Kitchen Nightmares is formulaic, predictable and contrived ... in short, it’s a reality TV show. Presented by FOX, no less.
So, why do we love chef Gordon Ramsay’s show so much?
It’s a perverse pleasure, admittedly. In every show, we wonder, “How did these people think they could run a restaurant?”
Running an eatery takes hard work, good judgment and experience, just like any business. Duh. Yet, some people’s faith in their ability to turn tables is puzzling ... they’ve never operated a successful restaurant, or they’ve run down a successful restaurant. Most baffling? When friends or family use their money, or dig themselves deep into debt, to front the business for someone who hasn’t earned their trust.
It’s FOX’s duty to find these people, and serve them up sashimi-style to acidic Chef Gordon Ramsay for a bleeping heaping helping of Kitchen Nightmares.
A classic example: A man named Vic, who already sunk one Mexican restaurant, talked his wife into getting her daughter to invest money and loans into a second, duplicate restaurant called Fiesta Sunrise in West Nyack, N.Y. Running any business can put a strain on a family. Running a horrible restaurant with few customers and mounting debt ... well, that’s a nightmare, all right.
Enter Chef Ramsay, the fiery Scot with world-renown chops behind an apron. The show’s formula is consistent: The down-and-out restaurant owners tell their story, meet Ramsay, take the brunt of his full-force and foul-mouthed honesty, defend the ghastly crap they’re shoveling to unwitting customers, and finally gain an epiphany before completing a roller-coaster-ride transformation.
Typical scenes:
- The restaurant’s owners/managers, after telling us their problems, welcome Ramsay to a meal. He orders three specials, picks through them, and is appalled. Ramsay’s colorful assessment might gauge whether the food is appropriate for a household pet, ranging from “This looks like a dog’s food!” to “A hungry cat wouldn’t eat this!”
- Ramsay makes a beeline for the kitchen and discovers woeful conditions. Caked grease, bugs, mold, week-old entrees dripping with grease—we’re never too surprised at what Ramsay might find in the belly of the beast. After building up to a crescendo of disgust, the chef spits out: “I ate this (expletive).” Everybody stays late and cleans. Old food is tossed in the trash, clearing the kitchen for new, fresh ingredients. Sometimes, Ramsay searches local suppliers such as farmers’ markets or fishermen to restock the kitchen’s cooler.
- The Chef gets to the heart of the problem—which usually lies in one person, heretofore cast as the show’s antagonist. Could be the chef, manager, owner or a combination. Ramsay goes Full Metal Jacket sergeant on this person (people), often getting bleeped for seconds at a time. You can imagine FOX’s censors chuckling as they slice and dice this scene into more bleeps than spoken word.
- Said antagonist claims that Ramsay is entitled to his opinion, but thinks he’s wrong. (Not bloody likely—didn’t you seek Ramsay’s help?) Ramsay doesn’t know if he can get through to these people—and he’s about to give up.
- After a night to think things over (well, that night and the hours and hours spent beforehand by the show’s research team), Ramsay comes up with a way to “reach” the antagonist and gets him to discover (or rediscover) his Passion. Alternately, Ramsay may chase off the antagonist, and instead reaches another person and gets him or her to step up to the plate.
- Relaunch Night is the show’s climax. Ramsay’s always got a great plan for “relaunch”—creation of a whole new restaurant, complete with an overnight remodel and scaled-down menu with mouth-watering entrees that feature fresh ingredients. Because it’s Ramsay and this is Kitchen Nightmares, the place is packed with hungry customers on Relaunch Night. As you can imagine, the staff always has a tough time adjusting to the menu and dealing with a full dining room. Just as everything looks like it will fall apart ... the staff reaches down and find its collective culinary heart.
- Ramsay addressed the camera at the end, declaring this was his toughest case yet, but pleased with the results. Will this restaurant continue the follow the path he’s carved? Ramsay wonders aloud.
Sometimes, in a typed message on-screen, we learn the restaurant’s fate. Seems like half the time, the owners end up selling and getting out of the business, anyway. Hmmm ... did they do it when they finally got their finances right, or did they sell at a handsome profit? How much value can you put on a restaurant makeover led by a world-class chef? We’d ballpark it at a few hundred thousand dollars. After all, it’s not unusual for the owner to be a quarter-million dollars or more in debt.
The show’s website has some choice scenes from the show and interviews with Ramsay. We became addicted to the show after watching one bleeping episode. If you watch, let us know what you think.
We give Kitchen Nightmares:
4 out of 5 Spoons
So, why do we love chef Gordon Ramsay’s show so much?
It’s a perverse pleasure, admittedly. In every show, we wonder, “How did these people think they could run a restaurant?”
