Channel: FOX (Check your local listings)
Time/Day: 8pm Tuesdays
If you have never seen FOX’s reality show “Hell’s Kitchen” then you have been missing out. The general premise is this foul-mouthed master chef, Gordon Ramsey, is looking for the best chef to run the kitchen in a big restaurant (this year it is the Araxi restaurant in Wistler, British Columbia, Canada. The site of the 2010 winter Olympics). The chefs have to prove themselves through a series of challenges and dinner services and the whole time Ramsey is yelling at them and calling them some pretty funny names.
This season in the two hour premiere we were introduced to 16 new chefs (find their profiles here http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen) who all think they have what it takes. The 16 are divided in two teams of 8, the men against the women. The chefs have to first make their signature dishes for Ramsey with the hopes of impressing him. Well let’s say that out of the 16 only 5 got favorable reviews. After that it is on the punishments and rewards. Whenever a team wins a challenge they get a reward that usually affords them time with Ramsey. That is valuable. This time the men won dinner and a little celebrating upstairs in the apartments. The women had to clean up the kitchen. Fast forward to dinner service. In a few brief words, it was horrible. One of the male contestants was thrown out and off the show. The women never even served any appetizers. So of course they lost. When you lose you have to put up people for elimination that you think messed up the most and Ramsey then decides who should go home. This time around it was Melinda for being a deer caught in headlights. What was so great about this first half though was that it was the return of Robert, a contestant from last season who had to leave for medical reasons. Ramsey thought he would do better on the women’s team.
In the second half of the show we get another challenge where the teams have to clean whole shrimp perfectly. Again the men win by just one prawn. They were rewarded with a lunch with Ramsey where we find that ex-marine Joseph has no desire to pal around with Gordon. He just wants to cook and win. The women had to clean all of the shrimp that would be used for the next dinner service. The personalities really start to come out amongst the women and you can see that some people aren’t as great as they think they are. At dinner service people are butting heads all over the place. The maitre ‘d, Jean-Philippe (JP), got into with Van, the country Texas boy. Tennille (No, the captain isn’t there) almost served raw shrimp to a pregnant woman. People were all over the place and couldn’t cook right. The kitchen was shut down prematurely again. This time both teams lost and had to pick two people each to be put up for elimination. The best part of this show was the very end. The women put up their people without a problem but when Joseph was asked to say who the first person up was and why he just couldn’t get it together. It evolved into him saying he “ain’t no bitch” and going to get up in Ramsey’s face. Then of course the screen goes black and we have to wait till next week to see what happens.
I must say that I am biased towards loving this show because I love cooking and cursing and I get all of that and then some with “Hell’s Kitchen” and Gordon Ramsey. This season however looks very promising. The personalities are getting stronger and you never know what’s going to happen. Hell, next week there may even be punches thrown. Although I have to say, Joseph, I think you have some anger issues you need to resolve. Can we say PTSD people? Cause I think his therapist can.
I give this episode, and probably the whole season, 5 frames out of 5. I just prefer my food with a side of bitchiness and excessive cursing.
Head on over to J1studios to discuss reality, cursing, and the genius that is Gordon Ramsey.
Until next time kids, this has been Hava.
Pure Madness!
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