The uk version rocks! Most of the episodes are very wholesome and he barely ever raises his voice. Matter of fact only time i remember there being any shouting on the british version was when one of the chefs in the restraunt went balistic with his owner and friend with Gordon was there to calm them down lmao th-cam.com/video/gvoyAQZsxHY/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=KitchenNightmares same episode where he makes the chef cry by inspiring him lmao (32:50) Truly shows the difference between what pleases the two audiences lmao, as well ass his love for cooking
The UK version is so much better he still has some dick moments but for the most part it seems to come from actual frustration instead of him just being a prick lol
Didn't care for the American adaptation-I found all of the melodrama and audio stingers incredibly grating-but it did lead me to the UK run, which I adore.
NGL, I enjoy the segments of Gordon telling people off if the fridge and/or the rest of the kitchen is disgusting. I've had food poisoning before, so seeing zero tolerance for poor sanitation is deeply satisfying every time. I have no sympathy for gross people.
Yeah but it’s very hard to buy considering he eats there FIRST. After seeing who knows how many gross kitchens, he still eats the food first- at least this is how it’s edited and presented as- and then investigates the kitchen…with the same results, always. If he inverted the order, I might believe he is genuinely concerned about health standards.
@@Nocturnalux whether it's fake or not, whether chef cares or not, doesn't matter to me. Tons of disgusting kitchens run by incompetent wastes of space are out there making people sick, and everyone ought to know about it. If you can't keep a clean kitchen, you shouldn't work in a restaurant. That's the bottom line.
I make those sounds in real life now- like I dropped a steak through my grill last night and involuntarily made that noise out loud and heard the music in my head.
My favorite kitchen nightmares quirk is how the people eating in the restaurant suddenly try to transform into professional food critics when they know the camera is on them. I'm haunted by the wine drunk woman in a Mediterranean restaurant eating her food when she says "That's a good Mufasa." She was supposed to be eating Moussaka obviously. To this day I'm not sure if she was asked to comment on a food she's never heard before because the show made a big deal of Gordon's recipe for it, or if she genuinely thought she sounded like she knew what she was saying.
From what i've heard is that the customers are told to be brutally honest. I feel like a lot of it's no different from what you find at most mid range places.
Yea it’s always entertaining when they would normally just say “yea it’s pretty good food” or “it’s kinda meh” like most people, but once the cameras are on them they start tearing it apart piece by piece
I don't want to be that guy, but technically, Ramsay doesn't complain about the existence of Grilled Lettuce, he questions why you'd make a Caesar Salad with grilled lettuce, which I think is valid criticism. I definitely agree that the show always presents Gordon as right, even when he objectively isn't, like in the previously mentioned Indian Chinese fusion dish, but I don't think he's wrong for criticising a grilled Caesar Salad.
I've seen two videos from this channel so far and both of them took things out of context to add to the person's point so this is probably one of those "grain of salt" or whatever situations. Still mostly good stuff though!
@@Falkuzrules It's forgiveable if the actual point still works without those bits, I'd say. Like, if you frame something so it works for what you're trying to say, but what you're trying to say doesn't work at all without that framing, that's bad writing. If you frame some extra bits into a story that works well by itself, it can be forgiven as a mistake or temporary short-sightedness.
@ExActa yeah overall I've been really liking his videos and he definitely is correct about the overall point. I watched all of the uk and us versions when they showed up free on TH-cam a few years back. I work in kitchens and really loved the uk version, Gordon is so much more empathetic to the whole crew and really seems interested in helping the restaurant succeed and it doesn't feel hyped up with forced drama.
Nah, come on. Also he has a very similar dish in one of his restaurants where he also grills the salad and doesn't wash it properly. That guy is a scam, he can't cook. If you wanna see some choleric asshole cook, watch videos from Marco Pierre White, his mentor.
I remember seeing a kitchen nightmares episode where there's this one almost literally hole in the wall restaurant Gordon goes to, the owner makes this fantastic creole dishes, and gordon actually cleans his plate. The owner was a top teir cook, but she just couldn't manage it very well on her own, and eventually had to shut down, and work for someone else.
I remember that one too, it was like going to grandmas and getting a heaping plate of good food. Gordon liked the food a lot she just struggled with the business
That’s like one of the rare exceptions but it also shows that the show is more authentic than we give it credit for because Gordon “went off script” when the food was good, rather than fake it and try to find something bad about it
It's kinda weird to stumble upon someone I watch on an unrelated video, lol. But yeah, I agree with you, it's an important aspect to analyzing the restaurants.
when my grandma moved out of her apartment, she *insisted* I take her copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. "Every cook should own it." Most of it is very impractical for a home cook, unless you have a lot of time. Still have it on my shelf.
We have something kinda like that too, a book called "Das Bayerische Kochbuch" (the bavarian cook book) which is one of the essential cook books in germany that was reprinted and updated for decades. I am kinda proud to own my very own copy of it as well as it really teaches you so many basics from simple to complex recipes,
@@DanielKay06 Been to bavaria and am never going back. Rather stay hessen at least we have Äppelwoi. Fucking hard to find a Bembel elsewhere. And Riwwelkuche. The south of germany is just ass
Love the video BUT with the lettuce, it was due to multiple reasons. 1) It was not some dish from a different culture. It was a grilled Caesar salad the chef made to be different. 2) They did not cut it up so it was easily edible to the customer. It was just a whole head of romaine lettuce thrown on the grill. 3) They did not properly wash and prepare the lettuce so there was still dirt and potentially pesticides from the farm still on it. I do fully agree though about Gordon being a jerk. I watched Boiling Point too and he's so insane in it but it's so good. One thing i really truly love about Gordon is how he treats servers. He does not take owners treating employees horribly. He's also genuinely really good with kids. It's wild to watch MasterChef junior. I also enjoy how he treats disabled people. He wants them to know they are just as capable but still makes accomodations for them, like the blind woman on MasterChef, but he also doesn't baby them. He treats us like everyone else and I enjoy that. This is a wonderful video! You bring up amazing points and I feel the same about 24 hours to hell. Could never get into it. But I actually love the kitchen nightmares youtube channel video titles haha.
This whole video is about how the image of himself presented to the outside world is manipulative and designed for marketability. It's pointless to say "Yeah but look at all these other traits of his carefully-crafted public image." You don't know him. He's also been rude to servers and random underpaid employees before on-camera, but he stopped after people on his team realized it didn't get a positive response. Obviously this guy screaming at children would leave a bad taste in viewers' mouths, but there's no way for you to know how he actually behaves in his day-to-day life. (Masterchef Junior specifically is still a highly competitive, stressful show for children to participate in with very little autonomy.)
Oh, he "makes accommodations" for them? As an autistic person who is high masking he would have driving me to the point of suicide. He is fatphobic, abusive and misogynistic and he normalizes and participates in abuse that WILL end up with stress breakdowns and PTSD.
The thing with the lettuce was that it was a ceasar salad, which is typically served cold, and it was spicy and they kept the butt if the lettuce on it which he says in the episode is very hard to clean and most of the time impossible to clean it's unhealthy and unsafe.
What does he call out to attention when he stands up, though? He doesn't mention the head still there, making it so it was obvious they didn't clean it properly, nor does he mention the bad combination, or that it was spicy. He mentions exclusively the fact they grilled a lettuce. Then it cuts to people laughing and the waitress going "Yeah, why do we grill lettuce?" when that was far from the problem.
i worked for a chef who proudly thought he was like gordon ramsay and he would would just berate me all the time, pretending like that was the best way to teach somebody cooking. and now i don't cook for a living anymore lmao!!!! the clips from the boiling point show really got my hackles up reminding me of that chef, but when i used to watch the american kitchen nightmares it didn't faze me... probably because of its wacky editing during ramsay's meltdowns. leaving in that air after his screaming really makes the clip all the more emotionally loaded. great vid, jai!
I literally had the French Canadian version of Ramsay as my chef/teacher in Culinary School. He was pissed at the fact that they gave the nice teacher the baking positions and forced him into regular cooking (he was a registered Master Chef at baking) and was pissed at this so he abused us and let his anger out on us students. He would say mean jokes, throw our knives/plates across the room if we failed/made a mistake, would scream in our faces and even during lunch, for no reason, got mad at my boyfriend and I for no real reason (was just walking by us outside as we ate) and he just started throwing his papers and pens at him and screaming at him to get away from our culinary building. People hated him so much, in 1 term we went from 280 students to 160. He was SO hated that someone (investigations couldn't figure out who) tried to kill him. In our first day of class, he explained his nut allergy so nuts weren't allowed in our classroom when he was teacher while the other chef let us know about his Angina. Someone had put a type of nut oil in a dish they gave him. I had vertigo so I hadn't been there for 2 weeks when this happened, but they had closed our program and tried to discover who did it and never did.
@@lleexxii And some still do to this day. In the Culinary World, lots of people have huge egos and are complete dicks. They are very unaccepting of people who are disabled. I was hated so much for how I held my knife and stuff because of my arm/hand disabilities. And that was just the start; I had to go through people thinking they were better than me, competing for no reason, etc. It's a rough industry especially if you're a nice person like me.
I feel your struggle. My ex boss worked 10 years for Gordon, I don't even need to say how he was in the kitchen. I left when he yelled at my face that he wanted to smash my head through the window. What gives me a bit of solace is that this type of romanticised abuse won't stand for long in real life, and my ex boss went through 150 people in less than 10 years because everybody leaves. And honestly, if I wanted I had plenty of proof to bring him to court for abusive behaviour.
@Reverie89 Amen I had a similar head chef, grabbed me by the throat on one occasion and then acted like nothing happened, later that night he was rushed to hospital to remove pieces of glass bottle from his cranium and I went on with my evening like nothing happened karma Is a bitch😅
I understand the irony but watching this video talking about how to stop the toxicity of kitchen nightmares we have to stop watching it really makes me want to go watch some kitchen nightmares
Ngl, I don’t really Gordon scolding anyone badly for no reason. Like in Hell’s Kitchen, bro got scolded badly cus he didn’t even know the cooking pan was lit, and later got scolded again cus he didn’t connect the oven properly. Like bro, you’re a prof chef and you don’t know if the fire is on or off???
Not enough people talk about how the UK Kitchen Nightmares was more authentic and ran more like an individual story-based documentary rather than a trashy reality show, it had scenes that were specifically edited and scored in a way that caters to the lives of the restaurants owners lives and environment, there were many uncut shots of one-on-one conversations, it was less commercial and trivial, something you could take a bit more seriously. Edit: since ppl don’t understand the difference between a statement and an opinion, this is not me saying the uk version is more entertaining, clearly it’s not, the us one is funnier and more chaotic, I was simply pointing out that compared to the us version, the uk version was objectively more of an honest show.. that’s all I was saying, so stop creating subtext that I didn’t make.
Honestly, if you watch the show knowing it's TV and not a documentary, then you should be fine. It's hard to completely fake someone being a narcissist, and when Gordon yells, he yells about cross-contamination in the kitchen, abusive employers, raw food that can potentially kill customers, and bad working/kitchen conditions. The problem is always the boss, I don't think I've ever seen him yell at waiters or other general staff. Yeah, there's TV magic, yeah, maybe some of the food might have not been that bland and disgusting; but at the end of the day, when an owner is blatantly being an abusive asshole, it's really hard to fake that
@@JimmyJames10-k7v It's not even much text, especially compared to many other comments under this video. If you have only a few seconds of attention span, why share that fact with the world?
Ramsey does mention the problem with the dirt, but he mostly makes a show of the grilled lettuce in itself. He stands up, he says "This is a first for me. A grilled Ceasar Salad. They actually grilled the lettuce". He's obviously calling atention to how weird an idea it is to grill lettuce. He doesn't say "They served me a head of lettuce, which means it wasn't cleaned properly" or something to that effect.