Running an eatery takes hard work, good judgment and experience, just like any business. Duh. Yet, some people’s faith in their ability to turn tables is puzzling ... they’ve never operated a successful restaurant, or they’ve run down a successful restaurant. Most baffling? When friends or family use their money, or dig themselves deep into debt, to front the business for someone who hasn’t earned their trust.
It’s FOX’s duty to find these people, and serve them up sashimi-style to acidic Chef Gordon Ramsay for a bleeping heaping helping of Kitchen Nightmares.
A classic example: A man named Vic, who already sunk one Mexican restaurant, talked his wife into getting her daughter to invest money and loans into a second, duplicate restaurant called Fiesta Sunrise in West Nyack, N.Y. Running any business can put a strain on a family. Running a horrible restaurant with few customers and mounting debt ... well, that’s a nightmare, all right.
Enter Chef Ramsay, the fiery Scot with world-renown chops behind an apron. The show’s formula is consistent: The down-and-out restaurant owners tell their story, meet Ramsay, take the brunt of his full-force and foul-mouthed honesty, defend the ghastly crap they’re shoveling to unwitting customers, and finally gain an epiphany before completing a roller-coaster-ride transformation.
Typical scenes:
- The restaurant’s owners/managers, after telling us their problems, welcome Ramsay to a meal. He orders three specials, picks through them, and is appalled. Ramsay’s colorful assessment might gauge whether the food is appropriate for a household pet, ranging from “This looks like a dog’s food!” to “A hungry cat wouldn’t eat this!”
- Ramsay makes a beeline for the kitchen and discovers woeful conditions. Caked grease, bugs, mold, week-old entrees dripping with grease—we’re never too surprised at what Ramsay might find in the belly of the beast. After building up to a crescendo of disgust, the chef spits out: “I ate this (expletive).” Everybody stays late and cleans. Old food is tossed in the trash, clearing the kitchen for new, fresh ingredients. Sometimes, Ramsay searches local suppliers such as farmers’ markets or fishermen to restock the kitchen’s cooler.
- The Chef gets to the heart of the problem—which usually lies in one person, heretofore cast as the show’s antagonist. Could be the chef, manager, owner or a combination. Ramsay goes Full Metal Jacket sergeant on this person (people), often getting bleeped for seconds at a time. You can imagine FOX’s censors chuckling as they slice and dice this scene into more bleeps than spoken word.
- Said antagonist claims that Ramsay is entitled to his opinion, but thinks he’s wrong. (Not bloody likely—didn’t you seek Ramsay’s help?) Ramsay doesn’t know if he can get through to these people—and he’s about to give up.
- After a night to think things over (well, that night and the hours and hours spent beforehand by the show’s research team), Ramsay comes up with a way to “reach” the antagonist and gets him to discover (or rediscover) his Passion. Alternately, Ramsay may chase off the antagonist, and instead reaches another person and gets him or her to step up to the plate.
- Relaunch Night is the show’s climax. Ramsay’s always got a great plan for “relaunch”—creation of a whole new restaurant, complete with an overnight remodel and scaled-down menu with mouth-watering entrees that feature fresh ingredients. Because it’s Ramsay and this is Kitchen Nightmares, the place is packed with hungry customers on Relaunch Night. As you can imagine, the staff always has a tough time adjusting to the menu and dealing with a full dining room. Just as everything looks like it will fall apart ... the staff reaches down and find its collective culinary heart.
- Ramsay addressed the camera at the end, declaring this was his toughest case yet, but pleased with the results. Will this restaurant continue the follow the path he’s carved? Ramsay wonders aloud.
Sometimes, in a typed message on-screen, we learn the restaurant’s fate. Seems like half the time, the owners end up selling and getting out of the business, anyway. Hmmm ... did they do it when they finally got their finances right, or did they sell at a handsome profit? How much value can you put on a restaurant makeover led by a world-class chef? We’d ballpark it at a few hundred thousand dollars. After all, it’s not unusual for the owner to be a quarter-million dollars or more in debt.
The show’s website has some choice scenes from the show and interviews with Ramsay. We became addicted to the show after watching one bleeping episode. If you watch, let us know what you think.
We give Kitchen Nightmares:
4 out of 5 Spoons
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2 comments:
love the BBC version, it's not as overdramatic. Try the F-word, also.
You know, funny thing about that ... after writing this post, we discovered Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC. You're right about the British version not being so over-the-top dramatic. The BBC show also does what they need to do with the American version, which is follow up to see how the restaurant is doing after Ramsay leaves.
I heard about the F-word. We'll be on the lookout. Right now, we're enjoying a season of "Last Restaurant Standing" on the BBC. I wish they'd make an American version of that show (but I'm sure that would come with the excessive drama, as well).
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