There are many moments on the show where contestants perform in a way that fans cannot easily forgive nor forget.
Season 3:
- Tiffany was an okay chef. However, she'll be forever remembered for her utter dislike of fan-favorite Julia, for being one of "Hell's Bitches," and for how she complained that Julia "works in a fuckin' Waffle House."
- Jen was the most consistent female chef of this season, but she'll forever be remembered as the chef who tried to serve pasta from the bin after running out.
- Josh has the dubious distinction of being the first chef eliminated from Hell's Kitchen mid-service, and for cooking spaghetti when it wasn't even on order in that same service.
- In general, the Red Team will always be remembered for being "Hell's Bitches" and bullying Julia, when the main instigators were Tiffany, Joanna and Melissa, while Bonnie and Jen were mostly aloof at first with her. Add to that, they quickly formed a Power Trio that was consistently able to hold their own that many seem to have forgotten.
Season 4:
- Most of the time, Rosann wasn't too bad (personality-wise). But she'll forever be remembered for joining Corey and Jen in constantly trying to throw Christina under the bus, and actually managing to throw Shayna under it.
- Christina indirectly burning Chef Ramsay, not just once, but twice, when she gave him a hot pan without warning him before he grabbed it.
Season 5:
- Colleen is mainly remembered for her lack of cooking skills despite being a cooking teacher, and her Genre Blind behavior during her run on the show - which included talking back to Ramsay during the Signature Dish challenge.
- Ben telling Danny "You couldn't cook my cock!"
- Giovanni's last service.
Season 6:
- Joseph and his unprovoked confrontation with Chef Ramsay, during which he threatened the man to his face and was immediately pushed out for it. Also, four words: "I ain't no bitch!"
- Louie wasting a massive amount of lamb and being the first (and only) chef to be eliminated in the middle of opening night.
Season 7:
- Benjamin is primarily remembered for saying "oui chef" over and over, telling Nilka that cooking rice is for poor people, and telling Siobhan to her face that he was right in sitting her out of the sandwich challenge despite that they would've won if they included her over Fran.
- Nilka's final service and mid-service elimination.
Season 8:
- Antonia's "Mardi Gras Gumbo" is all people will bring up whenever talking about her.
- Russell will be known as the only runner-up to not take his loss with grace and even threatening his brigade with blacklisting them. It became an In-Universe example when he came back in Season 10 for the Runner-Up service, as the show presented more of his negative clips than the other runner-ups after him.
Season 9:
- Krupa single-handedly sinking Will's kitchen during the final service has pretty much reflected terribly on how fans remember her, as Will had been the favorite to win up until then.
Season 10:
- Kimmie would like to remind you that "she's from the South".
- Doubly so since she was eliminated on a Southern themed service.
- Tiffany, Kimmie, and Robyn will all be remembered for their excessive hatred of Barbie over anything else they did in the competition.
- Tavon bragging about being an executive chef at 22 only to be eliminated for ruining all the scallops and being the first one eliminated.
Season 11:
- Season 11's Blue Team will always be known for being one of the worst batches of chefs the show ever produced. With the exception of Jon and Anthony, this team of male chefs was so bad that they only managed to win a single cooking Challenge before Ramsay started sending women over to the Blue Team.
- If Sebastian is ever brought up, odds are it's because of him being The Nicknamer during service ("Zacky Wacky"), which led to him being kicked out of service and eliminated later on.
- Did you know that Danielle has never worked in a brigade before? Well, don't worry, as she'll make sure you remember by constantly saying it.
Season 12:
- Joy's Rage Quit in the final five dinner service over sending a halibut to the pass when Jason was not ready on garnish was a big shocker to many people who watched it, and some of her detractors will not forgive the fact she quit over a simple mistake when the competition was nearly ending, especially as a lot of people felt she could have otherwise been the winner.
Season 13:
- Bryant, despite being a finalist, is mainly remembered for his Pretty Fly for a White Guy outbursts.
- Sade is remembered for being a good chef. But there are some people who will not forget the time she made dog food for a tasting challenge due to a miscommunication.
Season 14:
- Meghan proved herself to be a great chef. However, her Sore Loser moment after the Blue Team won their first Challenge (second, actually, if you count the Signature Dish Challenge) against her team was pretty painful to watch. The reason it sticks out is that the Red Team started out winning multiple cooking Challenges in a row, which she got to have fun on vacation rewards multiple times. Yet after the Blue Team finally wins one, Meghan had the audacity to spend her first actual punishment whining and complaining the whole time as if she was sick and tired of losing, which clearly hasn't been the case. In the end, it really ends up coming off like an Out-of-Character Moment considering that there were barely any other times that she acted like this. It also softens the blow that she's hit quite hard with Laser-Guided Karma afterwards by losing the following eight Challenges. Thus, turning her into more of a Jerkass Woobie.
Season 15:
- Frank's sexist comments about female marines in his elimination statement (which actually got him fired).
- There's also Frank's often-quoted and memeworthy statement after losing a point in a challenge: "She only won because I lost. That's not a winner."
Season 16:
- Season 16's Blue Team will always be remembered as the most toxic and incompetent group of men the show's ever put together, with only Devin, Aaron and maybe Koop being considered both likable and good chefs.
- Koop overall had his moments, but he'll always be known as the guy who treats servers horribly due to his "bitch servers" comment regarding them being the ones to clean up the broken ostrich eggs.
Season 17 (All Stars):
- Jared's return in All Stars after placing 4th in Season 15 reduced him to either the guy who talks about kissing his sister a lot or the guy who lied about a cut and got eliminated. His long run in Season 15 where he was arguably the most focused of the male to this is because in Season 17 (All Stars) he began to say things such as "You know how I feel about ties, it's like kissing your sister. You don't win, you don't lose, it's just fucking awkward." The All Stars tied a lot in challenges, and so he would keep saying it. The lying about a cut to get out of service reduced what was once a strong competitor in his original season to a pathetic quitter. Even Season 15's Youtube comments mention his future run in Season 17 (All Stars).
- Michelle's run in this season had many moments the fans have trouble letting her live down, but the most egregious is when she incorrectly said that Manda's pasta was cooked. Twice.
Season 18 (Rookies vs. Veterans):
- Scott is primarily remembered for not knowing what serving tableside meant, despite having his own restaurant.
- Jen in this season for accusing Ramsey of sabotaging her garnishes. Also, "You're trying to clown me up here, chef!"
Season 19 (Las Vegas):
- Amber is either remembered for her constant complaining about the Blue Team, for having it out for Nikki because of her lack of experience or for giving Kori a hard time when she didn't pick her for her team. The last bit might explain why Kori didn’t pick Amber.
Season 20 (Young Guns):
- Trenton from Season 20 (Young Guns) having a mind blank moment when he gets confused by Ramsay trying to tell him the protein he's tasting is actually tuna by spelling out the letters.