@@AivansShow i dunno man.. he said verbal abuse to your staff is wrong, which is what gordon ramsey does, I have to agree with that. Also gordon made that sad grilled cheese sandwhich :(
I'm so happy you mentioned the Brambly apple/granny smith drama. It's my favorite part of the entire documentary; especially when he somehow doesn't realize that people will see this in the miniseries. And when bunch of grannies protest outside of his restaurant over it, he cowers in the basement like a giant in a shoebox and calls the police to get rid of the old lady protesters.
I severely disliked Gordon until I saw the UK version of "Kitchen Nightmares". He was helpful and supportive. I wouldn't call him "calm" - but she he was intense it came off as passion and integrity, not anger. I always hoped that was his true personality and the American shows were an act, but maybe I had that backwards. Regardless, the UK one portrays a man unwilling to put up with bullshit but willing to be friendly and supportive to anyone who is earnest, regardless of ability. I wish that sold on American television.
hey, thanks for the superchat!! i think it's kind of amazing how much gordon's managed to rehabilitate his image. he keeps getting these shows where he's presented as an expert, even stuff like master chef, but i noticed the other day you never actually see him learn anything in any of these. it feels like all experts essentially believe they can never stop learning but gordon seems to entirely pride himself on being the arbiter of what is "correct." and it's pretty complicated because he's obviously passionate about cooking, i just don't really know how much though.
@@LowercaseJaiI'm fairly certain I've seen situations like that in his Great Escape series. He goes abroad and works at different restaurants/bistros, sometimes competing in local cook-offs with kitchens he is unfamiliar with. I'm pretty sure they show his losses too, there. Made him come across as a lot more friendly.
His UK persona Vs. US is exactly like my French Canadian Gordon Ramsay-esque teacher/chef I had in Culinary School. I respected his skills (he is a certified master chef) but he was just soooo mean to us because they forced him to cook instead of bake (baking is his passion) so he made every single day hell except for the days he had to cover for the other chef (the one who got baking) and then he was just all sunshine and rainbows and so nice. It was weird.
I used to take acid and was watching Hells Kitchen while tripping one time, it blew my mind when I realized not one second of the show went by without music / sound effects, literally one second. It’s all music / sound effects 😂
@@daneharshman8275 music _can_ be okay when used like that because it creates ambiance and can increase feelings of tension, fear, resolution, etc. to the benefit of the story the showrunners are trying to tell. BUT it needs to be so subtle that the audience almost doesn't notice it's there at all -- otherwise it's just distracting. Horror movies include some of the best examples of this done well IMO.
Remembering that one clip on the KN youtube channel was titled something like "This is why the restaurant is failing" and it was one of those clips of Gordon ripping into one restaurant's unsanitary kitchen. That restaurant sued Kitchen Nightmares because the clip was from over 10 years before and the restaurant had turned itself around and was actually successful and well-reviewed at the time the clip was posted. It kind of illustrates how Kitchen Nightmares is more about gawking than it is about rehabilitation.
The fact that the vast majority of restaurants Gordon "helps" ends up closing up shop after about a year after he intervenes is the most damning proof that it's all a total sham. It was NEVER about helping anyone, it's just there to stroke Gordon's ego by giving him free reign to abuse anyone he wants, while leaving everyone else with the bill.
@@felixdaniels37 You have to understand that these restaurants get free publicity and a free makeover worth a lot of money. You cannot fix people who should not be in business in the first place. They're doing poorly for a reason. Calling in kitchen nightmares or bar rescue is usually the death throws of the business. It's not gordon's fault the restaurant is unsanitary or if the food sucks. A lot of people who open restaurants think it's easy. It's not. Only 1 of 7 restaurants survives after 6 months in business.
@@felixdaniels37 If you actually read interviews with the former owners of closed restaurants, 95% state they closed because of debt. Rewatch any episode of Kitchen Nightmares and you'll hear the owner tell Gordon they're in over a million in debt or something like that. That right there is the killer for most restaurants he visits. Watch the full episodes, they'll say something along the lines of"Our restaurant is X months from closing because we can't pay our debt", and even with Gordon's help, when do they typically close? About how long they said they had left in the episode.
@@felixdaniels37The issue there though is that most of these restaurants are in incredible debt. There's only so much Ramsey can do, but if you're in 1mil debt, a restaurant makeover isn't going to help anything except for selling the restaurant for more money
Exactly.. People complain about his harsh attitude and his screaming but if there are kitchens and fridges (and the food in them) littered with mold, dirt, blood, rats, cockroaches etc. what are you supposed to do? Explain the adult restaurant owners that you should not feed your customers rotten food in a calm and understanding manner? Like that's a mistake that can happen to everyone? I feel like hes often too soft with them and let's stuff go pretty quickly (them insulting him and telling him to f off when they're the ones who called him to the rescue). In the end the show is supposed to be entertaining, of course they'll exaggerate some stuff but if you really want to change and receive help I think Gordon actually tries his best
Right!!! I feel like he’s only rlly a big asshole when people aren’t doing their job, not showing any passion or just simply being an asshole back. Other than that, he’s helpful and nice.. just don’t be a dick to him
I used to watch Kitchen Nightmares to have pre's and play my Kitchen Nightmare drinking game... 1. Gordan swears - drink (duh) 2. Gordan says "well" - drink (this is the one that will actually get you) 3. Gordan makes a statement in the extreme e.g. "This is the most disgusting restaurant i have EVER seen!" - finish your drink (this usually happens once an episode, sometimes doesn't, and occasionally more than once. Hanging on this random moment is really fun)
me and my partner play this game! some extra/alternative events you can use are: "fuck me" "darling" or "love" anytime he touches gross food or ingredients shouting match (for this one we do three big gulps of your drink since it'll last longer) the weird violin sounds effect anytime he says "it's raw", "it's bland" or "it's dry" if you're using all or most of these (or you come up with your own) and you're playing with 2+ people, I would recommend putting all these events in a hat and you each draw out your events to look out for. this way you won't end up blacking out by the end of the episode
Gonna play devil's advocate, Gordon got food poisoning far more often on American Kitchen nightmares as well, most of the kitchens in EU Nightmares dont come anywhere near how disgusting the US got
@@AngryDad. Here comes the triggered Americans lol. Any time that anyone even somewhat implies that another country might do something better than America, people like you always show up with your fragile little egos. It’s so sad.
You’re wrong about the lettuce part, he’s mocking how that salad he made shouldn’t be grilled and the way an entire chunk of uncleaned lettuce was grilled was dumb. Of course Gordon knows grilled lettuce exists
At 28:00 when you say: "They put cameras genuinely everywhere!", and the shot is of Gordon and another guy standing in front of the women's bathroom, I was going "oh no!"
I have a few comments about your video essay. One particular part I think you got wrong was the part about the grilled lettuce. His comments does seem to indicate that he is surprised that the lettuce is grilled, but that is not the bulk of his criticism. One major point was that he was served the "butt" of the lettuce. He rightly concludes that you cannot clean the lettuce properly. This is important because actual Grilled Ceasar Salad is usually cut up first for this very reason. What Gordon got was just a head of grilled lettuce, and not what a Grilled Ceasar Salad should be. So there was more than one reason why he didn't like the dish, not just because it was grilled. Apparently the chicken was dry too. Secondly, his recipe you quoted is actually for Roasted Lettuce, not Grilled. They are different cooking techniques. In his recipe he required the use of a pan or a wok, not a grill. The reason why someone would not grill lettuce, is because "Foods are typically grilled so the proteins, fats and sugars in them can cause a browning reaction that improves the flavor. Lettuce consists mostly of water and it has a tiny amount of sugar in it. You'd burn the sugar before you get any beneficial reaction going." That is why you see charring on the lettuce. From a food scientist (yes this is a thing) and a professional chef's point of view, it is simply bad practice to do this. That's not the say that people won't grill lettuce and like it. Just like how some people make Hot Dog and Pickle Jello, and like that too. They even put ketchup on it. Also, lettuce wraps aren't grilled. I even tracked down the source of your lettuce wrap image to an article on Delish, and those aren't grilled either. I also don't know why you say that Grilled Lettuce is "pretty common in Asian food". When I researched that point, I could only find a handful of examples of Mediterranean dishes with an Asian spin to it. Could you please clarify why you say this? You also made a claim that two of the shots in the lettuce scene were probably taken at a different time. What would make you think this? If you look at the episode you can tell that all of those people are present in the room with Gordon. If you look at the shot where Ami (the waitress) is bringing the grilled lettuce to Gordon, you can clearly see them in the same room as him. In the episode when he holds up the lettuce for people to see, you can clearly see people laughing directly at it. Why would there be any cause to believe that the people in the two shots you showed, that were also in the room with him, would not be laughing along? In both shots they are looking at something, why would it not be the grilled lettuce? Though, that being said there are two other shots that better fit the bill. There is a scene where a woman is standing next to a screen with the words "Park's Edge" on it. She is sometimes there, and sometimes not in the following scenes. It could be she left the room at some point, but there is a scene showing a person laughing where you can see her arm and purse. I think that is far more definitive than the two shots you showed. When you brought up his finances...to quote: "a little surprising that his whole thing in Kitchen Nightmares is being relatable and that sort of thing. But he was a multi-millionaire the whole time the show was being made"? Why would having money make someone not relatable? There is more to a person than their bank account. Sure we can't relate to them on a financial level, but maybe we can relate to him as a person who cares about food? But him being relatable, I believe, isn't why people watch Kitchen Nightmares. He is Gordon Ramsey the chef that gets angry about people making bad food! That's what Gordon Ramsey is known for, being angry about bad food. Remember Hell's Kitchen? Was he relatable in that too? He, and his anger is one of the reasons why people watch Kitchen Nightmares. At least, so it seems, in the US. The UK version of Kitchen Nightmares is actually much more tame. If you watch the UK version, the editing is clearly different. Gordon seems calmer, and the music is more relaxed. You don't hear many of those jarring sounds like the "shrill stings" they have in the US version when a conflict is occurring. I had other comments, but most of them just boil down to the nature of reality TV in general. Like the absurdity of that 24 Hours to Hell and Back. While I do agree with a number of your points, I can help but wonder. Do you like/hate Gordon Ramsey? A lot of your video seems to directly talk about him, his past, his finances, his earlier shows. This video seems to be more aimed at criticizing the famed chef, rather than simply talking about Kitchen Nightmares.
They also noted his roasted lettuce was a recipe from 2005 and the show was filmed in 2012. I’d imagine Gordon felt like grilled Caesar was pretty dated 7 year later. Even done properly, grilled lettuce/salad was kind of a gimmicky early/mid 2000s dish. Not saying Ramsay isn’t detestable a lot of times, but as you said, his criticisms of the grilled salad were understandable.
@@unusualsuspect980 And yet you're wasting your time typing out your regret. You sound pathetic. I promise you no one here values your life and time as much as you do.
16:21 "He knows what he's talking about, sometimes." Gordon Ramsay currently holds 8 Michelin stars and has won 17 in his lifetime. You don't get that by knowing nothing about food. There are many instances of him travelling, trying his hand at cooking Asian food, and failing miserably. Last year he went on a Korean show to cook against a Korean chef in a 15 minute challenge, and I was seriously impressed. He has serious talent and can humble himself. He even admitted that his infamous grilled cheese was shit on "Last Meal." You also left out the part where most of these restaurant owners are delusional, think there's nothing wrong with the food, and tell the Michelin star chef he has no idea what he's talking about. You also forgot how he was raised. He grew up in poverty, and his brother became an addict. He was treated like shit in Marco Pierre-White's kitchen, and that's where his insane work ethic comes from. He wasn't always a millionaire and the fact that he's so rich now, and still somewhat down to earth, speaks volumes. Mostly everything else I agree with. The US version of Kitchen Nightmares is obviously staged and set up to make Gordon look like the hero. That 24 hour TV show was a cash grab and it didn't even look like Gordon's heart was in it. But you can't say that he's all show and no talent.
