Hurricane Ian forces 'Hell's Kitchen' chef to cancel Melbourne watch party for show's debut

Suzy Fleming Leonard, Florida Today
·2 min read
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Billy Trudsoe thought Gordon Ramsay was tough, then he met Ian.

The "Hell's Kitchen" contestant has canceled the watch party he'd planned for Season 21 of the Fox reality cooking battle, which debuts Thursday.

"Now, we're just hoping we're going to have power to watch it," the Melbourne chef said.

Trudsoe, who moved to Melbourne from Upstate New York two years ago, said he's been living "Hell's Kitchen" for 14 months now. He applied to be on the show in July 2021, and taped in early 2022.

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He had to keep his participation under wraps until about three weeks ago when Fox began promoting this season's "Battle of the Ages," which pits 20-something chefs against 40-something chefs. At 40, Trudsoe is one of the experienced Blue Team chefs.

"You keep this secret for so long, and it's a tough secret to keep," he said.

Billy Trudsoe, who lives in downtown Melbourne, is a chef on the 21st season of the Fox culinary battle, "Hell's Kitchen." The first episode airs at 8 p.m. Sept. 29.
Billy Trudsoe, who lives in downtown Melbourne, is a chef on the 21st season of the Fox culinary battle, "Hell's Kitchen." The first episode airs at 8 p.m. Sept. 29.

He was excited about sharing his experience with family, friends and fans of the show.

He had planned a Thursday evening watch party at the Landing Rooftop at Hotel Melby in downtown Melbourne, with a DJ, a videographer and giveaways.

"I bought a ton of merchandise, promo stuff and giveaways," he said.

About 75 people from New York were set to attend, but their flights were canceled. He was expecting another 100 from the Space Coast to attend.

The road to 'Hell's Kitchen': Melbourne chef competes on Gordan Ramsay cooking show

"I got the phone call from the Melby yesterday," he said Wednesday morning. "I'm super devastated over it," he said. "You try to be well-organized, and Mother Nature just clubs you."

At least he won't spend Thursday night alone. He and wife Ivana will be joined by his stepfather, who drove to Melbourne. His brother flew in Tuesday night, and an aunt and uncle have evacuated to Melbourne from Bradenton.

"I may be the only contestant in the history of 'Hell's Kitchen' who can't even watch his debut on TV," he said.

"Hell's Kitchen" airs at 8 p.m. Thursday on Fox.

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Billy Trudsoe faced Gordon Ramsay in 'Hell's Kitchen; now faced with Ian