Hell's Kitchen Season 25 Guide: An All-Under-25 Kitchen, the Full Roster and How to Watch

The 25th season of Hell's Kitchen does something the show has tried exactly once before: it caps the age of everyone in the kitchen. Eighteen chefs, all 25 or younger, start on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c on FOX.

FOX announced the season on Sept. 2 with the full field and a first-look clip. Here is what the network has actually confirmed, and what it has pointedly left out.

When does Hell's Kitchen season 25 start?

Thursday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. Central, on FOX. Episodes stream on Hulu the following day.

That puts the premiere three days after the second-to-last Monday of September, and one week after MasterChef wraps its own season on the same network. FOX is handing its cooking hour from Wednesday to Thursday without a gap.

What is different about this cast?

Age. Every competitor is 25 or under, which the network frames as a hunt for Ramsay's next protégé rather than a veteran line cook's last shot.

It is the second time the show has done this. Season 20 ran an all-under-25 field, and this one revives the idea for the anniversary season, with undisclosed former winners turning up in the first episode.

Teams are split the traditional way, nine men on blue and nine women on red.

Who is competing?

FOX released first names, ages and home cities. Texas sends three chefs and Ohio two; four were born outside the United States.

The youngest in the kitchen are Diego and Sandra at 21. The average lands a shade under 23, which is younger than most professional kitchens would trust with a section, let alone a service.

What is the prize?

The premiere named it. The winner becomes head chef at Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and takes home $250,000. FOX's Sept. 2 announcement had only called it a hunt for Ramsay's next protégé.

Past winners were brought out on stage in the opener, and the blue team's reward for winning the first challenge was an evening with them and dinner with Ramsay.

How does the season actually run?

The franchise structure has barely moved in a decade, so a first-time viewer can follow it from episode one. Chefs open with a signature dish, get sorted into two brigades, then cook dinner service against each other week after week.

The losing team nominates two of its own for elimination, and Ramsay decides. Somewhere past the halfway mark the teams dissolve and the survivors earn black jackets, after which it is every chef alone.

What the age cap changes is the experience gap. A field capped at 25 has fewer executive chefs and more line cooks, which historically shows up as messier early services and a steeper improvement curve.

Where does it stream?

Hulu, the day after each episode airs. Live, it is on your local FOX affiliate, so an antenna works if you would rather not pay for a bundle.

The alternatives, and what each one covers across the fall, are in our streaming guide.

How does it fit the rest of the fall?

It is the only network cooking competition airing on Thursdays this season. Food Network's own block sits earlier in the week, on Sunday and Monday, so the two do not collide.

Everything else in the season, including the Halloween shows and the November holiday slate, is laid out in the fall 2026 schedule.

FAQ

How many episodes will season 25 run? Not announced. Season 24 ran 16.

Is Gordon Ramsay still hosting? Yes, and the season is built around him choosing a protégé.

Are the teams still split by gender? Yes, nine men on blue and nine women on red.

When was the last season? Season 24, Battle of the States, finished in January 2026.

Elimination coverage continues in Hell's Kitchen, and the rest of the FOX cooking slate is tracked in MasterChef, where season 16 hands out its title in Finale Part 2 on Sept. 16. For the Food Network side of the fall, see the Halloween Baking season 12 guide and the Halloween Wars season 16 guide; if you are waiting on the British tent instead, the Great British Baking Show Netflix schedule has the Channel 4 dates. The pans Ramsay actually cooks on are covered in Gear They Used.

Sources · Listings data via TVmaze · FOX press release — season 25 date, cast, ages and next-day Hulu · TV Insider — meet the season 25 contestants · Deadline — season 25 cast photos · Gold Derby — premiere recap, prize and challenge scores · Moviedelic — premiere recap

By the Kitchen On Air desk · Updated Sept. 24, 10:35 p.m. ET