Hell's Kitchen (Season 5, US)

[Trippy]

[schild]

God I hate this show. The people they find are the dreck of the food industry. There should be no one allowed on TV who is a worst cook than me. Seriously.

[Righ]

That's kind of the point though. Its the Pygmalion of cooking.

[Signe]

I like the show but I agree about the contestants.  Geez.  We were speculating last night whether the Hell's Kitchen lot would actually be better than the terrible chefs they picked on Top Chef this year.  But, no - Hell's Kitchen cooking makes Top Chef's worse look wonderful.  At the beginning, when Ramsey tasted the signature dishes, I thought even the dishes he said tasted nice looked like vomit.  Really really nasty vomit.  For me Hell's Kitchen is mostly about Gordon Ramsey.  I love him and yet I'm not beyond taking bets as to when he pops an artery and falls over dead. 

[Merusk]

There's a reason to watch Hell's Kitchen OTHER than Gordon?   

So this year's crop is awful, huh?  I DVR'd it last night and plan on watching it with the daughter when I get home, she loves the show.

[Righ]

They're beyond awful. Prison tats, bad facial piercings, people with narcissistic personality disorders, people who constantly sweat, con artists, nervous wrecks, psychopaths. So same as before, but they may have outdone themselves this year. As I mentioned, they do this for the Pygmalion effect. They want to take somebody that we'll dismiss as human garbage and draw something good out of them (or preferably beat it into them) over the course of the show. Since it is TV, its likely there's a script and ringers hidden among the dreadful losers.

[Nebu]

I swear the people on this show come from IHOP and Dennys.  I can't watch it. 

I used to like the BBC version where Gordon would help rescue restaurants from the brink of failure, but even those shows have become more about Gordon's rants than they are about solutions. 

[Signe]

I continue to watch because of Gordon Ramsey and the drama.  It keeps me away from soap operas.  The choosing criteria for this show is simply bizarre.  These people even look like the others from previous seasons.  Fat man who sweats in the food, couple of intense bossy people, lazy girl who mistakenly thinks she's a looker, some guy who will cry a lot, young gay boy who everyone loves in spite of his lack of cooking ability, odd looking people with metal implants, middle-aged woman who doesn't belong, etc.

[Trippy]

I used to like the BBC version where Gordon would help rescue restaurants from the brink of failure, but even those shows have become more about Gordon's rants than they are about solutions. 

That's Kitchen Nightmares and there's a US version of that too.

[Nebu]

That's Kitchen Nightmares and there's a US version of that too.

No thanks on the US version.  Too much fabricated drama!

[schild]

That's Kitchen Nightmares and there's a US version of that too.

No thanks on the US version.  Too much fabricated drama!

Actually, it's not so much fabricated as it's what happens when dumb people are allowed to run businesses. It's a circus of white trash and stupidity. It's very hard to watch without getting angry.

[Righ]

The Indian restaurant in NYC was frightening. Not only because it was a health hazard, but because I nearly ended up eating there after a concert, just months before they filmed the TV show. 

[Merusk]

You'd probably be surprised how often kitchens look like that.  If you've worked in the restaurant business you learn to just make your own damn food.

[Samwise]

I just noticed this on Hulu and started watching it.  I usually hate reality TV but I find this entertaining.  If there's two things I like, it's food and people shouting angrily in British accents.