She's 'the [bleep] devil' on 'Hell's Kitchen'
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Elise Wims is a contestant on the television show, "Hell's Kitchen."
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The devil doesn't wear Prada in "Hell's Kitchen," but she does shop at H&M.
In a world where every TV reality competition demands a demon or two, Swissvale resident Elise Wims has become the breakout star. This, for Fox ratings purposes, is a very good thing indeed.
But for Ms. Wims, 27, it can be a mixed blessing.
She has proven that she can take the heat in this "Kitchen" of oversized personalities, backbiting, bickering, and overcooked anxieties and undercooked Beef Wellingtons. And she can dish it out as well, telling her fellow chefs exactly how she feels.
"When I stepped foot in 'Hell's Kitchen,' I did not have the intention to be the villain," she said Saturday, taking a short break at an East End coffee shop.
The two-hour season finale of the Fox show is 8 p.m. Monday, when the four remaining chefs discover who wins the grand prize: the executive chef job at BLT Steak in New York City or a cash prize.
In a promo for next week's episode, fellow contestant Paul Niedermann refers to her as "the [expletive] devil."
Her on-screen persona -- take-charge but also mouthy and demanding -- has riled up the show's fans on Twitter and the chat forums. But it's also what keeps them watching.
About "50 percent" of that is the real Elise, and the other is the product of editing, she said. "Much of that is edited to make me look over the top. I'm not that mean."
As episodes unfolded over the summer, Ms. Wims repeatedly found herself on the chopping block. Chef Gordon Ramsay, who serves as host and sole arbiter of the outcome each week, made it appear he was going to kick her off on numerous occasions.
But she's still here.
Having been a fan of the show, Ms. Wims said she went in knowing there was much more to living and breathing the strange world of reality television than viewers ever suspect.
"You [viewers] see hour-long shows. The punishments are not 15 minutes; the punishments last for eight or nine hours.
"Sometimes we don't get to eat until late, and the cameras know what to do to get you to be your worst. They put together certain personalities they know are not going to mix."
In particular, Ms. Wims clashed with fellow chef Carrie Keep, a similarly outspoken contestant from Texas.
So that animosity was genuine: "I really did not like Carrie," she said, shaking her head. Ms. Keep was bounced off the show Aug. 22.
First Published September 15, 2011 12:00 am
