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Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare


mame11

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If anyone could make Marco Pierre White his bitch, I would have to go with Batali. :unsure:

Does either still have anything relationship with Food Network?

I think the extent of Mario Batali's relationship with Food Network is limited to Iron Chef America, although they still show re-runs of Molto Mario (the show is no longer produced). I don't think that Bourdain has any assocation with FN, although they do occasionally re-run A Cook's Tour.

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With all the (deserved) drubbing Gordan Ramsay's received for the Tempation Island-meets-Apprentice culinary sinkhole that is Hell's Kitchen, it has been wonderful to see again the chef doing what he presumably does best: whispering, not barking, orders in the kitchen. Each week on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Chef Ramsay is summoned to a fledgling restaurant (his vision of a nightmare), and he has only a week to turn the place around. Last week he was sent to a French outpost in Scotland (now known as Abstract), completely staffed by chefs who had previously worked in Michelin-star establishments and were oblivious of the fact that their high-minded French approach was alienating the locals, and Ramsay had to work slowly and subtly to get them to completely change their approach. I won't spoil the details, but watching him jump into an unknown kitchen and immediately grasp what's working and what isn't is fascinating, and listening to him curse is almost musical. I wish FOX had the mind to do this show instead.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (Wednesday's at 9 p.m. on BBC America)

Review of Season One of RKN on Slate

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Oh yeah, I love Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares! Great show! Is there another season coming up?

ETA: DUDE! A quiz on British restaurant slang! brb!!

EETA: 4 out of 5! :unsure:

Ah, I should have mentioned that the new season started at the end of May (something I was unaware of until this Tuesday, but I'll have to catch those episodes in re-runs). There's going to be eight episodes this season -- that's twice the bollocks as last time!

And you fared better than me -- I got 2 out of 5.

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Excellent...I hadden't heard about that. If it's like season two, it'll be half new episodes, and half revisiting places from season 2. That is...in the half hour show, they'll re-play most of the season 2 episode with seven minutes of new footage for the visit.

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Excellent...I hadden't heard about that. If it's like season two, it'll be half new episodes, and half revisiting places from season 2. That is...in the half hour show, they'll re-play most of the season 2 episode with seven minutes of new footage for the visit.

Yeah, I think these are all-new, one hour of cheeky goodness shows. The one I saw last week didn't involve going back to any of the old joints. But I would love to see what happened to the kid who almost poisoned Ramsay in season one.

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Yeah, I think these are all-new, one hour of cheeky goodness shows. The one I saw last week didn't involve going back to any of the old joints. But I would love to see what happened to the kid who almost poisoned Ramsay in season one.
He revisited Bonapartes in the last episode of season 2.
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Yeah, I think these are all-new, one hour of cheeky goodness shows. The one I saw last week didn't involve going back to any of the old joints. But I would love to see what happened to the kid who almost poisoned Ramsay in season one.

Poisoned Ramsay? Do tell...

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ETA: DUDE! A quiz on British restaurant slang! brb!!

EETA: 4 out of 5! :unsure:

Me too :D Would have been nice if they'd translated the Cockney slang answers for those who aren't 'fluent' [not me B) ] (i.e., Pete Tong....)

I still think my favorite Ramsay bit was on "Faking It" when the guy was doing prep work in one of Ramsay's kitchens, tells someone to "julian" some carrots and Ramsay goes off about "Julian?!?! Julian!? Who the f#*& is JULIAN!?!?" ;):P

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Poisoned Ramsay? Do tell...

This young twit named Tim was running the kitchen of a Yorkshire bistro. One of the first things the chefs at the troubled restaurants do is cook their signature dish for Ramsay. In this case, it was scallops. But they had gone bad (the chef was notoriously bad at keeping his stock up to date), and Ramsay spent the next few minutes of the show throwing them up and cursing the kid. Granted, it would have been more entertaining if it had been intentional, but all the same it makes for great TV.

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Don't forget the young twit's ambition. He didn't want to be a mere chef - he wanted to be the best kind, a TV chef. When Gordon caught up with Tim for the revisit episode, those aspirations had switched to pure showbiz. Ah, youth. Bet he still can't make a decent omelette.

I'd love to see Gordon - or an American equivalent - do a similar show in the US without having it dumbed down for the American audience. Fat chance.

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Saddest. Season. Ever.

I assume you mean the second season. I've only seen the first four episodes of it (Momma Cherri, La Lanterna, La Riviera, and D-Place). Are the other four even worse? D-Place was freaking sad indeed. At least Momma Cherri is still thriving.

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Should be interesting to note the differences between the UK and US versions. Methinks that the American kitchen staff won't be as receptive to Gordon's input.
If last night's episode was any indication, they have turned the sensationalism (and the budget) waay up for the US version. In the UK version, it seemed as though you got more of a sense of the people behind the restaurant and their struggles - and you want to root for them. Last night I just laughed my butt off at Peter, who I bet takes the LIRR in to the city every weekend to eat at a Chodorow joint...Also missing was the usual re-visit in a few months, but Fox could be saving those moments for a "where are they now episode" toward the end of the season.
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Also missing was the usual re-visit in a few months, but Fox could be saving those moments for a "where are they now episode" toward the end of the season.
Agreed, I always liked the re-visit at the end of the UK version. And what's the deal with him buying them all new kitchen equipment? What a joke. The place is going under and the way to deal with it is to pretend you're Ty Pennington and drop 30 grand on all new gear? In the UK version, he would have made Peter drop the lease on that Benz and sell off some of his stuff to buy the needed kitchen gear.
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It looked like they filmed last night's episode like the UK version, but edited the last few days of Ramsay's visit for the last 5 minutes because they wanted that climax with the confrontation with the douchebag Peter. Damn sensationalist Fox TV execs.

