Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 9) Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 9) Season 9 of the American competitive reality television series "Hell's Kitchen" premiered on July 18, 2011, on Fox and concluded on September 19, 2011, with a two-hour season finale. Jr. sous-chef Paul Niedermann won the season and was awarded a "head chef" position at BLT Steak in New York City, New York. Gordon Ramsay returned as head chef, as Scott Leibfried and Andi van Willigan remained as sous chefs, as did James Lukanik as the maître d'. The entire season took about six weeks to film. It also saw the show return to its original
Top Chef (season 9) Top Chef (season 9) Top Chef: Texas is the ninth season of the American reality television series "Top Chef". The season was filmed in various cities in Texas, including San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin, before moving on to British Columbia for the finale. The season premiered on November 2, 2011. This season of "Top Chef" featured a much larger number of contestants than any previous season, with 29 chefs. "Top Chef: Texas" also introduced a new competition to the series; in addition to the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges featured in televised episodes, the "Last Chance Kitchen" competition allowed eliminated contestants