‘Hell’s Kitchen’ NH Chef Nikki Hanna Addresses Online Bullying

Now, on the one hand, it's amazing to see someone, especially someone local, gain some celebrity and turn it around to use it in a positive way. And that's exactly what Goffstown, New Hampshire's Chef Nikki Hanna is doing with her latest Instagram post.

On the other hand, the fact she even has to do this, especially amongst grown adults, is heartbreakingly pathetic.

WARNING: This next couple paragraphs will lead to a spoiler from last night's (Thursday, April 1) episode of Hell's Kitchen, so proceed with caution if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to know what happens.

Is Chef Nikki still on Hell's Kitchen?

Since it's been over a week, I feel like that's enough lead time to mention that on last week's episode of Hell's Kitchen (the Thursday, March 25 episode), Chef Nikki was unfortunately the eliminated chef. However, she did SO great all season long and impressed Chef Gordon Ramsay so much that he did something he usually never does -- he offered to fly her to any of his restaurants around the WORLD to stage (basically, to intern).

Is Chef Amber still on Hell's Kitchen?

But it was last night's elimination of Chef Amber Lancaster, that caused Chef Nikki to take a stance on online bullying and smack talk. For whatever reason, Chef Amber has gotten a ton of hate on social media leading up to and through her elimination last night. Perhaps she was perceived as being overconfident. Perhaps it was because there was a few times she was shown shedding tears.

Has there been online bullying with Hell's Kitchen?

In her post, Chef Nikki pointed out the fact that regardless of the fact that all of the Hell's Kitchen contestants are on TV, that they are, in fact, still human beings, and she doesn't understand how the hate that's spread amongst her Hell's Kitchen cohorts "benefit the the individuals distributing the relentless, senseless, and pointless negativity" leading up to and following their respective eliminations. And that's a solid point.

Plus, quite honestly, it seems like all these "keyboard warriors" fail to realize that their comments ARE seen and read by other humans across the world on the internet, and it's the job of producers of any reality show, no matter how scripted or not, to edit the footage shot in ways that will come across as entertaining for viewers. And in doing that, they essentially paint the contestants as characters in a sense. Regardless, the hate public hate isn't really needed -- save the commentary for your living room couch with whoever you're watching the show with.

MASSIVE kudos to Chef Nikki, not only for representing Northern New England and more specifically, the Granite State, proudly and successfully on a majorly popular reality show with only a couple of years experience as a chef, but for also using her new celebrity for good and to spread positivity. The world needs more Chef Nikki's.