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Fox's HELL'S KITCHEN:Too Hot For The Critics''
SPOILER ALERT !!
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Both sweeps and the regular season ended Wednesday, so television became much more rerunny on Thursday. But the first of the many, many summer series launches Memorial Day. It’s a Fox reality how dubbed “Hell’s Kitchen,” about 12 contestants vying for their own restaurant - in a built-for-TV eatery serving real Los Angeles customers.
The critics don’t seem to like it much.
Variety says:
… peculiar confection … The U.S. clearly isn't generating homegrown cretins fast enough, which must explain the logic behind importing celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, a cartoonishly abusive snot who chucks food at contestants. … Some will doubtless embrace the show's camp qualities, but I simply kept thinking "Check, please" through the first two episodes. … The problem rather lies with Ramsay, who overplays his part from the opening moments … Mostly, it's another reality title in search of a show … The New York Daily News give it two and a half stars and says:
Color me shocked. My appetite for reality shows is such that the prospect of new ones tends to make me nauseated, but with the new restaurant reality series "Hell's Kitchen," Fox is plating and serving something almost palatable. … Hidden cameras capture most of the action, which appears too raw and unchecked - from the teams, the patrons and Ramsay - to be explained away as grandstanding. More so than in "The Restaurant," the drama in "Hell's Kitchen" seems real, and the show itself seems perfectly titled...even before Ramsay cuts the kitchen air-conditioning to teach one team a lesson. … The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… American audiences may dislike the swearing, overbearing Ramsay even more than they do Cowell, because in "Hell's Kitchen" there's no nice girl Paula Abdul or obsequious Randy Jackson to temper the embarrassment of having food shoved back in your chest or to dilute the obnoxiousness of a chef who drops f-bombs on unsatisfied customers. … Almost nothing in "Hell's Kitchen" is unique to the reality genre - it's painfully derivative on so many fronts that it sometimes seems you're watching five reality shows at once. ... The Salt Lake City Tribune says:
… Cooking shows are supposed to leave you hungry, not feeing like you're going to vomit. … What's particularly cruel about Ramsey is that there is little to no instruction in between his ferocious shots. That leaves viewers little reason to watch. … 9 p.m. Monday. Fox.
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Too much swearing for Americans? didn't the USA give the world Eddie Murphy?
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What passes for TV now, I have seen bits of this so called "Chef" before and he seems like a pompus ass.
I was a chef for a long time and while we're all assholes, this guy doesn't teach anything to the people he berates.
Jamie Oliver would have been a better choice, he had a great reality show on BBC I belive where he took at-risk kids and put them through cullinary school. -
... the original HK with Gordon Ramsey in the UK was genius. He's much better than similarly "evil" Simon Cowell - as he actually has a genuine talent and love of food. Top guy. Great TV shows he's involved with, too... just a shame the US version of US may fail purely because the Yanks don't "get" the style of Ramsey's "overbearingness". The clips I've seen of the US show did seem quite good, but with a lot of the OTT Americanism of the format (idiot voice-over man, etc)
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I hope he gets the pumping he deserves. He bitches about celebrity chefs and then does shit like this. An obnoxios self-aggrandising prick. And a Hun to boot
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Dammit
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Pfft. See if I ever eat at one of his establishments.
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The fall lineup is encouraging, very few reality type shows
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Classic egomaniacial boss that beats you down so terribly only to lift you up sporadically that you feel like he's doing you a favor. Hopefully the ratings will tell him to "shut it!"
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i've seen worse.
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... no-one need ever make another show about cooking ever again as it's all downhill from there.
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the difference between Reality TV and scripted TV is that BAD scripted TV is more unwatchable than bad reality TV. Say what you want, haters, but "Joey" and "Hope and Faith" suck horse glue compared to Hell's Kitchen, Paridise Island, Big Brother, etc... at least you can laugh at real people being idiots, not overpaid actors pretending to be idiots.
The show tonight was pretty good. lots of swearing hehe. foreigners are silly. There's MUCH worse out there, and at least Fox is trying. NBC has done everything but bend over and ask "may i have another" from the other net's hell, WB is better than big peacock these days. now THAT'S sad. -
He's an ex-footballer you know....
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Hehe, I smell a Celtic fan.... Have you finished crying into your Lucky Chrams after St Martin leaving you in the lurch and getting royally ass-fucked by Rangers this season? Never mind, you'll always have Seville......
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*charms
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This show was ok, will watch it again to see how it develops. Didn't know he was a (51st Scottish League Championship) Gers man, that makes it more interesting. Tell all the Tims you know, we're top o the league and yer no....
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I presume Fox is repeating the same thing. Apart from other reality TV shows, which I fucking despise, this one feels like 'reality'. This is one of the countries best chef's, and he is like that, it's not acting!
Likewise, as you see the series progress, you see why he does it... the whole point is to get his chef's to that level where they can cook proper food in an expensive restaurant and remove those that can't hack it. By the end, the remaining celeb contestants are the best cooks..... it was a pretty enjoyable show with a lot of conflict. What's not to love? this sort of thing is why people watch this crap (reality TV) isn't it? Bad language included. The Osbornes anyone?? -
PLease someone end this glut of reality crap! Stop watching this garbage!
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That was nothing "real" about this show because I don't for a second buy customers waiting over an hour for appetizers, or not walking out after being told to "fuck off" by the chef (although I do think they did walk out the second time he insulted them). Restaurants survive on reputation but no matter how good the food is reputed to be, no restaurant would ever survive such an abusive employee. It's one thing for him to abuse his underlings like that, it's something quite different to heap that shit on the customers. Or am I being naive? Do people put up with that sort of behaviour because they believe an over-priced meal by someone they are told is a great chef is worth being humiliated for?
