Aiden Ricklef went home on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 5, eliminated after he fell behind on the Blue Team's garnish station and would not take help when he needed it. The episode, titled "The Meat of the Matter," opened with a blind protein relay that the men won with time to spare, and for the first time this season both teams finished their dinner service. Here is the full recap of the October 22, 2026 episode: the challenge, the service, the nominations, the standout dish, and where the two teams stand now.
New here? The Hell's Kitchen Season 25 guide has the premiere date, the all-under-25 cast, and the Foxwoods prize. Catch up on Episode 4's recap, where Jeyda Brooks was sent home after the Red Team's scallop meltdown.
Who Went Home on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 5?
Aiden Ricklef was eliminated, the second Blue Team chef sent home this season and the fourth chef out overall. Per Gold Derby's episode 5 recap, Ramsay told him his garnish mistakes were too great and that he never asked for help. The Hell's Kitchen Wiki lists the pop-up chef from Fullerton, California in 15th place and quotes Ramsay's verdict: "Aiden thought he could do it all alone, but by rejecting help, he only helped himself out the door." It is a sharp fall for the chef who earned a perfect five in the premiere's signature dish challenge.
The Blue Team's vote was close to unanimous: Aiden and Jonathan "Jonny G" Gudino, who had worked the meat station on his own most of the night. At the nominations Aiden pinned his service on Gabe Cerease's ego, which did not move Ramsay, and Jonny survived. In his exit interview Aiden said, "I regret not fighting for myself in the kitchen."
The Challenge: A Blind Protein Relay
The Blue Team won the protein relay. Ramsay laid out proteins from guinea fowl to elk and quail, and in pairs the chefs had to taste the meat in four bowls and name what it was, racing the clock. The Red Team, with seven chefs to the men's eight, sent Nadia Philips up twice. The women stopped the clock at 10 minutes 23 seconds per Gold Derby, and the wiki's scoring table has the men home in 4 minutes 5 seconds.
| Pair | Team | Proteins | How it went |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nadia Philips and Sandra Leclerc | Red | Squid and squab | Squid right away, several tries on the squab; almost five minutes |
| Kylie Budich and Haley Moss | Red | Elk and swordfish | Elk at once; Kylie got the swordfish from its texture |
| Georgiana Pahon and Mya Gonsalves | Red | Flounder and quail | Fish quickly, a few tries on the quail |
| Nadia Philips and Joy Shi | Red | Snapper and turkey | Turkey on the second try, then the snapper |
| Aiden Ricklef and Dylan Duffy | Blue | Elk and swordfish | Both in about a minute |
| Miguel Soliz and Miles Anderson | Blue | Not named in coverage | Stuck on the first bowl, done in about three minutes |
| Gabe Cerease and Mike Catuosco | Blue | Flounder and quail | Under three minutes |
| Valentín Royo and Jonny G | Blue | Not named in coverage | Closed it out well ahead of the women's time |
The men's reward was lunch at Momosan by Morimoto at Foxwoods, a round of bubble soccer, and a gift from Ramsay back at the dorms. The women's punishment was breaking down hundreds of pounds of pork and prepping racks of lamb for that night's service.
Dinner Service: Both Teams Finish
The Red Team won the service, and nobody was thrown out of the kitchen. The VIP chef's tables seated Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys and Margaret Josephs of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Mya Gonsalves, Dylan Duffy and Miles Anderson cooked pasta tableside.
On the blue side, Gabe Cerease and Miguel Soliz ran appetizers while Aiden sent up overcooked eggs, re-fired them, then fell well behind on the entrée garnishes. Mike Catuosco coached him through it; Gabe tried to take the pan out of his hands. Jonny G carried the meat station alone until Miguel stepped in. On the red side, Haley Moss's flatbreads were slow but well cooked, and Sandra Leclerc sent Ramsay raw lamb. Both teams recovered and finished. Ramsay's closing message, per Gold Derby: "No doubt tonight was our best service, but now that we've all set the bar, we are not going back."