I generally agree with your points. HOWEVER, I will note that it is inherently MUCH easier for a celebrity chef to obtain a Michelin star compared to regular people. Michelin is inherently a PR stunt by a tire company that eventually evolved into the global benchmark for fine dining that we know it as today. The barrier to access for Gordon to be considered for another star is simply lower than regular people, and Michelin benefits more from their relationship to Gordon than to a local restaurant. It is still a big deal for Gordon to have Michelin stars -- it's just less impressive than it would be for anyone else to have those same number of stars without having his celebrity status.
@@spencerlively3049fair enough, point taken. He was already famous when he won his first Michelin star, having worked for Marco Pierre White. I'm sure Michelin and Gordon mutually benefit from his massive celebrity status. However, I still think he knows more about cooking than this video would suggest. And he knows how to run a restaurant.
You hit the nail on the head with the hyperbolic US version of the show. It’s all about the drama and nurturing a sense of tension/conflict. As a side note, Gordon admits in a British episode of Kitchen Nightmares that, growing up, he had two options: continue getting into trouble or working in the kitchen. He used the kitchen to foster discipline and forge a better life for himself. And it was neat to see him convey that vulnerability with an owner whom he was trying to help.
I remember only 1 episode of Kitchen Nightmare where Gordon liked all the food and cleared the plate. Funnily enough that's my favorite segment when he goes back with a clean plate.
I feel like it comes down to him knowing that these professional chefs can do much better. If you see how he talks to the waitresses hes always very kind to them + the kids on master chef junior
Watch boiling point. He fires a waiter for drinking water in view of guest without giving a second chance. Constantly smacks them in the head while giving orders.
Don't forget that when he left aubergine his entire brigade went with him. They wouldn't have done that if they were being 'abused'. He's an incredible people person and rewards hard work handsomely. He's given plenty of staff careers and their own restaurants
People complain about his temper, swearing, insults, etc. but unfortunately most chefs are like that. Is it right? No. Is it normal and expected? Yes. Its about having a line between work relationships and personal relationships, hospitality is hard and stressful and you can yell at a coworker and then sit out the back laughing together half an hour later on your break. You gotta have that definition, and I'm sure Gordon and his staff have that.
Both things can be true. There are plenty of industries where people are abused and still side with the abuser. That's very common in the entertainment and other art-based industries. Gordon's staff is probably made of a bunch of workaholics who don't mind abuse as much as working with one of the best chefs in the country.
Living abroad in the states as a British person really made me realise how well respected he is over there. I think at least in the UK, he’s more of a contentious figure. My mum hated the guy but I remember a guy I worked with thought he was pretty funny. In the states, it’s seems like most people were in agreement that he was a great chef and really well respected in the UK. At best, he’s a tv personality. At worst a bully.
0:54 i absolutely disagree about that. Everytime gordon was angry on television he had a good reason for it. Idk where do u bring that he got angry for no good reason. The fact he is expecting from people perfection and insists u by being angry at u for not achieving it is his main reason why he is successful. Cuz unlike many mentors who is licking ur butt for ur wrong doing. Gordon does not.
He is getting more reasonable with age and possibly nevstive feedback. His aggessive and insulting side is simply disgusting and unprofesional. If i like to learn about cookimg there are better YT channels. He is mainly rainbow-level infotainment.
Having reason doesn't equate to encouraging literal sin. He does not need to communicate like a child with uncontrolled emotions. Knowing that most of his anger is reactive from mistakes of another that does not truly affect him-it is incredibly immature and underdeveloped of him to respond outwardly with anger.
@@TheRealBina except he isn’t doing any of that. He criticize you in a way that will make you uncomfortable in order to make you change. If he would be soft to you i don’t believe you will acquire the actual change u need. Keep in mind alot of people in his shows are in an delusional beliefs that just talking to them ain’t gonna cut it. Sometimes they need an metaphorical slap to there faces in order to change. Thats whats Gordon Ramsey is to them.
While most of Gordons berating of staff is way over the line you had one bit where he berated someone for cross contamination and honestly, that is something that, while not complete berating and humiliation, deserves being told to the staff that it is not okay. You are there to cook food for other people, not risk their health. Even then, if this was the first time this happened at the restaurant Gordon was way over the line but if there has been several cases of cross contamination then its either that or firing some of the staff and getting in people who understand the minimum modicum of health and safet in a kitchen.
He eats the food first so he can see where the issues are. As a chef myself, that's basic. You can't fix the issues if you don't taste first, then oversea production
He already knows what the issues are before he sets foot in the building. Weeks of reserch are done on each restaurant before Gordon even turns up. Besides, pretty much all of the bad food is manufactured for the episodes. The KN crew take over the business several days before filming begins. They plant rotten food, turn off fridges and more. The chefs and owners are not even allowed in their own restaurants until Gordon turns up.
Omg! I'm so glad you brought up Kenji! My ex got me one of his cookbooks (The Food Lab) and it's incredible. It's a beautiful blend of technique, ingredient education, how to select the right tools, various culinary definitions, and food history. You can read it like a non-fiction book about food science and history, or you can skip straight to the recipes without missing too much context. Whether you want to learn about food or cook or both, it's great The funniest thing is that I "discovered" him in complete reverse order. First, I got his cookbook as a gift. Then, I stumbled across his TH-cam page by complete coincidence. And I finally found out that he's a well-known recipe creator and food journalist for Serious Eats and New York Times and has his own restaurant
that cookbook is incredible! i think if i had to point to a specific piece of media that got me interested in learning how to cook, i’d have to choose that. like you say, it’s this incredible, accessible, knowledgable book, but it also has a respect for the reader that a lot of recipe books don’t have. it tries to impart the ideas of cooking, so you can just look at a bunch of ingredients and pull something out of your toolkit. really fantastic book!
Boiling Point was a time where Gordon sacrificed everything to run his own restaurant and in doing so, the stress levels of having ur entire life put on the line and at the time his father was incredibly abusive to his mother and wanted to do everything in his power to make his mum proud. I feel in Boiling Point Gordon had real emotion that the producers saw as a perfect character for American television. Ive been in the niche communities that covers Hells Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares & other smaller reality shows Gordon has done like 24hrs hell and back. I hope that makes sense and thank you for creating this documentary, hopefully it clarified a bit
He doesn’t get mad at people for nothing. He gets mad at people for not having standards, not being accountable, treating staff horribly, and operating disgusting kitchens. Most people Gordon has yelled at had it coming.
During the beginning of the episodes when they show black and white footage of when the restaurant was doing well in the past 😂 like the cameras weren't there in the past, they just filmed the restaurant when it was busy and made it black and white. When I noticed that I noticed a lot more editing nonsense with this show
I binge-watched the first season of "Kitchen Nightmares" a few months ago, I'd never watched it before, and I knew I was watching some premium trash television when the SECOND EPISODE started with a voice-over saying "Tonight! Gordon faces his toughest Kitchen Nightmare challenge yet!" And every single episode says the same thing at the beginning. It's dumb, it's formulaic, and I love it. My second favorite reoccurring bit is when early in the episode during one of the pre-commercial break "Coming up later..." bits, they'll say "Disaster strikes!" with footage of cops cars or a fire truck. Then it turns out they just invited the local police or fire department to the grand re-opening. It's hilarious.
Also would be interesting to see your take on Hell’s Kitchen! Especially season 8 with that weird wannabe ninja chef Raj. I feel like that season they specifically chose the worst possible contestants for more drama.
I been watching the us and uk kitchen nightmares for years now and picked up that it's really about giving insight to customers and viewers on the conditions in which food is being prepared, what the standards should be, and what restaurant owners are doing to drive away sales. Gordon Ramsay strongly promotes and adheres to cleanliness and freshness when preparing food and is where most of his judgments take precedent. the sad reality is that if you want viewer retention and any engagement in the entertainment industry there has to be an unexpected characteristic like gordon putting restaurant owners on blast for malpractices he uncovers in their kitchen. but hey at least being bullied on national tv gets compensated by a expensive interior makeover lol
But I do think watching enough of him, even on American Television, you can see cracks in his professionalism. Virginia on Hell’s Kitchen got so far kissing his butt, to the point he gets called out and all he has to say is something along the lines of “How dare you.”
there was another time he fiercely defended his decision to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich in the worst way possible, all because he had to defend his pretentious aura that he has.
I'm so happy for this video. Everyone seems to adore this man and his shouty ways but it ruined commercial kitchens for ages. This era of volatile rockstar celebrity chefs (he wasn't the only one, but probably the most well-known today) really did carry over into actual kitchens where actual people work. That attitude was common in culinary school too, and it sucked there, but there definitely was a time when you could run a tight brigade without screaming insults like a badly behaved toddler all bloody shift. When it was a mark of professionalism to run a tight kitchen without being a showy rage monster. It doesn't matter whether it's a character or not, that's the chefs people got to see, the chefs that were praised in wider culture. I gave up on culinary school because I knew I wouldn't thrive in commercial kitchens. Nobody really does under those conditions, hence the rampant burnout and addiction. Most people respond much, much better to reasonable critique than they do to embarrassing boss tantrums. It's much, much easier to hold a line when you're not being screamed at. No other workplace gets away with this, but these rockstar chefs made it cool and chic to just openly abuse their brigade, and for that I'll never forgive them. I don't say that lightly. The man who got me into cooking and is never far from my mind (Bourdain, of course) was part of that era too. Not sure how it is in the US, but at least this era seems to finally have passed in Europe and kitchens are turning into normal workplaces again. The most famous chef in my country gave an interview when he retired where he admitted that he felt a bit ashamed of being your standard celebrity chef rage monster in his prime, and he couldn't really recall why he even did that, he just that he felt that's how chefs should act. He seemed to regret it. He should, in any case.
Yeah abusing cooks seen as okay is baffling, imagine if an accountant got object thrown at them being called fat cow or bimbo or pig, that would make a headline but somehow its okay to abuse cooks?
Great video! I noticed a while ago how this show (and others with Ramsey in them) is so incredibly addictive because of the way it is edited and structured. It’s actually a very common format beyond cooking shows: you have an expert going in to fix an issue ata different location every episode, be it to train a dog, fix a living room, pimp a car, etc
I watched the first episode. It was the one where he yells at a heavily-accented French guy and fixes his crappy restaurant. One of the first things he did was make him throw out some ugly statues he had for decor. Then in the last scene, where the French restaurant owner is standing in the main dining room and talking about how much better his restaurant is doing, and how much he appreciates Gordon Ramsey’s advice, even thought they didn’t see eye-to-eye at first... in the background, I saw THE SAME STATUES that he threw out earlier. And later, I saw the “French restaurant owner” in a bit part on a British TV show, and his accent had mysteriously disappeared. The later episodes might have been real, but the first season was completely staged.
Having certain things done for sensationalism doesn’t mean something is completely staged. There is nothing on TV - not even the news - that is completely raw and never manipulated. US audiences are largely vapid and unconcerned with content, as evidenced by these comments. But at the end of the day, these are REAL restaurants.
@@Disco-Skuxxcouldve been a different guy that looked similar, i looked up the owner and he doesnt have any acting credits and last i checked owns a pizza bar, i assume youre talking about the US version because the chefs in the first episode of the UK version werent french, and i assume your talking about the 10th episode of the US version cause thats the only episode that fits your description in season 1. Conclusion, youre not lying you just have a very bad memory
To be fair about Gordon in boiling point he was trying to get a Michelin star. Thats no easy task, its stressful and it requires an insane amount of passion. The MJ comparison is actually a good one. MJ was arguably a toxic player, however his teammates knew that his attitude was not personal, it was just him striving to pish them towards perfection. Im not saying that one has to act this way to win a Michelin star, or an NBA championship, but i think there is a strong correlation between people who are incredibly passionate towards achieving something great, and this type of personality that demands everyone else to put in as much effort into their shared goal as they are. I very much doubt that Gordons attitude in boiling point is any like his normal personality since that was probably one of the most stressful moments in his life.
