Hell's Kitchen (season 5)

Season 5 of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen began airing on the Fox Network starting on January 29, 2009. The season concluded on May 14, 2009.

The winner of this season was TBA.

This season was preceded by Season 4 and followed by Season 6.

Format
The first half of each episode consists of a team challenge, in which the winning side gets a reward of some sort of leisure activity, while the losing side has to clean up and prepare both kitchens, as well as some activity that is not so pleasant. Afterwards, the teams compete in executing a dinner service, during which Ramsay can impose additional punishments or kick chefs out of the kitchen. The losing team(s) nominates chefs to be considered for elimination. Ramsay can also nominate chefs, and ultimately sends a chef home. At six chefs left, the teams merge to one, and the chefs compete as individuals.

Staff
Gordon Ramsay returned as the head chef, sous chefs Scott Leibfried of blue team and Gloria Félix of the red team, and Maître d' Jean-Philippe Susilovic as well.

Opening sequence
The chefs are shown alongside an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine as it plays out in the kitchen.

Contestants
16 chefs competed in Season 5, and were initially separated by gender. The chefs were:

Contestant progress
Each week, the best member from the losing team during the latest service period ("least bad" as determined by Ramsay) is asked to nominate two of their teammates for elimination; one of these two is sent home by Gordon Ramsay.