Where the Teams Stand
14 chefs remain after Episode 5, out of the original 18-chef all-under-25 cast. For the first time this season the teams are level, seven against seven.
| Team | Chefs remaining after Episode 5 |
|---|---|
| Blue Team (Men) | Dylan Duffy, Gabriel "Gabe" Cerease, Jonathan "Jonny G" Gudino, Michael "Mike" Catuosco, Miguel Soliz, Miles Anderson, Valentín Royo |
| Red Team (Women) | Georgiana Pahon, Haley Moss, Joy Shi, Kylie Budich, Mya Gonsalves, Nadia Philips, Sandra Leclerc |
| Eliminated | Serenity "Reni" Lee (Episode 2), Diego Sanchez (Episode 3), Jeyda Brooks (Episode 4), Aiden Ricklef (Episode 5) |
The tension is not only in the kitchen. Gold Derby reports the women split into two camps after Kylie Budich told Ramsay that Mya had volunteered for the Episode 4 block, and on the men's side Mike called Gabe a "bully" during deliberation.
This Week's Standout Dish: Rack of Lamb
Lamb ran through the whole episode: the women spent their punishment prepping lamb racks, and Sandra Leclerc's raw lamb was the Red Team's biggest miss of the night. A rack is unforgiving because the eye of meat is small and lean. Its proteins firm up between about 122°F and 140°F, so a few minutes too long takes it from rosy to gray. Sear the fat cap hard first: browning only starts once the surface passes about 284°F, and a wet surface stalls at 212°F. Then finish it in the oven and pull it around 130°F to 135°F for medium-rare, since it climbs a few more degrees while it rests. The USDA's safe minimum for whole cuts of lamb is 145°F with a 3-minute rest. For a version to make at home, our herb-crusted rack of lamb walks the crust and the temperatures, how to buy lamb covers choosing a rack, and the Gordon Ramsay lamb sauce is the jus to spoon over it.
Cook the Episode 5 Dishes at Home
Several of this week's moments have a home version on the site. The eggs that started Aiden's slide are worth getting right with our Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs, and the tableside pasta has a from-scratch start in Gordon Ramsay's fresh pasta. From the protein relay, the snapper pairs with our pan-seared red snapper, the turkey with the Gordon Ramsay herb-butter turkey, and the pork the women broke down with Gordon Ramsay pork chops. For more, see the best Hell's Kitchen recipes.
What to Expect Next Week
Episode 6, "A Slice Above the Rest," airs Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 8/7c on FOX (streaming on Hulu the next day), per the series episode list. The preview shows the chefs digging through pizza boxes and tensions boiling over, with one chef going too far. If the title means a pizza challenge, our Detroit-style pizza is a good warm-up.
Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 5 FAQs
The questions that come up most: who went home, what happened, who won the challenge, who is still in the competition, and when the next episode airs.
Who went home on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 5?
Aiden Ricklef was eliminated after the Blue Team lost dinner service. He was nominated with Jonny G, and Ramsay sent him home for his garnish mistakes and for not asking for help.
What happened on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 5?
The chefs ran a blind protein relay, tasting and naming meats and fish in pairs, and the Blue Team won. That night both teams finished service for the first time this season; the Red Team won, the Blue Team nominated Aiden Ricklef and Jonny G, and Aiden went home.
Who won the protein challenge on Episode 5?
The Blue Team, in about 4 minutes against the Red Team's 10 minutes 23 seconds. The men won lunch at Momosan by Morimoto, bubble soccer and a gift from Ramsay; the women broke down pork and prepped lamb racks for service.
Who is still on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 after Episode 5?
The Blue Team has seven: Dylan Duffy, Gabriel "Gabe" Cerease, Jonathan "Jonny G" Gudino, Michael "Mike" Catuosco, Miguel Soliz, Miles Anderson, and Valentín Royo. The Red Team has seven: Georgiana Pahon, Haley Moss, Joy Shi, Kylie Budich, Mya Gonsalves, Nadia Philips, and Sandra Leclerc.
When is the next episode of Hell's Kitchen Season 25?
Episode 6, "A Slice Above the Rest," airs Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 8/7c on FOX, streaming on Hulu the following day.
About the Author
John Siracusa is the founder of Hell’s Kitchen Recipes. He focuses on technique-first, reproducible home cooking and researches recipes & kitchen equipment from published food science and professional chef methods since 2016.