@@anne-zh2kd I'm sorry but if you enter into a highly competitive, high stakes, high competence environment, with a passionate person at the helm then you should expect some chewing out for mistakes. I think every one of his employees know that, and that's why they stayed with him when he moved to this restaurant. I don't know if I would classify it as abuse and leave it at that, I think it's more complicated.
@Jmart786 if "chewing" out strives into the realm of getting personal with your criticisms and not keeping it strictly to the craft, then yeah a line has been crossed and can be viewed as abusive. Let's not glorify abusive/toxic workplaces thanks
@mehmeh1602 I don't think it ever got that personal. Also no one is perfect, the stakes are high and emotions are tense, if someone keeps fucking up you aren't going to pat them in the back and say "it's ok buddy, things happen, try better next time". Could he be nicer at times? Yes. But let's be real if any of us were put in that kind of intense position we would struggle to not break under pressure, let alone making sure we are nice to everyone.
Getting mad over nothing? That’s objectively not true. Gordon gets pissed over abysmal cleanliness standards and poor performance. That isn’t comparable to an asshole on a movie set going postal. That’s why people like Gordon. We’ve seen the great sides of him and how he genuinely cares about and helps people. He’s not just some evil asshole and that’s not what he is. Also, Kitchen Nightmares doesn’t need to teach anyone how to cook. It’s a show about fixing a restaurant
I searched every rancid corner of the Internet trying to find the episode of Britain's most unbearable bosses (often confused with Boiling Point), but I couldn't find it anywhere.
Yah but roasted lettuce is on a separate dish this is a Caesar’s salad. If I served you egg salad with raw fuckin eggs in it instead of boiled and chopped and you said “who serves raw eggs!!” And I said “well akhsually some Asian cultures eat raw eggs on some dishes” you’d still refuse to eat the egg salad with raw eggs in it. Just like Gordon refused to eat the ceasar’s salad with grilled lettuce in it
I love that you’re using Hotel Dusk music in the background of this video! It is such an underrated game. It is absolutely one of my favorites, and it holds such a special place in my heart.
@@The_Punisher I worked as a dishwasher in a fairly nice restaurant and yeah. It was always a good time when certain of our line cooks and chef were there.
Gordon is an absolute cartoon of a man but he might be a genius; few guys know they are assholes, even fewer guys are so aware they can monetize it all the way to international stardom. Is he evil? possibly, im sure those chefs in Aubergine and the Ramsay restaurant got the worst of it, bet he was a massive pissbaby in the '90s, but he is also probably 5% of the reason The Bear exists.
Its about his ego and it constantly needs to be stroked He's no better than any other chef except he's been given a pass on mistakes by other who are in utterly awe of the man and his food.. not everybody cooks the food like he does and he needs to learn from it
@@ashyhusky4130You shouldn’t comment about someone you clearly do not know much about. American Producers made him act the way he does as it would make for “Great TV” if you actually watched the UK version hes a nice guy as well as the Children Masterchef he’s extremely kind as thats who he really is. As for saying not everyone cooks like him and he needs to learn? He literally travels ALL THE TIME posting pics learning for other chefs all over the world to learn their cooking techniques.
@@ericnoel8034 I find it funny how people out there really think Gordon is the way he is in those american TV shows, do they not realize that it's mostly acting?
We don’t get mad at him bc he does not mess with the hourly staff. He goes head to head with the owner. He always makes it clear the servers are not the problem and it’s super kind and listens to them. Very good strategy. He is also kind to kids. It’s like power pyramid. You don’t mess with the ones at the bottom
@@Zzz-j2f1. All activities of the OSS had been previously performed by various groups: treasury, navy, state, etc. 2. The OSS was dissolved. 3. Became: the State Department took over Research and analysis and it became the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, War Department took over Secret Intelligence and Counter Espionage which became part of the Strategic Services Unit. Who ran that? Just Donavan’s deputy director of intelligence. 4. 4 months later FDR created the CIG. And by mid 46 the SSU was part of it, and named the Office of Special Operations. 5. In 1947 the National Security Act established the CIA. In no way did Child work for the CIA.
I don't know if it counts as manipulation, But two things that have started to bother me a lot about kitchen nightmares. The first would be the redecorating of the restaurant where they try to make the owner of the restaurant like they're in the wrong for not liking the changes but its THEIR restaurant. I feel like they should have a say in what it looks like. I mean one time, Gordon decided to burn someone's old decorations. That was WAY too much. The other that has bothered me is the big reopening. I get that it's a stress test, But I genuinely wonder if the chefs have enough time to practice with the menu before the big night because a lot of restaurants barely make it through and Gordon puts that blame on them.
Ye, a common complaint is that the remodel is super cheap too, and honestly like 3-4 of them look like shit. Giving their team 1 overnight to do it is insane.
I think the issue is the perspective of the Anger. If I stood up in my chair and shouted at the resturant employees I'd be seen as a bad guy, but Ramsay is perceived to be helpful in his rage I suppose it seems more passionate. At the end of it all he's there to help so I guess people give it a pass. My second theory is Schadenfreuden (or however the fuck you spell it) people secretly just want to shout at people that are incompetent.
Definitely the first thing. People know his personality and who he is. He can be a complete asshole at times but he’s extremely inspiring, he’s a great teacher, and he’s very supportive of the people he believes in - not to mention him trying his best to light a fire under people and repair relationships. Even if it’s sensationalized, it shows all sides of his personality. Most human beings aren’t just one thing. This is even more apparent in Gordon’s videos that he makes for his own TH-cam channel that includes his kids.
Idk “getting angry over nothing” it’s usually gross hygiene that he yells at people about. And also usually getting angry on behalf of someone or multiple ppl being treated poorly. I’ve never seen him blow up on someone who didn’t actually deserve it. Even during his competition show he actually only yells after repeating himself over and over and typically it’s mistakes that can be harmful or that should be learned by then. And he even encourages them and uplifts them when they do well, and when they are just anxious. You can see more of it with the extended seasons with little to no editing, music or effects. He never just yells, he’s very constructive.
I remember there was an AMA a few years back with someone who worked at a KN restaurant, and she said that Ramsey didn't actually spend very much time at the restaurant--he would come in for the parts that would be on TV, but the rest of the time it was his team doing the actual work of fixing the restaurant.
@@bend8353 I didn't mean the renovations, I mean everything--the menu, the cooking, all of it was done by his team and he just showed up for the parts on TV.
sir, while you make valid points throughout, this video has no clear direction. Idk what you're main point is trying to say and your non sequiturs make it hard to follow your line of thought. IMO I think you're trying to criticize US reality tv, and then blame gordon for it? He's definitely no saint, his shows are definitely manipulative and his outrage in the kitchen can surely do more harm than good in some cases, but for the most part his criticisms are completely valid and is generally pro-worker, millionaire or not, that's a noble cause to stand up for and showcase on national TV. And yeah the audience believes he's right most of the time because he's an expert in the field and has years of experience running restaurants? If audiences can't deduce that a human being isn't 200% right all the time, then that's on the watcher, reality TV is gonna be like that: trashy, deceiving and heavily influencing authentic interactions. Good luck in future videos.
Almost had a stroke when I heard music from Flower Sun and Rain in this video LMAO Also wanted to say great video, the framing devices of film and its language are so important even in "reality" television, so thank you for highlighting that!
Yes of course, because Gordon's cursing is honesty, not a break down. He's been helping so many people and businesses. I don't like his language but he only proves that you can go to church every day and be an asshole and you can curse and still be a good person who helps people.
Great video. I’ve been watching this show for years and feel the exact same way as you do - it’s one of my favorite “junk foods” and endlessly entertaining. You did a great job explaining the editing choices and the commentary on the TH-cam channel is spot on. Really excellent job!!
You are getting parts of this wrong, but I like where you are spot on. I seriously dislike Ramsay because of the impression he leaves on an industry I respect and have worked in. 3:22 "he always enters..." by meeting the owners for the first time and insulting something about them. It might be the way they look, the way the restaurant looks, or anything else that is demeaning. That's his standard opening: make the owners dolts. I've written up a sample script which is essentially what you summarize, but I go into a little more detail. It is the same show every time. Except you are a bit more kind to him than I am. You left out his superman cape and the fact that 80%+ of the restaurants fail after he leaves because he put them in an unsustainable position with his 'investment'. 7:25 "[essentially the assumption that Gordon's perspective is correct - and it frigging isn't]" Bravo. 7:50 You indeed nailed the grilled lettuce. I have a bunch more examples that I have collected over time. For example, he fakes not being able to get a burger in his mouth in an episode because it is too tall. Then his home version of a burger is 5 inches tall, and somehow that's fine. 8:35 I love how he shows up to restaurants in his damned underwear. Later he'll get his cape on... I would keep watching, but I honestly just hate him too much. And I don't hate people. On the other hand, I will make an excuse to subscribe because you are OK... ;-)
paused the video (really good so far btw!!) to say that the m.. meta joke? of the objectively lame cue ball joke paired with the canned laughter, is REALLY GOOD at achieving your point. i did not want to laugh but the energy was literally infectious and i caught myself grinning. nice job. liked that a lot. edit: the rest of the video was great too. subbed and going through your other stuff. thanks for the tasty treats.
The UK version is a quaint docu-series about running resturants effectively
The uk version rocks! Most of the episodes are very wholesome and he barely ever raises his voice. Matter of fact only time i remember there being any shouting on the british version was when one of the chefs in the restraunt went balistic with his owner and friend with Gordon was there to calm them down lmao th-cam.com/video/gvoyAQZsxHY/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=KitchenNightmares same episode where he makes the chef cry by inspiring him lmao (32:50)
Truly shows the difference between what pleases the two audiences lmao, as well ass his love for cooking
The UK version is so much better he still has some dick moments but for the most part it seems to come from actual frustration instead of him just being a prick lol
Didn't care for the American adaptation-I found all of the melodrama and audio stingers incredibly grating-but it did lead me to the UK run, which I adore.
The best version of American TV Gordon is kids Masterchef, tbh
I love the UK version more
NGL, I enjoy the segments of Gordon telling people off if the fridge and/or the rest of the kitchen is disgusting. I've had food poisoning before, so seeing zero tolerance for poor sanitation is deeply satisfying every time. I have no sympathy for gross people.
Exactly! And the thing is, this should be obvious, hence why Gordon gets extremely pissed about it
Yeah but it’s very hard to buy considering he eats there FIRST. After seeing who knows how many gross kitchens, he still eats the food first- at least this is how it’s edited and presented as- and then investigates the kitchen…with the same results, always.
If he inverted the order, I might believe he is genuinely concerned about health standards.
@Nocturnalux Well, that has come with its problems, he has gotten food poisoning from it before, as far as I'm aware
@@Nocturnalux whether it's fake or not, whether chef cares or not, doesn't matter to me. Tons of disgusting kitchens run by incompetent wastes of space are out there making people sick, and everyone ought to know about it. If you can't keep a clean kitchen, you shouldn't work in a restaurant. That's the bottom line.
@@Nocturnalux you're not wrong, but he almost never swallows the food on the first visit.
my favorite part is the weeEEEEE000000OOOoooooowwwww sound whenever something is gross
I make those sounds in real life now- like I dropped a steak through my grill last night and involuntarily made that noise out loud and heard the music in my head.
I tried to do a drinking game once where we took a shot when that sound played and I ended up throwing up more than I ever have
@@NicDoesDumbThings I would give myself alcohol poisoning
@@NicDoesDumbThings and the cameras zoomed in on you throwing up and it played the weeeEEEEEEEeooooww again
@@Oreo-gd2zq LOL
My favorite kitchen nightmares quirk is how the people eating in the restaurant suddenly try to transform into professional food critics when they know the camera is on them. I'm haunted by the wine drunk woman in a Mediterranean restaurant eating her food when she says
"That's a good Mufasa."
