Miles Anderson went home on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 8, cut after a cook-for-your-life round in which Ramsay faulted him for slicing his steak with the grain instead of against it. The episode, titled "Thumb-thing's Cooking," built to that cook-off through a prison-themed "Cell's Kitchen" challenge that the Red Team won and a thumb injury that sent Kylie Budich to the medic mid-challenge. Here is the full recap of the November 12, 2026 episode: the challenge, the injury, the cook-off, 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 7's recap, where Haley Moss was sent home after the Red Team's fish station fell apart at the black-tie gala.
Who Went Home on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 8?
Miles Anderson was eliminated, finishing 12th and becoming the seventh chef out this season. Per Gold Derby's episode 8 recap, the six chefs whose dishes Ramsay did not pick during the challenge had to cook for their lives: Mya Gonsalves, Kylie Budich, Sandra Leclerc, Gabe Cerease, Miles Anderson and Miguel Soliz. Miles was the first of the six to draw a negative word from Ramsay, who told him he had cut his steak with the grain rather than across it, the cut that decides whether a slice chews tender or stringy. Bing Chef's recap has Ramsay saying it pained him to do it as he sent Miles home.
The Hell's Kitchen wiki records the same result, listing Miles in 12th place and "Thumb-thing's Cooking" as his elimination episode, with Ramsay's line that a chef who could not cut his steak properly was miles away from being his next head chef. It was a sharp turn for Miles, whose marinated ribeye had won the meat course on the gala menu only a week earlier.
The Challenge: Cell's Kitchen
The Red Team won the "Cell's Kitchen" challenge, its second challenge victory of the season. The chefs solved emoji puzzles to win ingredients, then decided where each one landed, on their own protein or on an opponent's, which turned the round into a game of sabotage as much as cooking. Ramsay tasted the field and picked the dishes he wanted; the chefs whose plates he passed over were the ones who ended up cooking for their lives later. Per Bing Chef, the Red Team's reward was a private tour of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, a round of archery, and a kitchen-equipment shopping spree from OXO, whose Good Grips mandoline is the kind of tool that spree stocks.
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The challenge also produced the injury the episode is named for. Kylie Budich cut her thumb while peeling celery root, a knobby root vegetable with a tough, uneven skin that makes it one of the more awkward things in a kitchen to trim. She was treated by the medic and came back to finish the challenge.
The Cook-For-Your-Life Round
There was no dinner service this week. The episode went straight from the challenge to a cook-off, with the six passed-over chefs given 45 minutes to build a fusion dish. Gabe Cerease's red snapper went first and set the bar, and Ramsay called it delicious, well cooked and well seasoned, which put Gabe safe immediately. Sandra Leclerc worked curry powder into a pasta, and Kylie Budich turned out a Mexican-Moroccan pork tenderloin.
Miguel Soliz's skirt steak impressed Ramsay too, though not as much as Gabe's snapper, and Miguel sat in jeopardy until the end before his fusion plate kept him in the competition. Mya Gonsalves was judged above Miguel and went back to the dorms. That left Miles, whose steak had been cut the wrong way, and Ramsay sent him home.
Where the Teams Stand
11 chefs remain after Episode 8, out of the original 18-chef all-under-25 cast. Miles was a Blue Team chef, so his exit leaves the Blue Team at five against the Red Team's six, undoing the balance Ramsay created last week when he moved Mike Catuosco across to even the rosters.
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| Team | Chefs remaining after Episode 8 |
|---|---|
| Blue Team (Men) | Dylan Duffy, Gabriel "Gabe" Cerease, Jonathan "Jonny G" Gudino, Miguel Soliz, Valentín Royo |
| Red Team | Georgiana Pahon, Kylie Budich, Michael "Mike" Catuosco, Mya Gonsalves, Nadia Philips, Sandra Leclerc |
| Eliminated | Serenity "Reni" Lee (Episode 2), Diego Sanchez (Episode 3), Jeyda Brooks (Episode 4), Aiden Ricklef (Episode 5), Joy Shi (Episode 6), Haley Moss (Episode 7), Miles Anderson (Episode 8) |
This Week's Standout Dish: Pan-Fried Red Snapper
Gabe Cerease's red snapper was the dish of the night, the first plate Ramsay tasted in the cook-off and the one that bought its cook safety outright. Snapper rewards a cook who keeps it simple: a dry fillet, a hot pan, skin side down and left alone until the skin releases on its own, then a short finish on the flesh side. Crowding the pan or moving the fish early is what turns crisp skin into a stuck, torn mess. Want to cook it? Our pan-fried red snapper recipe is a great home version.
Cook the Episode 8 Dishes at Home
Miguel Soliz's skirt steak is the other dish worth stealing from this episode, and Gordon Ramsay's skirt steak is the version to make at home, with the slicing done across the grain that cost Miles his place. For more on which cuts stay tender and why the direction of the cut matters so much, see our guide to the most tender steaks. Kylie Budich's Mexican-Moroccan pork tenderloin has no exact match on the site yet, so treat it as a companion-recipe candidate; Gordon Ramsay's pork chops are the closest thing we have for now. For more, see the best Hell's Kitchen recipes.
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What to Expect Next Week
Episode 9, "Revolutionary Revenge," airs Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 8/7c on FOX, streaming on Hulu the next day, per TV Docket's schedule. With the Blue Team down to five against six, expect the roster gap to be the story again, one week after Ramsay evened it out.
Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 8 FAQs
The questions that come up most: who went home, what happened, who won the challenge, who got hurt, and when the next episode airs.
Who went home on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 8?
Miles Anderson was eliminated. He was one of six chefs sent to a cook-for-your-life round after Ramsay passed over their challenge dishes, and Ramsay cut him for slicing his steak with the grain instead of against it. He finished 12th.
What happened on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 8?
The chefs played the prison-themed "Cell's Kitchen" challenge, solving emoji puzzles to win ingredients they could assign to their own protein or an opponent's, and the Red Team won. Kylie Budich cut her thumb on celery root and needed the medic before returning. There was no dinner service: the six chefs whose dishes Ramsay did not pick cooked a fusion dish for their lives, and Miles Anderson was sent home.
Who won the challenge on Episode 8?
The Red Team, for its second challenge win of the season. The reward was a private tour of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, a round of archery, and a kitchen-equipment shopping spree from OXO.
Who got injured on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Episode 8?
Kylie Budich cut her thumb while peeling celery root during the challenge, which is where the episode title "Thumb-thing's Cooking" comes from. She was treated by the medic and returned to finish, and she survived the cook-for-your-life round that followed.
Who is still on Hell's Kitchen Season 25 after Episode 8?
11 chefs remain. The Blue Team has five: Dylan Duffy, Gabriel "Gabe" Cerease, Jonathan "Jonny G" Gudino, Miguel Soliz, and Valentín Royo. The Red Team has six: Georgiana Pahon, Kylie Budich, Michael "Mike" Catuosco, Mya Gonsalves, Nadia Philips, and Sandra Leclerc.
When is the next episode of Hell's Kitchen Season 25?
Episode 9, "Revolutionary Revenge," airs Thursday, November 19, 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.