An interview with Carol:
Exclusive Interview: Carol Scott of 'Hell's Kitchen'Last night, after the remaining seven competitors' ninth dinner service in Hell's Kitchen, Chef Gordon Ramsay declared the Red team the winners in an overall disastrous evening. After a particularly traumatic service thanks to a batch of dauphinoise potatoes that just wouldn't cook, chef Carol Scott thanked her lucky stars that her team won the day, and that she'd survived another night in Hell's Kitchen.
Unfortunately for Carol, winning isn't everything in Hell's Kitchen. After asking Blue team champ Danny to pick a nominee for elimination, and interrogating Robert and Ben about their own weaknesses, Ramsay ultimately decided that Carol's potato blunder would be her last, and he sent her packing.
We had a chance to talk to Carol today about her feud with team member Andrea, her highs and lows with Chef Ramsay, plus what she would do differently if given another shot in Hell's Kitchen.
What’s your background in cooking, and how did you decide to go on Hell’s Kitchen?
I began culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas, and my first paying job was working for Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill in Caesar’s Palace. I came to Knoxville for a good opportunity to raise my kids, and I was the executive chef at a steakhouse right around the time that Season 3 of Hell’s Kitchen was wrapping up. The restaurant I was working at closed down, and it was time for something new and exciting, and I wanted the opportunity to work with Gordon Ramsay, and this was the opportunity that I took.
How was it watching the show with your kids?
We had viewing parties every week with tons and tons of people. It was great. And my kids enjoyed watching the show. They loved it. They had watched another season of Hell’s Kitchen with me, so they knew what to expect.
Was it hard for them to see you getting yelled at?
No, they probably laughed at it a few times. I laughed at it a few times.
In your overall experience, what do you think was the most difficult thing about being there?
The most difficult thing about being there was being away from my husband and my daughters, by far.
So let’s go back to the episode last night. Can you tell me a little bit more about the problems that you had with Andrea?
Andrea and I, we just had our issues, which is very weird because I think we have very similar personality traits, and I think that kind of shows on TV. That’s why we didn’t work so well together. But in the end, we mended things, and we’re great friends now. It was definitely amplified on TV because you’re only seeing the most dramatic moments of the whole time. There were several times throughout the whole season where we were just laughing, cutting up, and having a good time together.
Do you keep in contact with a lot of the chefs that you met there?
I do! I talk to everybody… except Lacey.
So what exactly went wrong last night with the potatoes?
You know, I’m still not sure. I boiled those suckers in heavy cream for an hour. They should have disintegrated. So I still can’t put my finger on that one. I’ve made them dozens and dozens of times since my departure, just to make sure, you know, “What the heck did I do?” It’s a staple now. I make sure I make dauphinoise potatoes pretty much everywhere I go.
Did you have a favorite challenge that you did while you were there?
The scallop challenge was great, because I’d never shucked a scallop before, and I thought I did a pretty good job on that one. That was coo. Just getting to use fresh endive sea scallops was fantastic. And the taste test challenge, I was looking forward to that. It was a lot of fun.
So who are you rooting for, now that you’re not on the show anymore?
You know what, I think they’re all great. Paula was, by far, the strongest one of all of us from day one. She never, ever screwed up. That’s why you’re not seeing her on TV, because she’s not screwing up. Giovanni is great. We’re both Italian, so we bonded together that way. He kind of became like my big brother by the end. Ben was fantastic. We got along so well. And Robert is probably the funniest guy you will ever meet in your entire life.
That comes across!
He is so funny.
So you don’t have a horse, so to speak, to take it all the way?
That would definitely be Paula. She’s the strongest out of all of them.
Now that you’ve had some time to reflect, do you think there’s anything you would do differently, if you were to do it again?
I would shut my mouth more, work more, and keep my head down.
It looks like a really stressful environment, so…
It is. And I’ve never been one to stick my tail between my legs and keep quiet. I’ve always been pretty verbal. But—another one of those life lessons. I think twice before I say something now.
So what’s in the future for you now?
I just started my new job as executive chef at Bravo Italian Cucina, and it’s a great company, and I plan to work for them for a very long time. And I’m doing some really cool events. I’m doing a charity event for a children’s hospital here in Knoxville. They’re doing their own version of Dancing with the Stars, and somewhere somebody decided that I was a celebrity, so they asked me to participate. It’s really cool. I get some dance lessons. It’s going to be great, I’m really excited about that.
Any last words for your fans out there?
If anybody ever goes on a reality show, don’t read the blogs! I’m not really a bitch, I just play one on TV!
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