Hell's Kitchen

[Bleeding Red]

Anyone else watching?

I am sure that many others here have worked 'in the biz' - I was kitchen staff for three years then waited table for 10 years. I have a chef friend who also watches.

For show number one the question has to be "how stupid are you, you donkey!" After three seasons every contestant has to know that you have to make a signature dish in forty minutes. How can you not prepare for that? What are they thinking -"I need to impress him with something different", "I need to show"? - when they should be thinking "I need to cook something tasty and cook it right!"

And could 'captain Bobby' look any more dazed and confused, staring into the sky with his mouth open and tounge hanging out like Ramsey was going to toss him a cookie.

And it is one thing to take a smoke break - but, man, wash your feet on your own time, off camera preferably!

[nik-]

has a new one started? I just watched season 3 on the Food Network.

I think him calling the girl a "Gremlin" like 3 times was the funniest TV moment in the last year

[North East Goon]

I wish I could cook gourmet like any chef. The food alway's looks so damn good. I watch a number of show's on the food nettwork, just to drool! Add that big head Italian girl and it's a double drool!

[Bleeding Red]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

I wish I could cook gourmet like any chef. The food alway's looks so damn good. I watch a number of show's on the food nettwork, just to drool! Add that big head Italian girl and it's a double drool!

Anyone can cook like that, you just need a pantry the size of a warehouse, like that chef at home guy! Or acres of garden in your backyard like that Jamie Oliver guy!

Seriously though, it is really just a time and preparation issue for most of us. Spend a few hours chopping veggies, tenderizing meat, and stirring sauces, and you too could cook gourmet in 30 minutes.

[Sylvanfan]

I think Gordon Ramsey must be a CP poster. Seems like the best you can do with him is moderately dissappoint him. They show next weeks episode and he's like theres one of you I don't believe in.....I'm thinking theres one of them he does believe in? Had me fooled. Also laugh at the short guy with his Chefs hat, ha ha!

[Old Yeller]

My favourite was the fat asian guy who was either crying or passing out.

Seriously who has to be medically evacuated from a cooking show?

[Superflyer]

Love this show, last night was great. They all look like idiots but then again they always do in the first few episodes. There is nobody that stands out yet as this is the person, last season Rock only came onto my radar about half way through so you never know.
We should have done a pool for this like we do for survivor and big brother. Those ones lose me about half way through the season but Hells Kitchen always has me for the entire season.

[Dan02]

Dunno this show only gets by, by bringing in about 10-12 useless ######s who are fully qualified to be flipping burgers and mcdicks just so Ramsey can yell at them none stop, and the a couple competent chefs who get to fight it out at the end, this year actually looks worse then usual.

But hey lets go take a smoke and rub my dirty feet at the begining of service. Wanna bet he didnt even wash his grubby hands?

That being said i usually watch it.

[Bleeding Red]

Originally Posted by fotze

Who do you think you are, Gusteau?

I can make Kraft Dinner with the best of them!

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

I wish I could cook gourmet like any chef. The food alway's looks so damn good. I watch a number of show's on the food nettwork, just to drool! Add that big head Italian girl and it's a double drool!

the youtube clips on Giada Delaurentis is mostly about melons

[bigtmac19]

I've chimed in before on Hell's Kitchen. I think it's a fake show all the way around. They basically cook the same dishes every week. If you can't get it right after a few trys on the same dish you are a complete idiot. Also I think it was the second season, the guy who won was a professional chef. I saw him after that season of Hell's Kitchen, on Iron Chef America and he was a well know chef/restaurant owner from California, according to his bio on Iron Chef.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by bigtmac19

I've chimed in before on Hell's Kitchen. I think it's a fake show all the way around. They basically cook the same dishes every week. If you can't get it right after a few trys on the same dish you are a complete idiot. Also I think it was the second season, the guy who won was a professional chef. I saw him after that season of Hell's Kitchen, on Iron Chef America and he was a well know chef/restaurant owner from California, according to his bio on Iron Chef.

So how does that mean it's fake? Clearly the people chosen to be on the show know how to cook and many have good careers. The one winner was head sous chef in charge of a team of 15 or something. One winner was a professional chef. The show isn't about discovering someone who has a hidden talent for cooking but rather finding a cook who has a hidden talent to be a GREAT cook.

As for cooking the recipes day after day. Quite right some should be able to get it but not everybody will. these are recipes from a Michelin star chef and no matter how many times even a good chef cooks such a dish it will not be Michelin star dish. It takes someone special to cook that recipe correctly every single time and that's essentially what the show is about. Finding the person who can do that as well as the person that can put together exceptional original dishes.

Don't get me wrong some things are clearly staged and over the top but in the end I think the show is exactly what it pretends to be....taking good chefs and finding the great one.

