‘Hell’s Kitchen’ season 22 winner Ryan O’Sullivan: ‘I still don’t believe it’s real’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“I still don’t believe it’s real,” says Ryan O’Sullivan, the winner of “Hell’s Kitchen” season 22. In Thursday night’s finale, the Cork, Ireland native won a head chef position at Gordon Ramsay‘s Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas and a $250,000 cash prize by defeating his best friend, Johnathan Benvenuti, in the final dinner service. “The emotions came pouring out. It was bittersweet because not many people would say they enjoyed their time in ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ but if I could go back in the morning and do it again I would. It was phenomenal.” Watch his exclusive video interview with Gold Derby senior editor Denton Davidson above.
Making the moment even more memorable was Ryan’s father flying in from Ireland to taste his food for the first time. “To see my dad walk through those doors was very special for me,” he says. “Not only that, but Gordon Ramsay is also his idol. And for me to the catalyst of my dad to meet his idol too is the icing on top for me. They say, ‘Never meet your hero,’ but it was the complete opposite for me. For my dad to meet his hero too, because of me, makes it extra special.”
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Having Gordon as a mentor throughout the season “was a dream come true.” Ryan states, “I’ve watched that man’s every move for 20 years. It wasn’t ‘Dexter’s Lab’ or ‘Kenan & Kel’ on the TV for me, it was cooking shows because that’s what my dad watched. I was interested in them. I was intrigued by them. That really sparked my interest in cooking. I remember seeing him and it was like all my Christmases came together at once.”
Ryan’s other big win this season was meeting his new best friend, Johnathan. “Me and Johnny made a pact and said it doesn’t matter who walks through that door because we’re both going to the top,” he explains. “I’m not gonna do anything without Johnny moving forward in life. We’re going to do something together, 100 percent. I made friends with a guy in three weeks that I feel like I’ve known my entire life. We clicked from the get-go. We talk to each other more than we talk to our wives. It’s scary. When you form a friendship like that it’s almost like trauma-bonding.”
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