She was supposed to be eating Moussaka obviously. To this day I'm not sure if she was asked to comment on a food she's never heard before because the show made a big deal of Gordon's recipe for it, or if she genuinely thought she sounded like she knew what she was saying.
From what i've heard is that the customers are told to be brutally honest. I feel like a lot of it's no different from what you find at most mid range places.
That's a good Mufasa. Was Simbas Dad in the restaurant? 😂
Yea it’s always entertaining when they would normally just say “yea it’s pretty good food” or “it’s kinda meh” like most people, but once the cameras are on them they start tearing it apart piece by piece
That’s so facts 😂 they sit there and give a truly valid review of the food
I don't want to be that guy, but technically, Ramsay doesn't complain about the existence of Grilled Lettuce, he questions why you'd make a Caesar Salad with grilled lettuce, which I think is valid criticism. I definitely agree that the show always presents Gordon as right, even when he objectively isn't, like in the previously mentioned Indian Chinese fusion dish, but I don't think he's wrong for criticising a grilled Caesar Salad.
I've seen two videos from this channel so far and both of them took things out of context to add to the person's point so this is probably one of those "grain of salt" or whatever situations. Still mostly good stuff though!
@@Falkuzrules It's forgiveable if the actual point still works without those bits, I'd say. Like, if you frame something so it works for what you're trying to say, but what you're trying to say doesn't work at all without that framing, that's bad writing. If you frame some extra bits into a story that works well by itself, it can be forgiven as a mistake or temporary short-sightedness.
@ExActa yeah overall I've been really liking his videos and he definitely is correct about the overall point. I watched all of the uk and us versions when they showed up free on TH-cam a few years back. I work in kitchens and really loved the uk version, Gordon is so much more empathetic to the whole crew and really seems interested in helping the restaurant succeed and it doesn't feel hyped up with forced drama.
Nah, come on. Also he has a very similar dish in one of his restaurants where he also grills the salad and doesn't wash it properly. That guy is a scam, he can't cook. If you wanna see some choleric asshole cook, watch videos from Marco Pierre White, his mentor.
I've had a grilled caesar salad before, and it was amazing. It is also so easy to fuck up that I wouldn't trust it from anywhere.
I remember seeing a kitchen nightmares episode where there's this one almost literally hole in the wall restaurant Gordon goes to,
the owner makes this fantastic creole dishes, and gordon actually cleans his plate.
The owner was a top teir cook, but she just couldn't manage it very well on her own, and eventually had to shut down, and work for someone else.
I remember that one too, it was like going to grandmas and getting a heaping plate of good food. Gordon liked the food a lot she just struggled with the business
@@TheeKittyPie I can't blame her for that, some of us out there really can't handle the numbers part of the business very well.
That’s like one of the rare exceptions but it also shows that the show is more authentic than we give it credit for because Gordon “went off script” when the food was good, rather than fake it and try to find something bad about it
It's a UK episode
Link? @@WallsTalks
Kitchen Nightmares is AVGN with Johnny Test sound effects... I feel like my third eye has been opened
Angry video game nerd mentioned POGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
wow, i never heard of AVGN in a while
This observation should be awarded some kind of award. Like damn.
Except fake.
holy shit
Gordon tastes the food as a customer to get a feel for the wait staff and general front end experience, which are important to restaurants.
It's kinda weird to stumble upon someone I watch on an unrelated video, lol. But yeah, I agree with you, it's an important aspect to analyzing the restaurants.
when my grandma moved out of her apartment, she *insisted* I take her copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. "Every cook should own it." Most of it is very impractical for a home cook, unless you have a lot of time. Still have it on my shelf.
We have something kinda like that too, a book called "Das Bayerische Kochbuch" (the bavarian cook book) which is one of the essential cook books in germany that was reprinted and updated for decades. I am kinda proud to own my very own copy of it as well as it really teaches you so many basics from simple to complex recipes,
Your loss
Keep in mind it was made in the sixty’s, so there were a lot of stay at home moms.
@@DanielKay06 Been to bavaria and am never going back. Rather stay hessen at least we have Äppelwoi. Fucking hard to find a Bembel elsewhere. And Riwwelkuche. The south of germany is just ass
Probably worth a fortune now
Love the video BUT with the lettuce, it was due to multiple reasons.
1) It was not some dish from a different culture. It was a grilled Caesar salad the chef made to be different.
2) They did not cut it up so it was easily edible to the customer. It was just a whole head of romaine lettuce thrown on the grill.
3) They did not properly wash and prepare the lettuce so there was still dirt and potentially pesticides from the farm still on it.
I do fully agree though about Gordon being a jerk. I watched Boiling Point too and he's so insane in it but it's so good.
One thing i really truly love about Gordon is how he treats servers. He does not take owners treating employees horribly. He's also genuinely really good with kids. It's wild to watch MasterChef junior. I also enjoy how he treats disabled people. He wants them to know they are just as capable but still makes accomodations for them, like the blind woman on MasterChef, but he also doesn't baby them. He treats us like everyone else and I enjoy that. This is a wonderful video! You bring up amazing points and I feel the same about 24 hours to hell. Could never get into it. But I actually love the kitchen nightmares youtube channel video titles haha.
This whole video is about how the image of himself presented to the outside world is manipulative and designed for marketability. It's pointless to say "Yeah but look at all these other traits of his carefully-crafted public image."
You don't know him. He's also been rude to servers and random underpaid employees before on-camera, but he stopped after people on his team realized it didn't get a positive response. Obviously this guy screaming at children would leave a bad taste in viewers' mouths, but there's no way for you to know how he actually behaves in his day-to-day life. (Masterchef Junior specifically is still a highly competitive, stressful show for children to participate in with very little autonomy.)
Oh, he "makes accommodations" for them? As an autistic person who is high masking he would have driving me to the point of suicide. He is fatphobic, abusive and misogynistic and he normalizes and participates in abuse that WILL end up with stress breakdowns and PTSD.
You have to keep the lettuce whole to be grilled and for presentation.
Came from the Two and Half Men video essay and this one is even better. I'm here for your come up.
Same. Just subscribed.
damn youtube’s algorithm be hitting for us isn’t it
Same omg !!
Bruh thats literally me rn lmao
Same!! Great quality :)
The thing with the lettuce was that it was a ceasar salad, which is typically served cold, and it was spicy and they kept the butt if the lettuce on it which he says in the episode is very hard to clean and most of the time impossible to clean it's unhealthy and unsafe.
What does he call out to attention when he stands up, though? He doesn't mention the head still there, making it so it was obvious they didn't clean it properly, nor does he mention the bad combination, or that it was spicy. He mentions exclusively the fact they grilled a lettuce. Then it cuts to people laughing and the waitress going "Yeah, why do we grill lettuce?" when that was far from the problem.
@@carlwheezer1640 I imagine the editor butchered that because lol y not
@@aaronstorey9712 this is entirely possible
i worked for a chef who proudly thought he was like gordon ramsay and he would would just berate me all the time, pretending like that was the best way to teach somebody cooking. and now i don't cook for a living anymore lmao!!!! the clips from the boiling point show really got my hackles up reminding me of that chef, but when i used to watch the american kitchen nightmares it didn't faze me... probably because of its wacky editing during ramsay's meltdowns. leaving in that air after his screaming really makes the clip all the more emotionally loaded. great vid, jai!
I've heard this is how a lot of chefs acted back then! Gordon has said his mentor was even worse
I literally had the French Canadian version of Ramsay as my chef/teacher in Culinary School. He was pissed at the fact that they gave the nice teacher the baking positions and forced him into regular cooking (he was a registered Master Chef at baking) and was pissed at this so he abused us and let his anger out on us students. He would say mean jokes, throw our knives/plates across the room if we failed/made a mistake, would scream in our faces and even during lunch, for no reason, got mad at my boyfriend and I for no real reason (was just walking by us outside as we ate) and he just started throwing his papers and pens at him and screaming at him to get away from our culinary building. People hated him so much, in 1 term we went from 280 students to 160. He was SO hated that someone (investigations couldn't figure out who) tried to kill him. In our first day of class, he explained his nut allergy so nuts weren't allowed in our classroom when he was teacher while the other chef let us know about his Angina. Someone had put a type of nut oil in a dish they gave him. I had vertigo so I hadn't been there for 2 weeks when this happened, but they had closed our program and tried to discover who did it and never did.
@@lleexxii And some still do to this day. In the Culinary World, lots of people have huge egos and are complete dicks. They are very unaccepting of people who are disabled. I was hated so much for how I held my knife and stuff because of my arm/hand disabilities. And that was just the start; I had to go through people thinking they were better than me, competing for no reason, etc. It's a rough industry especially if you're a nice person like me.
I feel your struggle. My ex boss worked 10 years for Gordon, I don't even need to say how he was in the kitchen. I left when he yelled at my face that he wanted to smash my head through the window.
What gives me a bit of solace is that this type of romanticised abuse won't stand for long in real life, and my ex boss went through 150 people in less than 10 years because everybody leaves. And honestly, if I wanted I had plenty of proof to bring him to court for abusive behaviour.
@Reverie89 Amen I had a similar head chef, grabbed me by the throat on one occasion and then acted like nothing happened, later that night he was rushed to hospital to remove pieces of glass bottle from his cranium and I went on with my evening like nothing happened karma Is a bitch😅
I think the tiktoks where he’s reacting to people’s food/cooking is all in good fun tbh. The people love it when he makes them.
The scene where he asks for a moment and you see the giant cameras was the funniest thing ive ever seen
I understand the irony but watching this video talking about how to stop the toxicity of kitchen nightmares we have to stop watching it really makes me want to go watch some kitchen nightmares
It's the anti smoking ad effect. Show a smoker and anti smoking ad and they'll need a smoke.
Ngl, I don’t really Gordon scolding anyone badly for no reason. Like in Hell’s Kitchen, bro got scolded badly cus he didn’t even know the cooking pan was lit, and later got scolded again cus he didn’t connect the oven properly. Like bro, you’re a prof chef and you don’t know if the fire is on or off???
Im 7 seasons deep, not stopping now lmao 😂 I work in foodservice and I will continue to binge the remainder of this show lol
I’m going to watch it right now.
Not enough people talk about how the UK Kitchen Nightmares was more authentic and ran more like an individual story-based documentary rather than a trashy reality show, it had scenes that were specifically edited and scored in a way that caters to the lives of the restaurants owners lives and environment, there were many uncut shots of one-on-one conversations, it was less commercial and trivial, something you could take a bit more seriously.
Edit: since ppl don’t understand the difference between a statement and an opinion, this is not me saying the uk version is more entertaining, clearly it’s not, the us one is funnier and more chaotic, I was simply pointing out that compared to the us version, the uk version was objectively more of an honest show.. that’s all I was saying, so stop creating subtext that I didn’t make.
Its such a good show that I cant watch the US version now, very calm, simple, and the problems seem more real because its not so dramatized
Americans love trashy drama/reality tv.
No, I think everytime it's mentioned that's the one thing people point out. How authentic and real it feels
This comment reeks of pretentiousness.
@@chazzitz-wh4ly This one just reeks of discrimination.
Honestly, if you watch the show knowing it's TV and not a documentary, then you should be fine. It's hard to completely fake someone being a narcissist, and when Gordon yells, he yells about cross-contamination in the kitchen, abusive employers, raw food that can potentially kill customers, and bad working/kitchen conditions. The problem is always the boss, I don't think I've ever seen him yell at waiters or other general staff. Yeah, there's TV magic, yeah, maybe some of the food might have not been that bland and disgusting; but at the end of the day, when an owner is blatantly being an abusive asshole, it's really hard to fake that
It's very easy to fake an asshole owner with editing.
I ain’t reading allat
@@JimmyJames10-k7v It's not even much text, especially compared to many other comments under this video. If you have only a few seconds of attention span, why share that fact with the world?
@@JimmyJames10-k7vYour brain is riddled with worms and holes.
