Cork Chef Ryan O'Sullivan has won season 22 of Hell's Kitchen, a show that sees the famously angry Gordon Ramsey put aspiring young chefs through rigorous tests in his Las Vegas kitchen.
The theme of season 22 was 'the American dream', celebrating stories of resilience and those overcoming adversity.
One such story included that of Cork chef Ryan O'Sullivan, who beat out his 17 competitors in order to win the ultimate prize of head chef at Hell's Kitchen Caesars in Las Vegas and a $250,000 cash prize.
Hes got eyes everywhere #hellskitchen @GordonRamsayhttps://t.co/IjTcUif3st
— Ryan O'Sullivan (@Chef_Sull) October 23, 2023
As the son of a chef, O'Sullivan previously told Jennifer Zamparelli that he was always hanging around the kitchen growing up, and was encouraged by his parents to move abroad to become classically trained.
Graduating from Munster Technological University, he started out in the Maryborough and River Lee hotels in Cork before moving to Florida for a dream job offer that covered his flights and visa.
While working at the Country Club at Mirasol he met his wife, Jennifer, and was later talent spotted by the Hell's Kitchen producers, thanks to his food-obsessed Instagram account.
"I thought it was a bit sketchy, just some random lad DMing me saying I should be on Hell's Kitchen," he laughed, speaking on 2FM in 2023. Low and behold, a few interviews later, and the deal was done.
Speaking on host Gordon Ramsey, O'Sullivan says he was a "big fan" of the chef growing up, and would often be found watching chefs like Ramsey and Jamie Oliver while his friends were watching cartoons.
"Getting to meet the man was, again, a pinch-me moment. It was a fantastic, fantastic experience."
"It was definitely the strangest and most rewarding thing I've ever done in my entire life," he continued. "Just to be there alone and work with him and see how he works, and see how professional he is, how he carries himself and what he does is absolutely outstanding."
Watch in real-time how one chef's life changes forever! 🤩
— Hell's Kitchen (@HellsKitchenFOX) January 26, 2024
The entirety of #HellsKitchen Season 22 is now available on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/uJcz7kPESW
The show was filmed back in February 2021 so Ryan and his family had to stay quiet about the entire process for a long stretch.
"It's very hard to vanish off the earth for seven weeks and not have an excuse for it," he laughs.
The series finally went to air at the end of 2023, and saw 18 hopefuls whittled down to three finalists: Ryan O'Sullivan, Sammi Tarantino, and Johnathan Benvenuti.
Now, it has finally been revealed that Ryan was crowned as the winner of season 22 of Hell's Kitchen.
The Cork man posted snaps of his winning moments to Instagram with the caption: "It was all a dream... the American dream".
