Hell’s Kitchen: Make Up Makes Up Chef’s Mind

Chef Gordon Ramsay, elimination, Hell's Kitchen

Chef Ramsay said I cared more about my appearance than I did about cooking.

I’ve been cooking for 12 or 13 years, so I feel like I can cook, but on the show, it doesn’t look like anybody can cook.

The Red Team's Sharon Stewart

Date Posted: 04/09/08

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On last night's episode of Hell's Kitchen the women of the Red Team came up short. Chef Ramsay named Corey as the "best of the worst" and asked her to nominate two teammates for elimination. Although Corey offered Christina and Jen for sacrifice, Chef Ramsay said there was a different chef that he didn’t believe in. Sharon was sent packing. On her way out he said she cared more about her make up than cooking. Orato.com caught up with Sharon, nicknamed "Barbie" by the naysayers, and asked her how she was feeling the morning after her elimination.

I still feel depressed about my elimination. I was shocked because I wasn’t one of the people nominated to leave. I didn’t feel it was fair.

Like I said before, I was never taken seriously, and I really feel it was because of the way I looked; I felt like I was singled out because I wear make up. I was constantly getting, “Sharon, why don’t you go fix your make up?”

Chef Ramsay said I cared more about my appearance than I did about cooking, and that was so untrue. I think all the women on our team wore make up, but I guess mine was more dramatic.

I don’t know if it was a matter of sexism. Jason made some comments about us women having a Tupperware party, but I never actually heard him saying anything in front of us. Women can absolutely cook as well as men, but I definitely think that goes on where people think women are not as good at cooking as the men.

Chasing The Chef’s Ultimate Prize

I imagine the people that are watching it from the outside look at the show and think, ‘How the hell do they find these people?’ but until you’re there, you just don’t know.

I’ve been cooking for 12 or 13 years, so I feel like I can cook, but on the show, it doesn’t look like anybody can cook. I think the challenges, like prepping halibut, are fair, but you don’t really get a chance to see all our skills.

The garbage picking part of the episode was disgusting. I’d watched what other people go through on Hell’s Kitchen, but I wanted to see if I could do it. You get your own restaurant, you get a nice salary.