That's not the only he time he yells at all. Take boiling point for example. You don't need to insult your employees to teach them.
the lettuce was wrong because they kept it all together as a head of lettuce without washing the dirt and chemical off it
Theres a lot of thing this guy is wrong about, seems like he didnt put attention to the episodes
Ramsey does mention the problem with the dirt, but he mostly makes a show of the grilled lettuce in itself. He stands up, he says "This is a first for me. A grilled Ceasar Salad. They actually grilled the lettuce". He's obviously calling atention to how weird an idea it is to grill lettuce. He doesn't say "They served me a head of lettuce, which means it wasn't cleaned properly" or something to that effect.
@@AivansShowhe didnt talk about the chemicals ,he talked about how weird a grilled lettuce was
@@lainiwakura666 im saying the this guy is wrong not Ramsay
@@AivansShow i dunno man.. he said verbal abuse to your staff is wrong, which is what gordon ramsey does, I have to agree with that. Also gordon made that sad grilled cheese sandwhich :(
I'm so happy you mentioned the Brambly apple/granny smith drama. It's my favorite part of the entire documentary; especially when he somehow doesn't realize that people will see this in the miniseries. And when bunch of grannies protest outside of his restaurant over it, he cowers in the basement like a giant in a shoebox and calls the police to get rid of the old lady protesters.
I severely disliked Gordon until I saw the UK version of "Kitchen Nightmares". He was helpful and supportive. I wouldn't call him "calm" - but she he was intense it came off as passion and integrity, not anger. I always hoped that was his true personality and the American shows were an act, but maybe I had that backwards. Regardless, the UK one portrays a man unwilling to put up with bullshit but willing to be friendly and supportive to anyone who is earnest, regardless of ability. I wish that sold on American television.
hey, thanks for the superchat!! i think it's kind of amazing how much gordon's managed to rehabilitate his image. he keeps getting these shows where he's presented as an expert, even stuff like master chef, but i noticed the other day you never actually see him learn anything in any of these. it feels like all experts essentially believe they can never stop learning but gordon seems to entirely pride himself on being the arbiter of what is "correct." and it's pretty complicated because he's obviously passionate about cooking, i just don't really know how much though.
@@LowercaseJaiI'm fairly certain I've seen situations like that in his Great Escape series. He goes abroad and works at different restaurants/bistros, sometimes competing in local cook-offs with kitchens he is unfamiliar with. I'm pretty sure they show his losses too, there. Made him come across as a lot more friendly.
@@jedyzichterman358 Yeah.
His UK persona Vs. US is exactly like my French Canadian Gordon Ramsay-esque teacher/chef I had in Culinary School. I respected his skills (he is a certified master chef) but he was just soooo mean to us because they forced him to cook instead of bake (baking is his passion) so he made every single day hell except for the days he had to cover for the other chef (the one who got baking) and then he was just all sunshine and rainbows and so nice. It was weird.
@@jedyzichterman358 interesting! that’s a good point
The sound effects are legit the Key & Peele skit about this where you don't know if it's good or bad LOL
Almost like the skit was a parody or something...
I used to take acid and was watching Hells Kitchen while tripping one time, it blew my mind when I realized not one second of the show went by without music / sound effects, literally one second. It’s all music / sound effects 😂
@@daneharshman8275 music _can_ be okay when used like that because it creates ambiance and can increase feelings of tension, fear, resolution, etc. to the benefit of the story the showrunners are trying to tell. BUT it needs to be so subtle that the audience almost doesn't notice it's there at all -- otherwise it's just distracting. Horror movies include some of the best examples of this done well IMO.
Remembering that one clip on the KN youtube channel was titled something like "This is why the restaurant is failing" and it was one of those clips of Gordon ripping into one restaurant's unsanitary kitchen. That restaurant sued Kitchen Nightmares because the clip was from over 10 years before and the restaurant had turned itself around and was actually successful and well-reviewed at the time the clip was posted. It kind of illustrates how Kitchen Nightmares is more about gawking than it is about rehabilitation.
The fact that the vast majority of restaurants Gordon "helps" ends up closing up shop after about a year after he intervenes is the most damning proof that it's all a total sham. It was NEVER about helping anyone, it's just there to stroke Gordon's ego by giving him free reign to abuse anyone he wants, while leaving everyone else with the bill.
@@felixdaniels37 You have to understand that these restaurants get free publicity and a free makeover worth a lot of money. You cannot fix people who should not be in business in the first place. They're doing poorly for a reason. Calling in kitchen nightmares or bar rescue is usually the death throws of the business. It's not gordon's fault the restaurant is unsanitary or if the food sucks. A lot of people who open restaurants think it's easy. It's not. Only 1 of 7 restaurants survives after 6 months in business.
@@felixdaniels37 If you actually read interviews with the former owners of closed restaurants, 95% state they closed because of debt. Rewatch any episode of Kitchen Nightmares and you'll hear the owner tell Gordon they're in over a million in debt or something like that. That right there is the killer for most restaurants he visits. Watch the full episodes, they'll say something along the lines of"Our restaurant is X months from closing because we can't pay our debt", and even with Gordon's help, when do they typically close? About how long they said they had left in the episode.
@@felixdaniels37The issue there though is that most of these restaurants are in incredible debt. There's only so much Ramsey can do, but if you're in 1mil debt, a restaurant makeover isn't going to help anything except for selling the restaurant for more money
@@felixdaniels37but they were gonna close anyways…? And some stayed open due to him
He's tough with people who are way too full of themselves, but very forgiving to those who are genuinely trying to learn.
The episode about "Lido" is a good example of what you're saying.
Exactly.. People complain about his harsh attitude and his screaming but if there are kitchens and fridges (and the food in them) littered with mold, dirt, blood, rats, cockroaches etc. what are you supposed to do?
Explain the adult restaurant owners that you should not feed your customers rotten food in a calm and understanding manner? Like that's a mistake that can happen to everyone?
I feel like hes often too soft with them and let's stuff go pretty quickly (them insulting him and telling him to f off when they're the ones who called him to the rescue).
In the end the show is supposed to be entertaining, of course they'll exaggerate some stuff but if you really want to change and receive help I think Gordon actually tries his best
Right!!! I feel like he’s only rlly a big asshole when people aren’t doing their job, not showing any passion or just simply being an asshole back. Other than that, he’s helpful and nice.. just don’t be a dick to him
I used to watch Kitchen Nightmares to have pre's and play my Kitchen Nightmare drinking game...
1. Gordan swears - drink (duh)
2. Gordan says "well" - drink (this is the one that will actually get you)
3. Gordan makes a statement in the extreme e.g. "This is the most disgusting restaurant i have EVER seen!" - finish your drink
(this usually happens once an episode, sometimes doesn't, and occasionally more than once. Hanging on this random moment is really fun)
I'm gonna do this lmao
@@NicoSamuell RIP
Blacked out every time I assume
me and my partner play this game! some extra/alternative events you can use are:
"fuck me"
"darling" or "love"
anytime he touches gross food or ingredients
shouting match (for this one we do three big gulps of your drink since it'll last longer)
the weird violin sounds effect
anytime he says "it's raw", "it's bland" or "it's dry"
if you're using all or most of these (or you come up with your own) and you're playing with 2+ people, I would recommend putting all these events in a hat and you each draw out your events to look out for. this way you won't end up blacking out by the end of the episode
How r you not desd😂
Gonna play devil's advocate, Gordon got food poisoning far more often on American Kitchen nightmares as well, most of the kitchens in EU Nightmares dont come anywhere near how disgusting the US got
got hospitalized 3 times due to food poisoning
True but no one is picking the UK over the USA for their food
@@AngryDad. Here comes the triggered Americans lol. Any time that anyone even somewhat implies that another country might do something better than America, people like you always show up with your fragile little egos. It’s so sad.
20:29 Where have I seen this beautiful, gently scrolling checkerboard background before?
You’re wrong about the lettuce part, he’s mocking how that salad he made shouldn’t be grilled and the way an entire chunk of uncleaned lettuce was grilled was dumb. Of course Gordon knows grilled lettuce exists
Yeah. You grill lettuce. You don't grill an entire Caesar salad.
At 28:00 when you say: "They put cameras genuinely everywhere!", and the shot is of Gordon and another guy standing in front of the women's bathroom, I was going "oh no!"
hahahaha i didn’t think of that
lmfao I was thinking the same thing
I have a few comments about your video essay. One particular part I think you got wrong was the part about the grilled lettuce. His comments does seem to indicate that he is surprised that the lettuce is grilled, but that is not the bulk of his criticism. One major point was that he was served the "butt" of the lettuce. He rightly concludes that you cannot clean the lettuce properly. This is important because actual Grilled Ceasar Salad is usually cut up first for this very reason. What Gordon got was just a head of grilled lettuce, and not what a Grilled Ceasar Salad should be. So there was more than one reason why he didn't like the dish, not just because it was grilled. Apparently the chicken was dry too. Secondly, his recipe you quoted is actually for Roasted Lettuce, not Grilled. They are different cooking techniques. In his recipe he required the use of a pan or a wok, not a grill. The reason why someone would not grill lettuce, is because "Foods are typically grilled so the proteins, fats and sugars in them can cause a browning reaction that improves the flavor. Lettuce consists mostly of water and it has a tiny amount of sugar in it. You'd burn the sugar before you get any beneficial reaction going." That is why you see charring on the lettuce. From a food scientist (yes this is a thing) and a professional chef's point of view, it is simply bad practice to do this. That's not the say that people won't grill lettuce and like it. Just like how some people make Hot Dog and Pickle Jello, and like that too. They even put ketchup on it. Also, lettuce wraps aren't grilled. I even tracked down the source of your lettuce wrap image to an article on Delish, and those aren't grilled either. I also don't know why you say that Grilled Lettuce is "pretty common in Asian food". When I researched that point, I could only find a handful of examples of Mediterranean dishes with an Asian spin to it. Could you please clarify why you say this?
You also made a claim that two of the shots in the lettuce scene were probably taken at a different time. What would make you think this? If you look at the episode you can tell that all of those people are present in the room with Gordon. If you look at the shot where Ami (the waitress) is bringing the grilled lettuce to Gordon, you can clearly see them in the same room as him. In the episode when he holds up the lettuce for people to see, you can clearly see people laughing directly at it. Why would there be any cause to believe that the people in the two shots you showed, that were also in the room with him, would not be laughing along? In both shots they are looking at something, why would it not be the grilled lettuce? Though, that being said there are two other shots that better fit the bill. There is a scene where a woman is standing next to a screen with the words "Park's Edge" on it. She is sometimes there, and sometimes not in the following scenes. It could be she left the room at some point, but there is a scene showing a person laughing where you can see her arm and purse. I think that is far more definitive than the two shots you showed.
When you brought up his finances...to quote: "a little surprising that his whole thing in Kitchen Nightmares is being relatable and that sort of thing. But he was a multi-millionaire the whole time the show was being made"? Why would having money make someone not relatable? There is more to a person than their bank account. Sure we can't relate to them on a financial level, but maybe we can relate to him as a person who cares about food? But him being relatable, I believe, isn't why people watch Kitchen Nightmares. He is Gordon Ramsey the chef that gets angry about people making bad food! That's what Gordon Ramsey is known for, being angry about bad food. Remember Hell's Kitchen? Was he relatable in that too? He, and his anger is one of the reasons why people watch Kitchen Nightmares. At least, so it seems, in the US. The UK version of Kitchen Nightmares is actually much more tame. If you watch the UK version, the editing is clearly different. Gordon seems calmer, and the music is more relaxed. You don't hear many of those jarring sounds like the "shrill stings" they have in the US version when a conflict is occurring.
I had other comments, but most of them just boil down to the nature of reality TV in general. Like the absurdity of that 24 Hours to Hell and Back. While I do agree with a number of your points, I can help but wonder. Do you like/hate Gordon Ramsey? A lot of your video seems to directly talk about him, his past, his finances, his earlier shows. This video seems to be more aimed at criticizing the famed chef, rather than simply talking about Kitchen Nightmares.
