# Hells Kitchen TV Show



## gourmetm (Jun 27, 2011)

Does anyone watch this show?


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## ctlurker (Nov 15, 2010)

Are you referring to this show with Lenny Henry? If so, it's a personal favorite; last year, I bought the box set for a chef/restauranteur friend of mine, and he's still thanking me!


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## thetincook (Jun 14, 2002)

I think he's talking about a korean version of the Hells Kitchen.


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## gourmetm (Jun 27, 2011)

The one you've linked is called Chef! It looks great and sounds funny. It turns out that the show I was referring to is called Hells Kitchen:

http://www.hulu.com/hells-kitchen

I confused the name because throughout the show, the cooks constantly say "yes chef!" as if they are saluting an officer.

So, if you'll allow me a second try: has anyone seen Hells Kitchen?/img/vbsmilies/smilies/crazy.gif


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## thetincook (Jun 14, 2002)

I thought you were talking about this http://www.dramafever.com/drama/880/1/Yes_Chef/


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## gourmetm (Jun 27, 2011)

Yes, the show with Chef Ramsey. I concur on the scripted part.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I can't stand it. It's unwatchable.  Ramsay should be embarassed to be a part of it.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Every season this show gets discussed ad nauseum. After seeing Ramsey however in other venues I think what it comes down to is it's a pure moneymaker for him. His livelihood (his own restaurants) don't suffer from this, he makes a ton of money and he gets an opportunity to yell at idiots! Sounds like a dream job!


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Better then most of the comedy shows on TV.  People must watch it as it keeps coming back evry season.  Master chef show is worse, so is the one With Flay and the chick who poses but can't cook.  They are going to back the winner in opening restaurants ????In what country.


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

I have no patience at all for Hell's Kitchen... I just want to fly through the tv screen and smack some sense into those people.  I'm sure they're chosen for their camera-friendliness as opposed to whether or not they can cook and hold their own on the line. 

Kitchen Nightmares I do like and I much prefer the British show over the one that is broadcast on Fox.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Imagine putting any of thse people to run his multi million dollar restauranst?  He is not that crazy.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

deepfryerdan said:


> . It seems that, with his move from the European television to American, he's changed from having shows that help and teach people to shows that are meant to pull an audience of idiots.


Sad as it is that says a lot of the "general" viewing audience (not all)


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Hardly 'European' TV - he was a 'star' on various UK TV stations.

I've eaten at most of his restaurants and really rate him as a chef.  As a TV star?  Nope.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

It's not him , it is the total jerks and idiots  that the producers surround him with. Like the next food network star they are not chosen for their ability to cook. Look at some of them who have been chosen in the past.

Ramsay knows the business and how to cook.


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Yes, he does, ChefEdb.

I've only once been disappointed at any of his restaurants - and that, sadly, was the one he opened in Glasgow, his home town.  It didn't last long!


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## indygal (Dec 7, 2010)

I totally agree Phatch.  It is beyond obnoxious, disrespectful to everyone, including the clients of the restaurant.


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## ladytuna (Aug 9, 2011)

phatch said:


> I can't stand it. It's unwatchable. Ramsay should be embarassed to be a part of it.


Agreed. His BBC stuff is much more entertaining. (Ever watch _The F Word_?) It seems as though he turns it up and is "acting" for American television.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Sorry for reviving this old thread, but I just started watching the show (ran out of Nip Tuck episodes to watch) and one thing I don't understand about the beef wellingtons is why they don't temp them?

How come you never see any of the contestants using thermometers?

I'm such a sucker for watching this. I blame Kuan for posting a link of that crazy couple from kitchen nightmares.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Chef Ramsey seems to think thermometers are for sissys.

They also present cooking Risotto as some sort of rocket science.

The inverted sum of the square of the procedural components of the dish are inversely proportional

to the psychological amusement factor produced.

Bottom line: the more useful tools you take away the better the show and greater the ratings. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

I guess.. although, I just finished watching 3 seasons, and realized that the entire show is basically a farce. How do you take people from all walks of life, some literally from the ground up, such as waffle house short order cooks, and prison cafeteria cooks, and a nanny, and expect them to learn all the tools necessary in a very limited amount of time, under unusual pressure (cameras, audience, and Chef Ramsey going off in their face 24/7) and at the end of the competition hand them over keys to a restaurant? winning that show does not a master chef make. I can imagine the treatment they get on their first day reporting in as the "executive" chef of the prized restaurant. Honestly, I would not want to be in that position. i could see how the winners would struggle gaining the respect of the staff.

I only read the top 3 because I don't want to spoil the rest of the seasons for myself.

http://foodiegossip.blogspot.com/2011/09/hells-kitchen-winners-where-are-they.html

As for the first chef, i would've totally worked under Ramsay for a year. What a dope.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

It is a "far from reality" show. Pure money making ratings driven show. But hey, the networks are a business, which I can relate to. They aren't a non profit organization. All said, I still watch it, I also like "professional" wrestling LOL, no explaining some tastes, but I got plenty of company!


