| Hell's Kitchen | |
|---|---|
| Season 9 | |
_season_9&sq=&lang=&file=File:Hells_kitchen_season_9_dvd_raw_uncensored.png) Region 1 DVD cover | |
| Hosted by | Gordon Ramsay |
| No. of contestants | 18 |
| Winner | Paul Niedermann |
| Runner-up | William "Will" Lustberg |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | July 18 – September 19, 2011 |
| Season chronology | |
Season 9 of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen premiered on July 18, 2011, on Fox[1] and concluded on September 19, 2011, with a two-hour season finale. Gordon Ramsay returned as host and head chef, while Scott Leibfried and Andi Van Willigan returned as the Blue Team and Red Team's sous-chefs respectively. James Lukanik returned as maître d'.
The season was won by jr. sous-chef Paul Niedermann, with fellow sous-chef William "Will" Lustberg finishing second.
The entire season took about six weeks to film, and was filmed between January and February 2011.[2] It also saw the show return to its original one season per year schedule, having run two seasons each in 2009 and 2010 due to the after-effects of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.
Third-place finisher Elise Wims tied Season seven fourth-place finisher Autumn Lewis and Season eight sixth-place finisher Sabrina Brimhall for the record of most nominations in a single season, with seven.
- ^ "Chef Gordon Ramsay Grills Choicest Cut of New Culinary Competitors on 'Hell's Kitchen'". Fox Broadcasting Company press release via TheFutonCritic.com. July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- ^ "Merlene Davis: Harrodsburg chef takes on 'Hell's Kitchen'". Herald-Leader. Retrieved July 24, 2011.