Kitchen nightmares

I liked Hell’s Kitchen, but Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares seems to follow the same exact scenario each episode:

  1. Each restaurant Gordon gets invited to serves a wonderful concoction of some Sysco-purchased frozen food package. Later in the episode Ramsay introduces the chef to the local farmers’ market or grocery store selling fresh produce, and voila – problem solved.
  2. Each “solution” involves purchasing expensive equipment, decor, and some renovation labor. I suspect Fox is picking the ticket, but the secret of success is then pretty obvious – spend a lot of money on making sure the place is clean, looks new, doesn’t have cockroaches, and is cozy to hang out at.
  3. Every other episode involves some culinary school dropout calling himself chef, and storing rotten meat/bacon/dip somewhere in the back of the fridge.
  4. The public rushes in after Gordon’s renovation – except we’re not sure whether the influx of customers is due to the change of menu, or presence of world-known chef in the kitchen.
Posted Wednesday, November 14th, 2007 under Entertainment.
  • http://henrywork.com Henry

    Hey dude, I’m with you on the Kitchen Nightmares. However, if you have the chance to catch the UK version, it rocks so hard. Like, seriously. This fox show is a classic example of American bastardization. It’s lot more down-to-earth (no Extreme Makeover) and more focused on the quality of the food. It does have some crappy, lazy chefs, but it also tackles some really up-and-coming ones who have become too pretentious or have lost their way for various reasons.