I would love to have seen him re-visiting the restaurant months later like on the UK version as well.

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Are Americans really as stupid as Fox thinks we are? Jlock and I have recently become obsessed with the British version, watching an episode pretty much every night (I think we are almost caught up now), but the American version pales in contrast. Ramsey seems so disconnected to the whole process; I think the narrator adds to that. So much better when Ramsey was narrating it himself so that it seemed all the work was his. And, why does that brutish, spoiled creep deserve a new kitchen? Is that really necessary? I felt so much more disconnected from the operation of the restaurant than in the British version. But, at least Ramsey didn't feel the need to undress in front of us in the U.S. version.

Given all that, I will probably watch faithfully as I am a sucker.

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Are Americans really as stupid as Fox thinks we are? Jlock and I have recently become obsessed with the British version, watching an episode pretty much every night (I think we are almost caught up now), but the American version pales in contrast. Ramsey seems so disconnected to the whole process; I think the narrator adds to that. So much better when Ramsey was narrating it himself so that it seemed all the work was his. And, why does that brutish, spoiled creep deserve a new kitchen? Is that really necessary? I felt so much more disconnected from the operation of the restaurant than in the British version. But, at least Ramsey didn't feel the need to undress in front of us in the U.S. version.

Given all that, I will probably watch faithfully as I am a sucker.

Ramsay wisely "pulled his punches" with Peter, IMHO. To get in Peter's face, screaming at him like he often did to participants in the UK version of the show, would have been suicidal. No one seemed to be able to stand up to such a tyrranical bully, and Ramsay, like everyone else realized that the only way to cope with him is to attempt to soothe him. My sense was that the mission of the episode was to try to "save" this business, and supporting the family and staff, many of who had resorted to passive-aggressive strategies to express their feelings about Peter, by providing the new equipment was the only way to do it. Peter, who seems to be pathologically narcissistic, entitled and explosive, appeared to have mended his ways in the last few minutes of the show. He probably was shown some of the footage shot previously, where his egregiously obnoxious behavior was on display, and he may have finally heard his father's pathetic plea: "Stop. You're embarassing me." I don't have a lot of hope for the future, however, unless the family can restructure the business to insulate it from Peter's greed. He appears to be a character-disordered personality, and like the tiger, cannot so easily change his stripes.

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I got the feeling that something other than what we saw caused the abrupt about-face; Peter just seemed to catch a clue way too suddenly given his previous behavior.

Maybe his, er, creditors sent their large or extra-large sized helper around for a chat (after having sent Small and Medium, who we saw). :angry:

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Just when I was really missing Joey on Top Chef.... thanks Peter B) !

Geez, not at all like the UK version. I could really do without all the dramatic music and (as noted by JPW) the "Extreme Makeover - Restaurant edition!" element of buying lots of fancy new appliances. I much prefer the more subdued, though oftentimes no less dramatic original version. But, like lackadaisi, I'm a sucker and no doubt I'll be tuned in next week :angry:

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I can't believe no one commented on last week's truly disgusting restaurant rehab.
I was too truly disgusted :blink: to think back on it - tax dodge, anyone??

Honestly, who would EVER set foot in that place, even with the fumigation, menu rehab, etc.??!? My main thought was why didn't they pick a place that actually DESERVED the help? Anyone who would let an establishment get to that state probably has no business being in the restaurant business.

Yes, it is the episode associated with the lawsuit.

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I was too truly disgusted :blink: to think back on it - tax dodge, anyone??

Honestly, who would EVER set foot in that place, even with the fumigation, menu rehab, etc.??!? My main thought was why didn't they pick a place that actually DESERVED the help? Anyone who would let an establishment get to that state probably has no business being in the restaurant business.

Yes, it is the episode associated with the lawsuit.

We walked by the place a few weeks ago out of curiosity, and there were a raft of positive reviews associated with the change in menu posted outside, and a reasonable number of people inside for 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. But still, ew. Either the people inside hadn't seen the episode, or were a lot more forgiving than I would be.
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They are looking for people for next season. Maybe we could come up with a list of places that we think need help and send in the nomination.
Perhaps Station 9?

Kitchen Nightmares is on my "must see" list. Unlike HK, I've learned more about what to expect from a restaurant in terms of service, freshness, decor, menu and such.

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I used to get really irritated each time I'd read a post about the UK version being superior to the US version, thinking "well, don't watch the US show then!!" Of course, now that I switched cable providers and have easier access to BBC America, I return chastened. ;)

It really is a better program. The American version is so formulaic, so PC. The UK show is cheeky and unsanitized. And it showed Gordon in his skivvies in the "La Riveria" episode which is either a plus or a minus depending on your perspective.

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The Kitchen Nightmares marathon on BBC America today got me wondering about the long term success rate for these places. I do not have time to look them all up on the Internet, so I went looking for others who did the legwork. While I cannot vouch 100% for this list, I did spot check it. The results are mixed, at best. In all fairness, many of this places were seriously farked to begin with, and usually featured owners with either no restaurant experience whatsoever or serious personality disorders. Nevertheless, restaurants that apply to the D.C. casting call may want to bear this history in mind. I was considering offering a few suggestions as to who might consider taking the bait, but I did not want to give the impression of crapping on places that are already hurting.

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