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I have waited my whole life to say this, no, really.... I have..... F I R S T Now, with that said one of my goals in life has been accomplished. Oh, and I don't want to sound like a queer or nothing, but Hell's Kitchen kicks ass!
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Sorry to burst all your bubbles at once but the restaurant doesnt exist. Bar, the chef and his staff, everything else is fake. At least that is how the uk version worked.
Gordon Ramsay was burned by the first series because the restaurant was fictional and for him it was a bit of a fish out of water type thing. I dont think he was used to the celebs.
The one condition he had for making the us version was that he would only work with real people this time round.
I dont know what most americans personally think of ramsay and I doubt many have heard of him. His company owns 12 restaurants worldwide and of them, they have 7 michiline stars, he has just opened his thiteenth restaurant in japan and is about to open a tapas bar/restaurant of which many more are planned.
The best program/series that ramsay has done so far is ramsay's kitchen knightmares. if you think that poor schlubs in his fictional restaurant cant cook just wait untill you see the ones who call themselves chefs and have thier businesses and cant cook and dont have a clue about food,hygiene.
Cowell and ramsay may depised as being rude brits but they are successfull and ramsay of all people has been working in kitchens for 25 years. You dont get to be head chef by being nice.
Read kitchen confidential by Anthony Bourdain. -
Ramsey is splendid
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I have to admit, Chef Ramsay goes over the top with his abuse. I'm sure the guy's a complete dick in reality too, but thet doesn't give anybody the right to treat people like this. I think I've watched my first and last episode.
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I heard he makes them cook puppies. Awww :(
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I thought it was pretty funny... He's crazy. You can't go wrong when one of your wannabe chefs is a chubby pastry chef named Dewberry! LOL!
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May 31, 2005 3:28:06 PM CDT
I never, for one second, thought that those customers were
by prozacmorris
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May 31, 2005 3:31:40 PM CDT
Allow me to finish, I never, for one second, thought that those
by prozacmorris
Human yes, but they knew what they were getting into, new reality show, crazy-foul-mouthed star, in LA. Those four bimboes reeked of fading, informercial starlets (like the trixies in the "Pet Meds" spots.) I can't wait until next week when the fatty customer gets in the face of the Maitre'd. Chill out, man! It's just dinner.
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Gordon Ramsey is doing a much better show on Channel 4 in the UK, called 'Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares' (just in case Fox want to copy that one too). In this show he visits a resaurant that is failing and has 7 days to turn it around and solve the problems. There is still the usual Ramsey swearing and shouting, but it shows that the man actually cares passionately about the business he is in. There are no celebrities, so I'm sure the majority of US viewers won't give a shit about it, but it is worth watching, as it's an example of a good reality show. Real people, real issues, not just the latest bunch of sad retards trying to climb the fame ladder in the quickest time possible (Big Brother 5! Jeez, I can't believe we've got to suffer another one of these over here in Blighty) If it's a choice between Ramsey telling someone that they're a "fucking stupid cock-sucking piece of shit" or watching a dozen unknown wannabies, then Mr. Ramsey, you get my vote. Keep up the swearing. It is big and it is clever!
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In between Ramsay's manhandling of kitchen staff, you at least learn something about food and restaurants. This show just focuses on the abuse.
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Your barbs mean nothing to me - I actually have to work in the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness (Ibrox)so I've been getting it all week.
Ah well I'll get my reward in heaven
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My favourite moment was when "comedian" Vic Reeves visited Gordon.He asked for fried eggs because he didn't fancy anything on the menu. Gordon politely asked him to come up to the kitchen where he made the following statement:
"I'm here, sweating my *UC*ing b#ll*cks off and some clever CU** like you orders fried *UC*ing eggs! Do you think that's funny? It's not *UC*ing funny, now *UC* off out of my sight!"
That was a good cussing.Ramsey is probably a good bloke but when it's time to go to work,he isn't messing about.It's about pride in his job that makes him act that way,so fair play if that is acceptable in the culture he works in.Saying that though,I wouldn't deal with that crap for all the tea in China. -
pistolopera.com yo
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...that his TV persona is a little forced and cartoonish, but Gorndon Ramsay is a 3 Michelin Star chef, the best chef in the UK according to foody friends I have who visit his restaurants and the Savoy Grill... so, he genuinely knows his stuff re. the food, he really is a perfectionist and he really does give his staff a hard time... the fact that he also knows what makes good TV and goes over-the-top on camera... well, so what? He's usually pretty accurate in his criticism and people know what to expect from him.
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This show is the funniest, edgiest, and most ballsiest reality show out there. I love this guy. To be honest, we Americans hate rude people in real life, but on TV, we eat this shit up. How else could "House" be as successful or how well "Boston Legal" comes off good? Cause we like prickish characters. I think despite what some stiff "shove a lump of coal up their ass in a week you'll get a diamond" critic thinks, this show will do well. I haven't laughed so much at a reality show or been on edge from one til now. This show is a solid 5 star show, forget those idiot naysayers, go watch your pansy shows like "7th Heaven" and "Summerland."
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It seemed kind of fake. I had to wonder when Carolann said she had no experience cooking. Everyone has SOME experience cooking, and she had a good signature dish. She seemed to be a plant. Obviouslly the diners knew it was a new show, but that doesn't mess up the concept. Cooking Under Fire is a million times better! Put it on your TiVo, it's real. This one...I'm not so sure.
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