What Happened to Elise Wims After Hell's Kitchen Season 17?

By Lauren Parks

Updated Jan 29, 2024

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Summary

Elise Wims, a contestant on Hell's Kitchen, was known for her arrogant and villainous behavior, making her the most hated chef in the show's history.
Despite her controversial appearances, Elise has found success after the show, running her own business called The Diva Chef and blending her fitness and cooking interests.
Elise is happily married and focused on her career as a chef, making it unlikely that she will appear on another season of Hell's Kitchen.

Fox’s cooking competition series best reality TV shows. At the end of every season, there stands one winner of $250k and a position in one of Gordon’s many famous restaurants. However, there's curiosity about what happened to Elise after Hell's Kitchen season 17.

Elise ed after casting approached her for Hell’s Kitchen season 9. At the time, she was a grillard and saucier at Donatos Restaurant in Fox Chapel. On Hell's Kitchen season 9, Elise showed she could cook but couldn’t consistently deliver during dinner service. Consequently, she was nominated for elimination time and time again. What’s worse was the way she handled the stress. Elise blamed everyone on her team for her mistakes and never took ownership of wrongdoing. Not surprisingly, she didn’t make many friends. However, her cooking skills were enough to carry her through the competition, eventually placing third.

Elise Appeared In Two Seasons Of Hell's Kitchen

One season of Hell’s Kitchen wasn’t enough for Elise. Elise returned for Hell’s Kitchen All-Stars season 17, eight years after her first run. While she initially seemed to be a changed woman, owning her mistakes and getting along with the team, all that quickly went out the window, and Elise made a villainous comeback and was more arrogant than ever. She feuded with her teammates, particularly Michelle Tribble and Dana Cohen. She accused them of allying against her and referred to them collectively as “Dachelle.” Her attempt to ally with her once-enemy, Jennifer Normant, and take "Dachelle" down didn’t work, and Elise went home, placing seventh (via Fandom).

Elise's Controversial Hell's Kitchen Appearances Are Iconic

Despite being a talented chef and possessing the necessary leadership skills to run a kitchen, Elise has been labeled the most hated chef in Hell’s Kitchen history. Claiming her role as the villain, she branded herself “The DIVA (Deliciousness in Various Assortments) Chef” and said, “I'm still the same Elise who doesn't care what people think. It's okay, you can hate me,” (via The Diva Chef).

Elise may not have made any friends in Hell’s Kitchen, but she made the most of the experience. She’s not afraid to be who she is, and that’s a recipe everyone should have on hand. Today, Elise runs her own business, The Diva Chef, which blends her fitness interests and cooking chops. Elise, a fitness nutrition specialist, offers prepackaged “Muscle Meals,” private chef services, cooking demos, and nutritional coaching. Elise married Chris Wims in 2017 at Potomac Pinot Winery. She and her husband live in Stafford, Virginia, and are very happy.

After her last run on Hell's Kitchen, Elise focuses on her life and career as a chef. While Hell's Kitchen helped launch her career to new heights, Elise has done all the work to be and stay at the top. As for whether she will ever appear in another season, that seems very unlikely.

Hell's Kitchen is available for streaming on Hulu.