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

Yesterday at work I made an Asian inspired mango and cabbage salad involving 12 heads of cabbage and 50 mangoes. Needless to say it took a while but it helps that I know what I am doing and familiar with the ingredients and techniques. Nobody in their right mind would watch a TV of me prepping along. No sponsors would buy advertising time for such a TV show. Hell even if they did, I wouldn't buy their product based on their poor business acumen shown in their decision of how to spend their advertising bucks! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/chef.gif


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## foodnfoto (Jan 1, 2001)

> I'm such a sucker for watching this. I blame Kuan for posting a link of that crazy couple from kitchen nightmares.


Boy, can I relate to this.

Kuan created a monster.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Don't blame me, the monster created itself. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

*"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US." *Quote from Walt Kelly's character Pogo


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

I heard about hells kitchen 2 or 3 years ago, loaded ep 1 on tube and tore thru 4 or 5 seasons 
at light speed, complaining the whole way about everything about it. Yet I kept watching. 
Its like my knife tapping I mentioned in another thread...like some known force is controlling
Me making me sit thru his stupid bellowing, foul mouth, the obviously manufactured and carefully edited
drama, swapped footage, and unrealistic food preparing aspects. Well, me and a kazillion
other reality addicts. I'm just thankful I haven't started hearing the voices again. :-o


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

I must have mellowed or something because I watched four episodes of it yesterday and didn't find it irritating at all, and I almost want to watch tonight to see what happens. I likely won't though and I'll watch it on demand, maybe. 

I love the F word! I think it's the best show he's done, and I agree..the American TV shoes he does are definitely scripted and they are acting, not really cooking


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## indygal (Dec 7, 2010)

It airs here on the Fox affiliate as well as Kitchen nightmares And Master Chef. Must be cheap to produce. I don't watch any of then b/c they seem to go out of their way to find the most disgusting places or messes they can find (including disgusting people) then Ramsay rants and curses for a while. Finally someone wins something (or the restaurant its cured of its errant ways ) and everyone Carries on as though it was worth all the abuse. I can live without that.

I don't care much for reality shows in general, but I was fascinated by Jamie Oliver's attempt to try and get schools to serve healthier fare. The resistance he met was nefarious to say the least, especially in LA. 

Also did I mention that I Can't stand Joe of Master Chef? Arrogant so & so. Don't like his mother either.

Bottom line, if there is nothing else on TV, and I have no book to read, hobby to pursue, or my eyes are too tired for the internet, I might watch one of those 3 shows that feature Ramsay. But if there is anything else at all to do, I won't.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

> b/c they seem to go out of their way to find the most disgusting places or messes they can find (including disgusting people)


Yes, this.

I have to agree too. I don't understand why they don't pick higher quality chefs for this competition, especially since they are supposedly offering a real position in a high volume restaurant, and $250.000.

I can relate to not wanting to watch junk too. My husband and I don't even have cable..as in no tv programming coming into the house whatsoever. (although I do have netflix, but have run out of good things to watch) This is definitely a guilty pleasure for me. I much rather prefer reading a good book any day of the week, and nothing is worse than the book I'm currently reading, not even the Ramsay show. Unfortunately for me I'm one of those readers that once I start a book I have to finish it. It's been really bogging me down, and a thorn on my side. I'm the same with bad series. Once I start it, I have to finish it. I don't know why I put myself through the pain. I must be a masochist.

I watched that Jamie Oliver documentary. It's really sad what schools feed children.


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## indygal (Dec 7, 2010)

Good for you, not having TV coverage! All I have its broadcast TV. I realized about 5 years ago when I still had cable that most of the time it was on, I was not looking. So had it removed. 

One thing I miss is Pacers coverage, but not enough to pay for it, greedy NBA. 

Unlike you, I can lay a book down and it seems I do that more often now days. I'm much more careful about what iI pick up to read now days. For instance, I just returned the new Joyce Carol Oates book, The Accursed. I would have bet money that I'd have loved that. I've always liked her work, admitted it in fact. Then my recent passion its for history of the US in the 1st 2 decades. So it seemed she had written it just for me. But 120 pages in, I was sick of it so i returned it to the library without finishing it. Even quality writers are writing about supernatural occult [email protected] now, it seems.

What are you reading that its so bad? I'll put it on my "avoid l list. Just have to be so careful now days. Too many books get published that are just plain bad now days.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

IndyGal said:


> Good for you, not having TV coverage! All I have its broadcast TV. I realized about 5 years ago when I still had cable that most of the time it was on, I was not looking. So had it removed.
> 
> One thing I miss is Pacers coverage, but not enough to pay for it, greedy NBA.
> 
> ...


