Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is without doubt the better of the Kitchen Nightmare versions. It is raw, and focused on the restaurants with of course drama thrown in. However it is not over the top like the US version of the show.

Gordon Ramsay is formidable as he works his way around from restaurant to restaurant trying to help owners get their struggling businesses back on their feet.

This is definitely a show I never tire of and can watch over and over. I am particularly fond of the first season and will on occasion check in to see what restaurants are still in existence from both versions of the show.

If you love Ramsay, love cooking and love drama. Then look no further.

Only weeks before the more mainstream 'Hell's Kitchen' came along, this one-hour, 4-part documentary series on Channel 4 was a real unexpected treat for viewers, particularly for jaded ones such as myself, tired at the whole cringe worthy "celebrity chef" genre.

Grizzly chef Gordon Ramsey travelled around Britain, each week visiting a different restaurant that was struggling to make money, serve decent food etc. In his now-famous way, Gordon would shout, swear & threaten the incompetent chefs at the restaurants, warn the restaurant owners that they will go out of business if they don't put their foot down & try & turn their fortunes around, help out in the kitchen, & promptly criticise anyone who had the guts to disagree with him on any sort of decision he made.

Seeing Mr. Ramsay tear into young upstarts, arrogant owners & generally anyone who got in his way, made for fascinating television, but it was also pleasant to see that, more often than not, the help Gordon had provided made a lot of difference, & that the restaurant began attracting more customers & serving better food.

No doubt there will be a second series of 'Hell's Kitchen' on ITV1 next year, but I would also like to see this show recommissioned as well. Not as glamorous as seeing celebrity chefs whinge at each other in a glorified TV studio, but 'Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares' was the best cookery-related show to come out in a long, long time

Every, (mostly) episode is the same. We see a restaurant in chaos, Ramsay turns up, orders, some slip arrives as his criticises everything and sends it back.

Then he goes into the kitchen, shouting and swearing at everyone. Looking for dirt, mouldy food etc.

Quite often someone gets fired, he observes a service and the chaos, exasperated by the pressure of him being in the kitchen, one again raising his voice causing more mistakes and anxiety.

He normally then shuts the place down, giving the restaurant a free makeover worth thousands - is that the hidden motive of these restaurants?

It's always the same, simplify the menu as he slaps his palm on his hand, "Simple, beautiful food". I think I've only seen one that he walked away from?

I'm sure he's got into a proper fight and been knocked out, or at least a bloodied nose. Shouting through his hands at owners, he bullies and abuses the owners of failing restaurants before turning into the nice guy, only occasionally being called out like Amy in the bakery

It's an hour of guilty pleasures, but if you have seen one, you have mainly seen them all.

I'm tired of reality TV, I'm tired of Emeril, give us reality in our reality TV. This show delivers. This is not a show about some chef in a sanitized kitchen studio making meals he has prepared and rehearsed 10 times prior to airing, this is about a man who loves food and wants to see good food on your plate. The drama from the series comes from the people whose restaurants are failing and Gordon's expertise in rectifying their calamities. He addresses this in a direct assault the failings of the business end and back kitchen. More often then not, you find the star in the kitchen with his hands up to elbow in work ensuring his plan comes through. I find his hands on approach refreshing and exciting.

If you enjoy food programming this is a must, if you enjoy reality TV and can appreciate dialog then it is required viewing.

A reality TV show which delivers and rewards the viewer.

Chefs running kitchen especially big high end restaurants, are domineering. so I don't think Gordon is more than usual, and the demanding & yelling is the way it is, if you don't perform.

He is a hard worker; and has demanding standards, probably since he started as a very young man. He ran Marathons for charity. Fit I went back to the beginning, as I didn't remember. It says he stopped the show in 2014 bec he was tired of Restaurants reverting to their old ways. it say 39% are still in business; one sold the Restaurant 5 months after the remake. He had debts and it was probably for the best. but it wouldn't have been worth anything without Gordon & the show.

Gordon is genuinely respects woman, whether it is 20-30s waitresses, chefs, or 40, or 50-60 y.o. waitresses. or the mothers and grandmothers. He is really nice with all the woman.

the decor is so terrible and old and dirty in most cases. He redoes the restaurant- overnight. beside the materials, the designer & the work, would cost $50K, depending on the size. so this is a big gift. the kitchens are so filthy; I am surprised all the diners don't get sick. and often Gordon redoes the kitchen getting new appliances. sometimes new computer systems, for checks, ordering etc. So the owners get value for their participation.

It is shocking to see some of the Owners or managers. they must hunt for the most disfunctional. 2007-8 there was a n economic crash. everyone doesn't have $30 to eat out- 75 for a couple. more for a family. But all these Restaurants fail for reasons. It's nice to go out, and have someone serve you. so atmosphere as well as food counts.

Peter's Restaurant Season#1 #1, the brother Peter was like someone out of GoodFellas. and draining the family restaurant while stroking his ego. A Parasite/ Never working & taking money for his lifestyle. He seemed to come round overnight, which was hard to believe, anyone that narcissistic and delusional, I don't think so. so I had a problem with that. Peter's closed within a few months, and reports were it went back to the old way. the 2nd one, Dillions,renamed Purnima, in a great location, West 54th st. Broadway in Manhattan. a great location. they don't dicuss rent, overhead or what is the break even a day a week, a month. not cheap in the heart of Manhattan. It would be impossible or run down place with bad food to get customers. there have been some suicides. One when I say it, I was really surprised. One was the night the show aired. I have to think there was mental illenss. even if you lose your house, your car and your restaurant. file bankruptcy and move on.

Trobiano's- 25 y.o talks his in laws into backing a restaurant out of cooking school with no experience. cocky & unduly arrogant. doesn't taste his own food which is terrible. He can't cook. Says it's not my fault if the restaurant is failing. oh yes it is. Gordon has to give him cooking lessons. and again the filthy kitchen. they had early bird, with large portions, 4:30-7pm get older. Look, if you can have brunch, you can have "supper" - late lunch early dinner. Gordon on screen criticizes the "tired old" clientele. I was surprised. bec it was very UNKIND. iT was the only business they had all night. Cordon stops the early bird. Really, creating a few dishes, early bird, with smaller portions, would it have been so bad. And serving a community with reasonable profits. If I paid 75 for dinner for 2, which is nominal by today's standards, I'd expect something really good, not diner food I can cook myself.

one I liked best, was a small restaurant in Paris, no outside tables I love outdoor bistro, looked charming left bank, and a street without cars. Vegetarian. the woman was a flake funded by her father. she was impossible and ungrateful. she disappeared bec her cat was having kittens. Cats don't need help. I think Gordon was VERY PATIENT. Also her "friend" who was a waitress walked off. & she had an incompetent & angry Brazilian who couldn't cook & had NO work ethical. Gordon get a young woman chef from Ireland. she moved to Paris, and Gordon wound up placing her in one of his London places under his mentorship. Gordon opened cooked & served for lunch & on a 6 EURO tomato SOUP and CHEESE SANDWICH (not GLUTEN free or VEGAN, but nice. tourist lunch too in 450 euros- and than did 1K euros in one night, and still she walked away.an was really nasty. I woul have loved to have a business like that in Paris.

Gordon when he remakes the menus (tries to do something different) but it's all "fresh" simple. Steak House, I guess people will eat steak out. Unless you are traveling, I never eat out what I can make easily at home. he likes steak houses. He could just as easily do a nice vegetable soup, and stew, etc. with brown rice, quoina, potatoes.