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Hell's Kitchen, U.S. Season 1

jhlurie

By jhlurie
in Food Media & Arts

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rlibkind

rlibkind

Posted
Posted

This is gonna be like shooting fish in a barrel. A bunch of amateurs. At least on the UK original Edwina Curry could give as good as she got from Gordon. The amateurs and wannabes on the US version will probably just melt on first glower.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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JPW

JPW

Posted
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Saw the first ads for this last night.

My initial reaction was, "Oh no! Gordon!"

If someone writes a book about restaurants and nobody reads it, will it produce a 10 page thread?

Joe W

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mjmchef

mjmchef

Posted
Posted

Just wondering if anyone who knows of Ramsays shows "Kitchen nightmares and Boiling point" form the U.K have any info on the new show Hell's Kitchen airing this month on Fox. I am guessing it is based in N.Y. I saw a commercial showing some clips but heard nothiong of it prior. Looks like his temper is flared up as he dumps some food on cooks and belittles them as he does on boiling point.

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Andrew Fenton

Andrew Fenton

Posted
Posted
This is terribly self-referential because its by me. But anybody who wants to know a little more about the show will at least gather the odd fact.

Terrific article. I love Ramsay's mix of overstated honesty (it's all about the benjamins, not the food) and undisguised BS (his quest to "keep it real"). But this paragraph:

American Hell's Kitchen is about many things. It is about challenges. It is about confrontation. It is about reaching for your dreams. What it is not about, I am told firmly, is food. 'I hope there are tips the viewers get to take away,' Paul Jackson says. 'I care about the hurdles the contestants have to jump. But we made it clear to Gordon it couldn't be a foodie show.' In the British version the splitting of some lobster ravioli became a major talking point. 'That's not what this one is going to be about,' Jackson says.

makes me think the show is gonna suck in a big way. I like food, but watching other people "reach for their dreams" makes me reach for my revolver.

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Luckylies

Luckylies

Posted
Posted

my sister was chosen for the show, yet chose not to partake in the stupidity. She reasoned they "win" was not big enough and the notoriety of being a reality show contestant would suck... I wanted her to do it though...sucka :biggrin:

does this come in pork?

My name's Emma Feigenbaum.

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  • 3 weeks later...
eje

eje

Posted
Posted

Ramsay was on Letterman last week promoting "Hell's Kitchen" and his other efforts.

I dunno, it just made me grumpy when they sent him to the "Hello Deli" to critique the food. After trying the Chicken Sandwich he grabs the tip jar and sez, "Here's my tip. Don't eat here."

Ramsay did mention he's working on opening a restaurant in New York some time next year.

---

Erik Ellestad

If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...

Bernal Heights, SF, CA

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tan319

tan319

Posted
Posted
Ramsay was on Letterman last week promoting "Hell's Kitchen" and his other efforts.

I dunno, it just made me grumpy when they sent him to the "Hello Deli" to critique the food.  After trying the Chicken Sandwich he grabs the tip jar and sez, "Here's my tip.  Don't eat here."

Ramsay did mention he's working on opening a restaurant in New York some time next year.

It just hit me...

Gordon Ramsey is going to become the Simon Cowell (American Idol) of cuisine

2317/5000

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VeryApe77

VeryApe77

Posted
Posted (edited)
It just hit me...

Gordon Ramsey is going to become the Simon Cowell (American Idol) of cuisine

As soon as I heard that Ramsay was bringing Hell Kitchen over to the States, this was the first thing that came to mind.

Could be amusing....maybe :unsure:

Edited by VeryApe77 (log)
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jhlurie

jhlurie

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
It just hit me...

Gordon Ramsey is going to become the Simon Cowell (American Idol) of cuisine

The funny thing is that apparenty Cowell isn't really Cowell anymore fully. He's off the U.K. version of Idol now. One hopes that Ramsey will still be able to terrorize U.K. viewers for some time to come.

The commercials for Kitchen U.S. are pretty funny. For the longest time people have always portrayed Americans as rude types and the Brits as the polite ones, but Cowell and Ramsey really put that in question. Except, of course, for the fact that Ramsey is actually a Scot--but most Americans probably won't know or care about that. :laugh:

By the way, I actually appreciate the fact that Ramsey doesn't want to do this with grade Z celebs anymore. Heck, even grade A ones would be annoying. Let him yell at nobodies.

Also... a five year deal? Fox must have REALLY liked what they saw from him. Not to mention that he's getting a plum timeslot (the slot where "24" normally is).

The current version of the Fox website for the show is hilarious (they've changed it since I first linked to it). They've gone whole hog with the "hell" theme. Gordon's eyes even burn with hellfire when you mouse over him.

Actually while it is already really funny that Ramsey went to L.A. to "get real", it's even more telling that most of the "contestants" are from the East coast (an overwhelming number from New Jersey).

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

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BuzzDraft

BuzzDraft

Posted
Posted

Wow! Gordon Ramsay is a piece of work!