My husband and I used to like sports (Eagles) but the sport has changed so much. Now it's more about the objectifying commercials, the celebrity players, and dare I say this out loud..which teams cheerleaders can wear less clothes each year.. us choosing not to have tv actually kind of just happened. We moved to an apt that didn't have the cable set up, and we didn't rush to hook it up, and realized we didn't really miss it. I think we've been cable-free for about 5 years now. We get netflix, which is great because they are commercial free. I have this hatred for commercials...i don't know why, i just do. I just want to watch what i want to watch, nothing more, nothing less. There are tons of shows I miss, but our lives has been enriched since we gave up cable. We do so much more outdoors, and we're both in great shape. The house is always quiet, with just soft music playing in the background. Also, our library collection has grown immensely. Lots of reading.

The book that I was having difficulty finishing was Mein Kampf. I just finished it yesterday. Took me 7 months. Not because it's a difficult read, but just because it was plainly and simply bad. I've never taken that long to finish a book. I read War and Peace and it only took me 2 months... I was also always embarrassed to read it in public, didn't want to offend anyone, so I had to constantly hide it. I was just curious to see what it was about. I thought it would give me some insight on his (Hitler's) personal life, but instead was mainly political rubbish. It's quite embarrassing.. I'm a big fan of anything related WWII in Europe. Especially anything having to do with the arts, like the Rape of Europa, and the Monuments Men. I'm just fascinated by the subject. I just recently purchased a book called the Yellow Star, about a Jewish girls life during the holocaust.

I haven't read anything by Joyce Carol Oates, yet (although i'm interested in a book by her having to do with Niagara Falls, where my husband and I honeymooned). I haven't read anything by Virginia Woolf either.. I don't know why I put them in the same literary category, but they are the two ladies of lit I have yet to read.

Right now I'm reading Endless Love by Scott Spencer. It feels refreshing to read a beautiful love story, as tragic as it is..

Sorry for the long post. When it comes to literature I have difficulty wrapping it up.  there should be a lit thread in off-topic.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

I really can't believe that Danny from season 5 won.


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## thor (Feb 15, 2013)

deepfryerdan said:


> I can't stand any of his other current shows. The old school "Kitchen Nightmares" that was shot in Europe was loads better than the same shot in the US. It seems that, with his move from the European television to American, he's changed from having shows that help and teach people to shows that are meant to pull an audience of idiots. I still like Hell's Kitchen, though.. And I don't know why.


.Quote:


chrose said:


> Sad as it is that says a lot of the "general" viewing audience (not all)





LadyTuna said:


> Agreed. His BBC stuff is much more entertaining. (Ever watch _The F Word_?) It seems as though he turns it up and is "acting" for American television.


THIS^

The first season of HK was ok...not "reality" but at least SOME semblance of real life. Now EVERY challenge *just happens* to result in a tie, and somehow the winners have appropriate prizes (mani & pedi's set up along with a Celene Dion concert on the challenge where the women won? Not like they have 2 separate prizes).

Before that first US HK, I had found Ramsay on BBC (when I started cooking), and the F Word (still my favorite), UK Kitchen Nightmares and other one off specials showed him as fairly tough on his staff (but very much loved & respected by them, going by interviews), but always levelheaded, and a fine teacher. So when HK was first announced, I was excited to watch it, but then US Ramsay appeared. Like Chrose said, it probably speaks volumes about the general audience. I still watch, but it seems like the producers aren't the least bit concerned in making this season any different than the last.

And, while I an a HUGE fan of UK Ramsay, I'm not all that fond of US Ramsay.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

The last few seasons of hell's Kitchen are beginning to remind me of that game show scene in requiem for a dream.


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## indygal (Dec 7, 2010)

Last night I was so tied from having worked out in the heat & humidity all day, so i turned on the tube. Finally lit upon the last few moments of Master Chef. I was appalled to see Obnoxious Joe actually spit something out on camera. What could they be thinking? No one wants to see that.

Then he made it obvious he thinks Italian contestants should always excel, going around to put his arm around the Italian guy's shoulder, etc. I mean, really. How prejudiced is that?

Then immediately after that, it happened that I stumbled upon CBS's baking contest next. It was like night and day. A much kinder gentler show, with Jeff Foxworthy even adding a few giggles. The judges have very high standards, but they go about it in a much nicer manner, and they are likable sorts of people. I found myself actually wishing for each contestant to succeed, and felt disappointed when they flubbed. It was a breath of fresh air compared to Master Chef.

Thank you Brits for pointing out that this obnoxious attitude isn't coming directly from Ramsay. That being the case, I'm putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of the producers of his US shows. CBS & ABC have proved it does not have to be a degrading experience for the contestants and the audience for that matter. (ABC had a cooking contest show. I dont care for Bordain, an arrogant b[emoji]169[/emoji][emoji]174[/emoji]^[emoji]169[/emoji]`| if ever there was one, but the producers reigned him in and made a pretty decent show.)

Glad to hear Ramsay isn't a total a$$. But nothing will ever convince me Joe B isn't one.


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