They also noted his roasted lettuce was a recipe from 2005 and the show was filmed in 2012. I’d imagine Gordon felt like grilled Caesar was pretty dated 7 year later. Even done properly, grilled lettuce/salad was kind of a gimmicky early/mid 2000s dish.
Not saying Ramsay isn’t detestable a lot of times, but as you said, his criticisms of the grilled salad were understandable.
Sometimes, I can't believe the things I will waste my time reading.
@@unusualsuspect980 Then just don't read it lmao, you mad there's no Subway Surfers playing alongside it so you can keep up?
@@unusualsuspect980 And yet you're wasting your time typing out your regret. You sound pathetic. I promise you no one here values your life and time as much as you do.
@@tallic967I think if he read it all then that means he has a better attention span than the people who need the TikTok subway surfers thing
I put the 3 hour compilations of kitchen nightmares on my phone and listen to it while I’m at work, it helps the day go by faster
Same here!! I think the combination of yelling, the sound design/ effects, and overall anxiety make me subconsciously feel the need to work harder lol
16:21 "He knows what he's talking about, sometimes."
Gordon Ramsay currently holds 8 Michelin stars and has won 17 in his lifetime. You don't get that by knowing nothing about food. There are many instances of him travelling, trying his hand at cooking Asian food, and failing miserably. Last year he went on a Korean show to cook against a Korean chef in a 15 minute challenge, and I was seriously impressed. He has serious talent and can humble himself. He even admitted that his infamous grilled cheese was shit on "Last Meal." You also left out the part where most of these restaurant owners are delusional, think there's nothing wrong with the food, and tell the Michelin star chef he has no idea what he's talking about.
You also forgot how he was raised. He grew up in poverty, and his brother became an addict. He was treated like shit in Marco Pierre-White's kitchen, and that's where his insane work ethic comes from. He wasn't always a millionaire and the fact that he's so rich now, and still somewhat down to earth, speaks volumes.
Mostly everything else I agree with. The US version of Kitchen Nightmares is obviously staged and set up to make Gordon look like the hero. That 24 hour TV show was a cash grab and it didn't even look like Gordon's heart was in it. But you can't say that he's all show and no talent.
I generally agree with your points. HOWEVER, I will note that it is inherently MUCH easier for a celebrity chef to obtain a Michelin star compared to regular people. Michelin is inherently a PR stunt by a tire company that eventually evolved into the global benchmark for fine dining that we know it as today. The barrier to access for Gordon to be considered for another star is simply lower than regular people, and Michelin benefits more from their relationship to Gordon than to a local restaurant.
It is still a big deal for Gordon to have Michelin stars -- it's just less impressive than it would be for anyone else to have those same number of stars without having his celebrity status.
@@spencerlively3049fair enough, point taken. He was already famous when he won his first Michelin star, having worked for Marco Pierre White. I'm sure Michelin and Gordon mutually benefit from his massive celebrity status. However, I still think he knows more about cooking than this video would suggest. And he knows how to run a restaurant.
@@basedtom1 100% agree
You hit the nail on the head with the hyperbolic US version of the show. It’s all about the drama and nurturing a sense of tension/conflict.
As a side note, Gordon admits in a British episode of Kitchen Nightmares that, growing up, he had two options: continue getting into trouble or working in the kitchen. He used the kitchen to foster discipline and forge a better life for himself. And it was neat to see him convey that vulnerability with an owner whom he was trying to help.
I remember only 1 episode of Kitchen Nightmare where Gordon liked all the food and cleared the plate. Funnily enough that's my favorite segment when he goes back with a clean plate.
if i was a sailor and the notification of a new lowercasejai video was a beautiful siren singing on the rocks i would be so drowned right now
I feel like it comes down to him knowing that these professional chefs can do much better. If you see how he talks to the waitresses hes always very kind to them + the kids on master chef junior
Watch boiling point. He fires a waiter for drinking water in view of guest without giving a second chance. Constantly smacks them in the head while giving orders.
Don't forget that when he left aubergine his entire brigade went with him. They wouldn't have done that if they were being 'abused'. He's an incredible people person and rewards hard work handsomely. He's given plenty of staff careers and their own restaurants
Yeah, that's a point that ironically felt like them just moving over a point that goes against their narrative while trying to pretend they're right.
People complain about his temper, swearing, insults, etc. but unfortunately most chefs are like that. Is it right? No. Is it normal and expected? Yes. Its about having a line between work relationships and personal relationships, hospitality is hard and stressful and you can yell at a coworker and then sit out the back laughing together half an hour later on your break. You gotta have that definition, and I'm sure Gordon and his staff have that.
@@anna-flora999 yeah, one of the two dark blotches in an otherwise almost perfect video.
@@Michojo the problem is that it's a pretty important aspect to just ignore which in turns puts the integrity of the entire video into question.
Both things can be true. There are plenty of industries where people are abused and still side with the abuser. That's very common in the entertainment and other art-based industries.
Gordon's staff is probably made of a bunch of workaholics who don't mind abuse as much as working with one of the best chefs in the country.
Living abroad in the states as a British person really made me realise how well respected he is over there. I think at least in the UK, he’s more of a contentious figure. My mum hated the guy but I remember a guy I worked with thought he was pretty funny. In the states, it’s seems like most people were in agreement that he was a great chef and really well respected in the UK. At best, he’s a tv personality. At worst a bully.
Well he was being harsh but it was necessary
@@oooh19a lot of it wasn’t necessary whatsoever.
America loves the loud macho type 🙄
0:54 i absolutely disagree about that. Everytime gordon was angry on television he had a good reason for it. Idk where do u bring that he got angry for no good reason. The fact he is expecting from people perfection and insists u by being angry at u for not achieving it is his main reason why he is successful. Cuz unlike many mentors who is licking ur butt for ur wrong doing. Gordon does not.
the grilled lettuce proves he is not infallible.
@@TannuWannuhe was complaining because he got something that had nothing to do with the dish he ordered, grilled lettuce doesn't go in caesar salad
He is getting more reasonable with age and possibly nevstive feedback. His aggessive and insulting side is simply disgusting and unprofesional. If i like to learn about cookimg there are better YT channels. He is mainly rainbow-level infotainment.
Having reason doesn't equate to encouraging literal sin. He does not need to communicate like a child with uncontrolled emotions. Knowing that most of his anger is reactive from mistakes of another that does not truly affect him-it is incredibly immature and underdeveloped of him to respond outwardly with anger.
@@TheRealBina except he isn’t doing any of that. He criticize you in a way that will make you uncomfortable in order to make you change. If he would be soft to you i don’t believe you will acquire the actual change u need. Keep in mind alot of people in his shows are in an delusional beliefs that just talking to them ain’t gonna cut it. Sometimes they need an metaphorical slap to there faces in order to change. Thats whats Gordon Ramsey is to them.
While most of Gordons berating of staff is way over the line you had one bit where he berated someone for cross contamination and honestly, that is something that, while not complete berating and humiliation, deserves being told to the staff that it is not okay. You are there to cook food for other people, not risk their health. Even then, if this was the first time this happened at the restaurant Gordon was way over the line but if there has been several cases of cross contamination then its either that or firing some of the staff and getting in people who understand the minimum modicum of health and safet in a kitchen.
The digression into Britney Spears discourse was peak
Gordon Ramsey's Chef Blast is actually a brilliant alternate title for this video.
He eats the food first so he can see where the issues are. As a chef myself, that's basic. You can't fix the issues if you don't taste first, then oversea production
He already knows what the issues are before he sets foot in the building. Weeks of reserch are done on each restaurant before Gordon even turns up.
Besides, pretty much all of the bad food is manufactured for the episodes. The KN crew take over the business several days before filming begins. They plant rotten food, turn off fridges and more. The chefs and owners are not even allowed in their own restaurants until Gordon turns up.
to say his success only came from swearing is rather naive and what's more is that the things you compare his career with are completely different
Out of all the things I expected to be called manipulative today, I didn’t think it would be Kitchen Nightmares
Omg! I'm so glad you brought up Kenji! My ex got me one of his cookbooks (The Food Lab) and it's incredible. It's a beautiful blend of technique, ingredient education, how to select the right tools, various culinary definitions, and food history. You can read it like a non-fiction book about food science and history, or you can skip straight to the recipes without missing too much context. Whether you want to learn about food or cook or both, it's great
The funniest thing is that I "discovered" him in complete reverse order. First, I got his cookbook as a gift. Then, I stumbled across his TH-cam page by complete coincidence. And I finally found out that he's a well-known recipe creator and food journalist for Serious Eats and New York Times and has his own restaurant
that cookbook is incredible! i think if i had to point to a specific piece of media that got me interested in learning how to cook, i’d have to choose that. like you say, it’s this incredible, accessible, knowledgable book, but it also has a respect for the reader that a lot of recipe books don’t have. it tries to impart the ideas of cooking, so you can just look at a bunch of ingredients and pull something out of your toolkit. really fantastic book!
@@FrcNeru what?
@@FrcNeru get a grip you goofy fuck
Boiling Point was a time where Gordon sacrificed everything to run his own restaurant and in doing so, the stress levels of having ur entire life put on the line and at the time his father was incredibly abusive to his mother and wanted to do everything in his power to make his mum proud.
I feel in Boiling Point Gordon had real emotion that the producers saw as a perfect character for American television.
Ive been in the niche communities that covers Hells Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares & other smaller reality shows Gordon has done like 24hrs hell and back.
I hope that makes sense and thank you for creating this documentary, hopefully it clarified a bit
The algorithm is about to push this into orbit, trust me
@Blue.Diesel why is that?
unfortunately
He doesn’t get mad at people for nothing. He gets mad at people for not having standards, not being accountable, treating staff horribly, and operating disgusting kitchens. Most people Gordon has yelled at had it coming.
You should watch Hell's Kitchen
During the beginning of the episodes when they show black and white footage of when the restaurant was doing well in the past 😂 like the cameras weren't there in the past, they just filmed the restaurant when it was busy and made it black and white. When I noticed that I noticed a lot more editing nonsense with this show
I mean you’ll notice quickly those are just the scenes when Gordon Ramsey gets a bunch of people to come in to see how they work.
I binge-watched the first season of "Kitchen Nightmares" a few months ago, I'd never watched it before, and I knew I was watching some premium trash television when the SECOND EPISODE started with a voice-over saying "Tonight! Gordon faces his toughest Kitchen Nightmare challenge yet!" And every single episode says the same thing at the beginning. It's dumb, it's formulaic, and I love it.
My second favorite reoccurring bit is when early in the episode during one of the pre-commercial break "Coming up later..." bits, they'll say "Disaster strikes!" with footage of cops cars or a fire truck. Then it turns out they just invited the local police or fire department to the grand re-opening. It's hilarious.
This vid and two and a half men essays were so good. Always love seeing some good independent analysis being done by TH-camrs. Keep it up!
Also would be interesting to see your take on Hell’s Kitchen! Especially season 8 with that weird wannabe ninja chef Raj. I feel like that season they specifically chose the worst possible contestants for more drama.
17:38 *Bro really said "at least use an airfryer" for a show that primarily took place years before their popularity.*
this video makes me fast handheld zoom, horror movie musical sting
I been watching the us and uk kitchen nightmares for years now and picked up that it's really about giving insight to customers and viewers on the conditions in which food is being prepared, what the standards should be, and what restaurant owners are doing to drive away sales. Gordon Ramsay strongly promotes and adheres to cleanliness and freshness when preparing food and is where most of his judgments take precedent. the sad reality is that if you want viewer retention and any engagement in the entertainment industry there has to be an unexpected characteristic like gordon putting restaurant owners on blast for malpractices he uncovers in their kitchen. but hey at least being bullied on national tv gets compensated by a expensive interior makeover lol
But I do think watching enough of him, even on American Television, you can see cracks in his professionalism. Virginia on Hell’s Kitchen got so far kissing his butt, to the point he gets called out and all he has to say is something along the lines of “How dare you.”
there was another time he fiercely defended his decision to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich in the worst way possible, all because he had to defend his pretentious aura that he has.