[Metro Gnome]

I watch HK, but prefer his "Kitchen Nightmares" series, particularly the ones done in Europe. Much more interesting and honest.

[Poison]

The real question is how i can find some racy photos of last years finalist Bonnie, yum yum!!!!!!!

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by ernie

So how does that mean it's fake? Clearly the people chosen to be on the show know how to cook and many have good careers. The one winner was head sous chef in charge of a team of 15 or something. One winner was a professional chef. The show isn't about discovering someone who has a hidden talent for cooking but rather finding a cook who has a hidden talent to be a GREAT cook.

As for cooking the recipes day after day. Quite right some should be able to get it but not everybody will. these are recipes from a Michelin star chef and no matter how many times even a good chef cooks such a dish it will not be Michelin star dish. It takes someone special to cook that recipe correctly every single time and that's essentially what the show is about. Finding the person who can do that as well as the person that can put together exceptional original dishes.

Don't get me wrong some things are clearly staged and over the top but in the end I think the show is exactly what it pretends to be....taking good chefs and finding the great one.

I don't neccessarily agree with you here, the guy who won, and was later on Iron Chef, was a highly experienced Chef, owned a restaurant etc. He wasn't just a cook. On HK he did not perform that well for many weeks. I believe he was pretending to just be a mediocre cook. As for the menus they cook week after week, I don't believe them to be Michelin quality menus. I think it was last season, every week, they were making risotto and beef wellington, neither of which is a particularly gourmet menu item, nor would it be that difficult to master.

[BlackEleven]

Originally Posted by Metro Gnome

I watch HK, but prefer his "Kitchen Nightmares" series, particularly the ones done in Europe. Much more interesting and honest.

I agree. And I find Top Chef to be vastly superior as far as a reality cooking contest show goes. Not as many wackos and all the contestants actually know how to cook really well.

[moon]

Originally Posted by bigtmac19

I believe he was pretending to just be a mediocre cook. As for the menus they cook week after week, I don't believe them to be Michelin quality menus. I think it was last season, every week, they were making risotto and beef wellington, neither of which is a particularly gourmet menu item, nor would it be that difficult to master.

You don't think there could be different ingredients or cooking styles that could make the risotto more difficult to prepare? It certainly is included on gourmet menus so I am not sure why you would think that it is not a gourmet menu item.

I think it would be a lot more difficult to manufacture all this fake crap then it would be to have chefs with a wide variety of skills and have a guy that demands perfection to yell at them.

There are certainly many contrived/scripted parts like there are with any reality show, but I doubt that they tell the chefs to throw "challenges" or to suck at cooking things on purpose.

For example last night. That Mr. Mom had never cooked a scallop in his life why would we expect him to be good enough for Gordon's standard to do it. The guys never looked at the menu why would we expect an average chef like Jason to cook it perfectly with zero prep time?

[ernie]

Originally Posted by bigtmac19

I don't neccessarily agree with you here, the guy who won, and was later on Iron Chef, was a highly experienced Chef, owned a restaurant etc. He wasn't just a cook. On HK he did not perform that well for many weeks. I believe he was pretending to just be a mediocre cook. As for the menus they cook week after week, I don't believe them to be Michelin quality menus. I think it was last season, every week, they were making risotto and beef wellington, neither of which is a particularly gourmet menu item, nor would it be that difficult to master.

I used the wrong word...should have put chef there and not cook.

It isn't easy to make a good, consistent risotto...atleast if you do it properly and don't cheat.

I think you underestimate the flavour profiles Ramsey is looking for in his dishes.

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by ernie

I used the wrong word...should have put chef there and not cook.

It isn't easy to make a good, consistent risotto...atleast if you do it properly and don't cheat.

I think you underestimate the flavour profiles Ramsey is looking for in his dishes.

I agree with your risotto comment, but would add, that a chef with as much experience as that guy had, I think it was over 20 years, should get it right 98% of the time.

I'm sure Ramsey's standards are exceedingly high that's true.

I don't know, I guess we just disagree somewhat, I truly find the whole show pretty fake, but that's just my opinion.

I do enjoy his Kitchen Nightmares (UK version) a lot though. In the UK version he is a fairly decent teacher, language issue aside.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by ernie

So how does that mean it's fake? Clearly the people chosen to be on the show know how to cook and many have good careers. The one winner was head sous chef in charge of a team of 15 or something. One winner was a professional chef. The show isn't about discovering someone who has a hidden talent for cooking but rather finding a cook who has a hidden talent to be a GREAT cook.

It doesn't appear to be completely fake, but as far as I can tell there are only 3-4 chefs per season realistically in contention for the final prize.

The rest of them seem to just be there strictly to create situations in which Ramsay can freak out and be hilarious.