User reviews

In my brief overview of KITCHEN NIGHTMARES I touched upon the point that there's a fundamental cause as to why an eatery is failing , a mix of the owner/manager leaving everything to the head chef who lacks incentive , passion and sees their kitchen job as a means of getting paid . Nothing illustrates this better than this episode featuring a vegetarian restaurant Picollo Teatro set in the heart of Paris . Even if you're used to the formulaic feel of the show and find it repetitive then this episode might just shock you . It shocked me as I found myself watching a French/Ecosse hybrid of FAWLTY TOWERS

Gordon Ramsay arrives trying to solve the problems of Rachel an ex-pat Scot , her best friend Stephanie and chef Daniel from Brazil but within minutes it's very clear that Rachel , Stephanie and Daniel are the problem along with whatever substances they've been consuming by the kilo . Honestly they've all been taking something that came from a field in Helmand province Afghanistan

" How would you describe the food ? " Ramsay asks Stephanie

" Not particularly spectacularly exceptional " slurs Stephanie as she gives the impression she's in an Amsterdam cannabis café

But Stephanie is relatively pious compared to Daniel who proceeds to impersonate Cameroon footballer Roger Milla giving a goal line celebration . He can dance the light fantastic but takes more than 20 minutes to do a couple of salads whilst rearranging the kitchen utensils on the rack because ... well just because . You don't need me to tell you this is unacceptable even if you've died from a smack overdose , So Ramsay suggests dumping Daniel in the middle of service , cue lots of knife waving and dancing from Daniel who is carried out by force by Ramsay

This sums up things to come . If something has to done then Ramsay has to do it himself . Let's think about this . Rachel employs an eccentric Brazilian footballer who is either mentally ill or on drugs and she doesn't notice this until the cameras arrive . People in this show are the perpetrators of their own misfortune rather than being victims of other peoples flaws but the ignorant and lazy attitude continues the next day as Ramsay opens Picollo Teatro , preps up the food and waits for Rachel and Stephanie who turn up when they feel like it . Ramsay asks Stephanie if she's committed to the business to which she replies in slurred tones " I am committed to Rachel but I refuse to be harassed and insulted " and then walks out . Ramsay also walks out which tells you all you need to know

As someone with much kitchen experience this is shocking stuff . 100 per cent commitment isn't good enough . 110 per cent might just get you there but only if you have the attitude that only death itself can stop you making a success of your business . Fair play to Ramsay because most people would have given up on Rachel by this point but he pulls his finger out and does his best to rescue someone else's business and Rachel's father helps by bringing in a 23 year old chef India who hails from Edinburgh , a city immoratalised as having wall to wall smack addicts and ironically India is the first person featured by name who doesn't give the impression she's addicted to class A drugs

And it's heart warming to see the sole benefactor of this episode is India whose attitude and work ethic gains Ramsay's respect and gives her a placement in a top London restaurant . Well done girl and a great example of if you help yourself people will do their utmost to help you . As for Rachel the other commentators have pointed out her well deserved fate . Let this be an example of if you're wanting to make a success of a food business you have to work hard at it . It's also a bad idea to have magic mushrooms on the staff menu too . As a footnote if you google Rachel you'll find she found a career path that probably suits her talents

In 99% of these episodes and overall restaurants it's about having a competent owner. Just someone who is not a total buffoon. These episodes are about failing restaurants so you know the owners will be lazy and stupid in many ways. But this episode is just something else. It's shocking.

A rich dad buys his pretty daughter a restaurant in Paris. Rachel is fairly young, blonde, and attractive with some face jobs. Posh and in Paris clearly enjoying life. She clearly wants the Paris life but HATES working. She is constantly late by an hour with various apologies and overall refuses to do any work. She has 3 people working for her. One is her friend, a waitress. Doesn't need one as Rachel could work herself, but she plain refuses. The waitress is also pretty and young and exactly just as lazy. Coming an hour late while Gordon is waiting alone for them in the restaurant. She also refuses to help in the kitchen as this for her is also just a "for fun" job. So she leaves when Gordon asks her to help out when the lose a chef. They had 2 cooks. One is a part-time cook as she has a son. The other cook is a totally crazy middle-aged Brazilian who refuses to cook fast or learn how to cook properly. Rachel and him may have something more going on as she refuses to kick him out until Gordon forces her to. Then her rich dad arrives from Australian with a 22-year-old female cook. That's the only competent person besides Gordon in this episode. She's a great cook and Gordon turns the business around to set up an extremely successful restaurant - if they don't mess it up that is.

At the end Gordon returns a few weeks later. The chef tells him that she returned from Australia and the restaurant was full of mice or other disgusting things. She spent days cleaning it. The dad returned and they ran one service, but the dad shut it down right afterwards. Both dad and daughter are too lazy. The daughter seems to have become a prostitute. But even in this episode you could see she had quite a bit of work done on her face. So how long can she last in such a job before losing her looks to drug abuse or aging? Seems like running a restaurant is a better long-term prospect, but it's her choice. But I think Rachel was mad at Gordon for kicking out her boyfriend and friend from her restaurant and revealing her laziness to her father who was bleeding money. She didn't want this life anymore as the get easy money from dad idea she had set up was gone. She just used her dad to pay the wages of her and her friends/boyfriend while doing nothing.

The episode is infuriating. Gordon knows this business will 100% fail. We all know that. Get rid of the daughter and you have a thriving business. But her dad bought it for her to enjoy life in Paris so she wanted to run it. Absolutely terrible human beings in this episode disrespecting all people around them. I have never seen Gordon work this hard as he has to do it all. Work the kitchen, buy the goods, clean the restaurant. But while doing so he looks utterly silly and stupid as it's quite clear the main problem will never be fixed. Who knows what Rachel is doing now. But likely her dad will support her as long as he is alive so that she doesn't have to work. What will happen to her once he dies? Nothing good.

I saw this back when it first came out, and the owner, Rachel McNally, gave me the creeps. She was such an incredible lowlife that it did not surprise me when the news reported that she was a prostitute. She always looked like she was on drugs, as did her Brazilian cook.

Rachel opened and closed her restaurant as she pleased. She used it to make her father suffer, since he was paying for all of her mistakes. She had no consideration for Ramsay or her new cook, India. At every discussion, she was arrogant towards everyone, and just plain nasty. I was glad to see her restaurant shut down.

Rachel blamed Ramsay for the failure of her restaurant. She claims that she had to become a prostitute due to Ramsay. "I enjoy sex and was turned on by the idea of selling my body for money, so it wasn't much of a hassle. Its a great way to make money. I charge around 200 a time, and getting business is no problem at all. If they have any kinky suggestions, I might charge a bit more," Rachel added.

Rachel has even used her Kitchen Nightmares TV appearance to get business by sending videos to potential clients. I wonder what she looks like now? It is 14 years later.