TVGuide.ca: Hey Lovely, I’m sorry to hear about your elimination.
Lovely: Oh well, you know, it had to happen eventually right? [Laughs.]
TVG: You’ve been on the block before, were you surprised that you were sent home?
L: I think anybody in that position would be surprised, because we all want it so bad, it’s our passion, so surprised yes, but it’s a regular feeling that anybody would have.
TVG: Chef Ramsay said your name should be “Useless.” How does it feel when you hear stuff like that, especially to your face?
L: That’s what you signed up for. You know it’s going to be good, you know there’s also going to be some bad. So it is what it is. I don’t want to focus on all the negative, I look on the plus side and say I was able to work with one of the best chefs in the world and I met a lot of fun and interesting people and I had an overall great experience.
TVG: He also said you were more laid-back than an ironing board, do you agree with that?
L: [Laughs.] I wouldn’t call myself exactly laid back, a.k.a. lazy, is what he was trying to say. I was just trying to be focused and on top of my game. When I was in the kitchen I was laid-back, in control and focused, but outside the kitchen, as you saw, I had a great time and my personality came through.
TVG: Is it even possible to be laid-back while in Hell’s Kitchen?
L: Um, no! [Laughs.] You know, at the same time it’s all about being focused, staying on top of your game and impressing this man so that you win the ultimate prize.
TVG: What happened when you drew a blank and couldn't remember what you were sending out to the dining room?
L: It was just one of those moments. We all have good days, we all have bad days and that was really one of my bad days. I was drawing a blank, but eventually I caught up, 45 entrees went out successfully so that means I put up 45 successful plates of food. You know I just had a little “oops!” moment.
TVG: There seems to be a lot of tension between the chefs this season. Did you feel the sausage challenge helped you work better as a team?
L: It did. That challenge had a purpose, and we came together and we beat the boys, which was an excellent thing. It helped us come together and be a little more appreciative of each other.
TVG: Is there anything that viewers don’t see on TV that they really should?
L: [Laughs.] Well, you know, everything is how it is. What you see is what you get, but of course there are things that the camera can’t always capture. I just hope that everyone enjoys the show and that everyone knows that there’s always more to the story.
TVG: Who do you think was the weakest link on your team?
L: That’s a tough question. I don’t want to single anyone out. We all had good days and we all had bad days. We are all excellent in our field, but when you’re thrown into a new kitchen and you’re thrown into a new situation with people you don’t know you’re going to make mistakes. We all made mistakes and we all got yelled at, so at one point all of us were the weakest links.
TVG: Who do you think deserves to win?
L: I wish everyone the best. Whoever wins I hope that they take it and they run with it and they have an excellent time. We’ll see, we got to stay tuned.
TVG: Is there anything you would have done differently?
L: That’s a good question; no one had asked me that yet. I think the only thing that I would have done differently was ask him more questions. I tried to learn as much as I could, but he’s just a fast-paced guy. He wants this, he wants that, he wants it now, now, now. So I wish I would have had a little more one-on-one time with him just to learn even more then what I did while I was there.
Hell’s Kitchen airs Tuesdays, 8 p.m. ET on Citytv/Fox
Lovely’s pre-Hell’s interview:
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