Two-Hour Season Premiere Airs Tuesday, July 21 on FOX

 Winner Receives a Head Chef Position at Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

Tuesday nights will sizzle this summer when Chef Gordon Ramsay welcomes the nation’s most talented and trained chefs yet to a sixth course of his unscripted series HELL’S KITCHEN. The cutthroat competition begins with a two-hour season premiere Tuesday, July 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX and makes its time period premiere the following week Tuesday, July 28 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

Each week Ramsay grills the ambitious hopefuls, putting them through rigorous culinary challenges and testing them to see who can handle the pressure of a fast-paced kitchen where only the skilled survive. In each episode, Ramsay will eliminate one chef while the rest remain to fillet their way toward the grand prize of a Head Chef position at Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1981, Araxi continues to raise the culinary bar in Whistler. The winning contestant will have the added privilege of joining executive chef James Walt in welcoming the world during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

On the two-hour season premiere, Chef Ramsay wastes no time and sends the 16 chefs to the kitchen to create their signature dishes. Unlike past seasons, the signature dish challenge becomes a team challenge, pitting the men against the women. After the signature dishes of each team are presented to Gordon, one team will receive a coveted special prize, while the others will experience the agony of losing in Gordon’s kitchen. Don’t miss when an aspiring chef goes head-to-head with Chef Ramsay for the first time ever in the most explosive, most outrageous and most intense elimination round ever seen on HELL’S KITCHEN.

The 16 HELL’S KITCHEN chefs are:

The Red Team:

Name: Amanda

Age: 27         

Occupation: Sous Chef

Currently Resides: New York, NY

Hometown: Vancouver, WA

Name: Ariel

Age: 27

Occupation: Sous Chef

Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA    

Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA

Name: Lovely

Age: 23

Occupation: Children’s Camp Executive Chef

Currently Resides: Chicago, IL

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Name: Melinda

Age: 38

Occupation: Private Chef

Currently Resides: Philadelphia, PA

Hometown: Chadd Fords, PA

Name: Sabrina

Age: 34

Occupation: Restaurant Manager

Currently Resides: Phoenix, AZ

Hometown: New Caney, TX

Name: Suzanne

Age: 24

Occupation: Sous Chef

Currently Resides: Las Vegas, NV

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Name: Tek

Age: 27

Occupation: Line Cook

Currently Resides: New York, NY

Hometown: Greenwich, CT

Name: Tennille

Age: 28

Occupation: Executive Chef

Currently Resides: Fairfax, VA

Hometown: Hampton Roads, VA

The Blue Team:

Name: Andy

Age: 39

Occupation: Executive Chef

Currently Resides: Boston, MA

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Name: Dave

Age: 32

Occupation: Executive Chef

Currently Resides: San Diego, CA

Hometown: Chester, NJ

Name: Jim

Age: 34

Occupation: Sous Chef

Currently Resides: Nashua, NH

Hometown: Mendham, NJ

Name: Joseph

Age: 27

Occupation: Sous Chef

Currently Resides: Massapequa Park, NY

Hometown: Massapequa Park, NY

Name: Kevin

Age: 35

Occupation: Executive Chef

Currently Resides: Middleton, CT

Hometown: Plymouth, MA

Name: Louie

Age: 45

Occupation: Diner Owner

Currently Resides: Fitchburg, MA

Hometown: Fitchburg, MA

Name: Tony

Age: 30

Occupation: Culinary Store Manager

Currently Resides: Chicago, IL

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Name: Van

Age: 26

Occupation: Fish Cook

Currently Resides: Dallas, TX

Hometown: Buford, GA

HELL’S KITCHEN is produced by ITV Studios (formerly Granada America) in association with A. Smith & Co. Arthur Smith and Kent Weed serve as executive producers.

Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia is firmly established as one of Canada’s finest restaurants. Located at the base of the spectacular Whistler and Blackcomb peaks and between the bountiful Pacific Ocean and the fertile Pemberton Valley, Araxi Restaurant’s combination of breathtaking natural setting and local ingredients is unsurpassed. Since opening in 1981, Araxi has changed the face of dining at the mountain, supporting Whistler’s long-standing reputation as North America’s top ski resort.