighth service |
| Jason "J" Maxwell | 32 | Food Court Chef | Clifton Park, New York | Ejected during seventh service |
| Coi Burruss | 22 | Cafe Chef | Austin, Texas | Eliminated after sixth service |
| Colleen Cleek | 41 | Culinary Instructor | Papillion, Nebraska | Eliminated after fifth service |
| Seth Levine | 27 | Private Party Chef | New York, New York | Eliminated after fourth service |
| Charlie McKay | 25 | Prep Chef | Las Vegas, Nevada | Eliminated after third service |
| Ji-Hyun Cha | 33 | Private Caterer | Palisades Park, New Jersey | Quit after second service |
| Sarah Kaye Phoenix | 27 | Quality Control Chef | Elgin, Illinois | Eliminated after first service |