I joined this community because I wanted to get some insight into what the running of a professional kitchen entailed. I was disappointed with the series "The Restaurant", but as a result I was introduced to chefs such as Bourdain, Keller, and the talented people in this community who don't happen to have tv shows.

I had some exposure to a working kitchen in my brother-in-law's restaurant, filling in for the salad station person who didn't show up the night I arrived to take my sister out to diner sonmewhere else. I ended up making about 720 dinner salads and plating the creme de caramel for the night. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, because I knew I was walking away after my one night's "adventure". But I'm an engineer in real life, and cooking is an important hobby of mine but I'm uninformed and still seeking insight into what goes on in a top-flight kitchen.

Gordon Ramsey established himself immediately as a bully on this show, only because the people in the show are intimidate-able and allowed him to be a bully because they seemed to have a lot riding on their success in this context. I find it entertaining because if I were there, I wouldn't have as much riding on the outcome. I'd work as hard as I could, but my life wouldn't depend on chef's approval. So, I like to think I would be able to function under his pressure. I actually see through the swearing and showmanship for the cameras, and admire his perfectionism and obvious passion. Under all the bluster, I find I like the guy and want someone like him cooking my meal when I'm sitting in front of house.

So, I ask the experienced and experts here, how does this show compare to life in a real kitchen in a good-quality restaurant?

TomH...

BRILLIANT!!!

HOORAY BEER!

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joiei

joiei

Posted
Posted

after watching part of the show tonight, i agree. I could not go for long before I had to change the channel. When doing the tasting, his remarks came across to me as a way to hook the viewers. I have never had a chef critize that way.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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Mark Sommelier

Mark Sommelier

Posted
Posted
Wow!  Gordon Ramsay is a piece of work!

so, I ask the experienced and experts here, how does this show compare to life in a real kitchen in a good-quality restaurant?

No one in their right mind would open a restaurant with cooks who had been there for only 2 hours.

Mark

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BuzzDraft

BuzzDraft

Posted
Posted
No one in their right mind would open a restaurant with cooks who had been there for only 2 hours.

I certainly understand that, but then he's getting a million or so for the theatrics. Insulting the women at the counter didn't cost him much.

Is this realistically what it's like working with a "Genius" (aka famous) chef, though?

TomH...

BRILLIANT!!!

HOORAY BEER!

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rxrfrx

rxrfrx

Posted
Posted
Wow!  Gordon Ramsay is a piece of work!

so, I ask the experienced and experts here, how does this show compare to life in a real kitchen in a good-quality restaurant?

No one in their right mind would open a restaurant with cooks who had been there for only 2 hours.

He didn't. FOX opened a set where they probably paid people a few hundred bucks a head to act pissed off and "TOTALLY SURPRISED!" when their food was late, or the restaurant closed early.

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CaliPoutine

CaliPoutine

Posted
Posted
Wow!  Gordon Ramsay is a piece of work!

so, I ask the experienced and experts here, how does this show compare to life in a real kitchen in a good-quality restaurant?

No one in their right mind would open a restaurant with cooks who had been there for only 2 hours.

He didn't. FOX opened a set where they probably paid people a few hundred bucks a head to act pissed off and "TOTALLY SURPRISED!" when their food was late, or the restaurant closed early.

Yeah, really. Who in their right mind would wait 2 hours for a meal if they were paying for it. What kind of paying customer would allow a chef to insult them? Its all theatrics and its total BS. I hate it already.

Im sure they had all the contestants sign waivers because slamming a plate into someone's chest is legally an assault.

Randi

2girlsinthekitchen.blogspot.com

The Senior Dining Thread

eG Food Blogs

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Mark Sommelier

Mark Sommelier

Posted
Posted
No one in their right mind would open a restaurant with cooks who had been there for only 2 hours.

I certainly understand that, but then he's getting a million or so for the theatrics. Insulting the women at the counter didn't cost him much.

Is this realistically what it's like working with a "Genius" (aka famous) chef, though?

Well, I work for someone I consider a "genius chef", and, while he is tough, he doesn't act like that. I've been there for 7 1/2 years.

Mark

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emmapeel

emmapeel

Posted
Posted

You're so right, CaliPoutine, no paying guest would stand for waiting that long, and as for the pretty ladies who Ramsey insulted looked as if they'd just came from a porno movie set. "my friend is insulted..." Oh gee. I can only hope the theatrics stop and they get to cooking. Ramsey's "Boiling Point" was so much better...even his insults to the staff was more authentic.

Emma Peel

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Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted

Is this not actually Simon Cowell but in a chef's jacket? More reality television with dramatic hamming it up for the cameras ... :hmmm: well, it is only FOX who loves the veneer of real life ...

PBS show with Ming Tsai, Michael Ruhlman, and Todd English seems more "on the level" and well done ... :wink: actually, more real, and smarter ...

and Jamie Oliver's show with the same premise at least realistic and human(e) ...

I give it a resounding D- overall ...

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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