The biggest question I have is how this man managed to look 45 for 30 years??!!
i love this analysis. you go far beyond summarizing online readings and are capable of articulating information without boring me or going off track.
thank you for talking about the french chef, my grandma passed and now i have all those cooking books. i didnt know the lore until now
Kitchen Nightmares, Hotel Hell, Bar Rescue... It's an addiction
I'm so happy for this video. Everyone seems to adore this man and his shouty ways but it ruined commercial kitchens for ages. This era of volatile rockstar celebrity chefs (he wasn't the only one, but probably the most well-known today) really did carry over into actual kitchens where actual people work. That attitude was common in culinary school too, and it sucked there, but there definitely was a time when you could run a tight brigade without screaming insults like a badly behaved toddler all bloody shift. When it was a mark of professionalism to run a tight kitchen without being a showy rage monster. It doesn't matter whether it's a character or not, that's the chefs people got to see, the chefs that were praised in wider culture.
I gave up on culinary school because I knew I wouldn't thrive in commercial kitchens. Nobody really does under those conditions, hence the rampant burnout and addiction. Most people respond much, much better to reasonable critique than they do to embarrassing boss tantrums. It's much, much easier to hold a line when you're not being screamed at. No other workplace gets away with this, but these rockstar chefs made it cool and chic to just openly abuse their brigade, and for that I'll never forgive them. I don't say that lightly. The man who got me into cooking and is never far from my mind (Bourdain, of course) was part of that era too.
Not sure how it is in the US, but at least this era seems to finally have passed in Europe and kitchens are turning into normal workplaces again. The most famous chef in my country gave an interview when he retired where he admitted that he felt a bit ashamed of being your standard celebrity chef rage monster in his prime, and he couldn't really recall why he even did that, he just that he felt that's how chefs should act. He seemed to regret it. He should, in any case.
Yeah abusing cooks seen as okay is baffling, imagine if an accountant got object thrown at them being called fat cow or bimbo or pig, that would make a headline but somehow its okay to abuse cooks?
Great video! I noticed a while ago how this show (and others with Ramsey in them) is so incredibly addictive because of the way it is edited and structured. It’s actually a very common format beyond cooking shows: you have an expert going in to fix an issue ata different location every episode, be it to train a dog, fix a living room, pimp a car, etc
I watched the first episode. It was the one where he yells at a heavily-accented French guy and fixes his crappy restaurant. One of the first things he did was make him throw out some ugly statues he had for decor. Then in the last scene, where the French restaurant owner is standing in the main dining room and talking about how much better his restaurant is doing, and how much he appreciates Gordon Ramsey’s advice, even thought they didn’t see eye-to-eye at first... in the background, I saw THE SAME STATUES that he threw out earlier. And later, I saw the “French restaurant owner” in a bit part on a British TV show, and his accent had mysteriously disappeared.
The later episodes might have been real, but the first season was completely staged.
Having certain things done for sensationalism doesn’t mean something is completely staged. There is nothing on TV - not even the news - that is completely raw and never manipulated. US audiences are largely vapid and unconcerned with content, as evidenced by these comments. But at the end of the day, these are REAL restaurants.
The owners are notorious for retrieving the things they placed by the dumpster. It comes up a lot when he returns to places and in Hotel Nightmares
@@MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD and the disappearing french accent?
@@Disco-Skuxx i just don't believe that detail
@@Disco-Skuxxcouldve been a different guy that looked similar, i looked up the owner and he doesnt have any acting credits and last i checked owns a pizza bar, i assume youre talking about the US version because the chefs in the first episode of the UK version werent french, and i assume your talking about the 10th episode of the US version cause thats the only episode that fits your description in season 1. Conclusion, youre not lying you just have a very bad memory
To be fair about Gordon in boiling point he was trying to get a Michelin star. Thats no easy task, its stressful and it requires an insane amount of passion.
The MJ comparison is actually a good one. MJ was arguably a toxic player, however his teammates knew that his attitude was not personal, it was just him striving to pish them towards perfection.
Im not saying that one has to act this way to win a Michelin star, or an NBA championship, but i think there is a strong correlation between people who are incredibly passionate towards achieving something great, and this type of personality that demands everyone else to put in as much effort into their shared goal as they are.
I very much doubt that Gordons attitude in boiling point is any like his normal personality since that was probably one of the most stressful moments in his life.
You don't get to abuse people because you're passionate.
@@anne-zh2kd I'm sorry but if you enter into a highly competitive, high stakes, high competence environment, with a passionate person at the helm then you should expect some chewing out for mistakes.
I think every one of his employees know that, and that's why they stayed with him when he moved to this restaurant.
I don't know if I would classify it as abuse and leave it at that, I think it's more complicated.
@Jmart786 if "chewing" out strives into the realm of getting personal with your criticisms and not keeping it strictly to the craft, then yeah a line has been crossed and can be viewed as abusive.
Let's not glorify abusive/toxic workplaces thanks
@mehmeh1602 I don't think it ever got that personal. Also no one is perfect, the stakes are high and emotions are tense, if someone keeps fucking up you aren't going to pat them in the back and say "it's ok buddy, things happen, try better next time".
Could he be nicer at times? Yes. But let's be real if any of us were put in that kind of intense position we would struggle to not break under pressure, let alone making sure we are nice to everyone.
Getting mad over nothing? That’s objectively not true. Gordon gets pissed over abysmal cleanliness standards and poor performance. That isn’t comparable to an asshole on a movie set going postal. That’s why people like Gordon. We’ve seen the great sides of him and how he genuinely cares about and helps people. He’s not just some evil asshole and that’s not what he is. Also, Kitchen Nightmares doesn’t need to teach anyone how to cook. It’s a show about fixing a restaurant
I read this comment as soon as he said that out loud. I live in the matrix.
@@daneharshman8275 Have no clue what you mean by that but I like it.
I searched every rancid corner of the Internet trying to find the episode of Britain's most unbearable bosses (often confused with Boiling Point), but I couldn't find it anywhere.
Yah but roasted lettuce is on a separate dish this is a Caesar’s salad. If I served you egg salad with raw fuckin eggs in it instead of boiled and chopped and you said “who serves raw eggs!!” And I said “well akhsually some Asian cultures eat raw eggs on some dishes” you’d still refuse to eat the egg salad with raw eggs in it. Just like Gordon refused to eat the ceasar’s salad with grilled lettuce in it
I love that you’re using Hotel Dusk music in the background of this video! It is such an underrated game. It is absolutely one of my favorites, and it holds such a special place in my heart.
yes! I've been scrolling the comments to see someone mention this!
that game was amazing and the music obviously stuck with me, it was so recognisable
Really great editing on this. And as an American, I appreciated the background info on Gordon Ramsay before his fame here. Keep it up!
Gordon walking off is like stopping an NPC on accident and them returning to their walk path after you skip through their dialouge
I spilled water I was drinking, when you brought up AVGN
"the only chef who discriminates more than Ramsey is Paula Dean"
Ouch!
Should see how average cooks are
@@The_Punisher I worked as a dishwasher in a fairly nice restaurant and yeah. It was always a good time when certain of our line cooks and chef were there.
Gordon is an absolute cartoon of a man but he might be a genius; few guys know they are assholes, even fewer guys are so aware they can monetize it all the way to international stardom. Is he evil? possibly, im sure those chefs in Aubergine and the Ramsay restaurant got the worst of it, bet he was a massive pissbaby in the '90s, but he is also probably 5% of the reason The Bear exists.
Its about his ego and it constantly needs to be stroked He's no better than any other chef except he's been given a pass on mistakes by other who are in utterly awe of the man and his food.. not everybody cooks the food like he does and he needs to learn from it
Hmmm
@@ashyhusky4130You shouldn’t comment about someone you clearly do not know much about. American Producers made him act the way he does as it would make for “Great TV” if you actually watched the UK version hes a nice guy as well as the Children Masterchef he’s extremely kind as thats who he really is. As for saying not everyone cooks like him and he needs to learn? He literally travels ALL THE TIME posting pics learning for other chefs all over the world to learn their cooking techniques.
@@ericnoel8034 No thats his real life.. read on it pal stop gurgling his sack.. watch the marine episode
@@ericnoel8034 I find it funny how people out there really think Gordon is the way he is in those american TV shows, do they not realize that it's mostly acting?
We don’t get mad at him bc he does not mess with the hourly staff. He goes head to head with the owner. He always makes it clear the servers are not the problem and it’s super kind and listens to them. Very good strategy. He is also kind to kids. It’s like power pyramid. You don’t mess with the ones at the bottom
“you probably have no idea what this book is”… unless you’ve watched the child vs ramsey epic rap battle
Very underrated channel here Jai! Hoping for more videos!
hey, that’s kind of you to say! i’m working on more vids, they just unfortunately take a lot of time 😩
Fun Fact: Julia Child worked for the CIA.
Nope. OSS.
@@jamespohl-md2eq which became what agency?
@@Zzz-j2f1. All activities of the OSS had been previously performed by various groups: treasury, navy, state, etc.
2. The OSS was dissolved.
3. Became: the State Department took over Research and analysis and it became the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, War Department took over Secret Intelligence and Counter Espionage which became part of the Strategic Services Unit. Who ran that? Just Donavan’s deputy director of intelligence.
4. 4 months later FDR created the CIG. And by mid 46 the SSU was part of it, and named the Office of Special Operations.
5. In 1947 the National Security Act established the CIA.
In no way did Child work for the CIA.
I was NOT prepared for the video essay writer to take us back to the 1800s for panopticon lore
24:46 "I don't want to be labeled as a slurpity chef." - Gordon Ramsay
I don't know if it counts as manipulation, But two things that have started to bother me a lot about kitchen nightmares. The first would be the redecorating of the restaurant where they try to make the owner of the restaurant like they're in the wrong for not liking the changes but its THEIR restaurant. I feel like they should have a say in what it looks like. I mean one time, Gordon decided to burn someone's old decorations. That was WAY too much. The other that has bothered me is the big reopening. I get that it's a stress test, But I genuinely wonder if the chefs have enough time to practice with the menu before the big night because a lot of restaurants barely make it through and Gordon puts that blame on them.
Ye, a common complaint is that the remodel is super cheap too, and honestly like 3-4 of them look like shit. Giving their team 1 overnight to do it is insane.
one time they decorated a spot with a bunch of tiny bowls on the walls with betta fish. Possibly the worst design choice for so many reasons lol
I think the issue is the perspective of the Anger. If I stood up in my chair and shouted at the resturant employees I'd be seen as a bad guy, but Ramsay is perceived to be helpful in his rage I suppose it seems more passionate. At the end of it all he's there to help so I guess people give it a pass.
My second theory is Schadenfreuden (or however the fuck you spell it) people secretly just want to shout at people that are incompetent.
Definitely the first thing. People know his personality and who he is. He can be a complete asshole at times but he’s extremely inspiring, he’s a great teacher, and he’s very supportive of the people he believes in - not to mention him trying his best to light a fire under people and repair relationships. Even if it’s sensationalized, it shows all sides of his personality. Most human beings aren’t just one thing. This is even more apparent in Gordon’s videos that he makes for his own TH-cam channel that includes his kids.
I would love to see a Bar Rescue essay in this style. The host is beyond twisted and forgoes the "Tough Love" approach
Idk “getting angry over nothing” it’s usually gross hygiene that he yells at people about. And also usually getting angry on behalf of someone or multiple ppl being treated poorly. I’ve never seen him blow up on someone who didn’t actually deserve it.
Even during his competition show he actually only yells after repeating himself over and over and typically it’s mistakes that can be harmful or that should be learned by then. And he even encourages them and uplifts them when they do well, and when they are just anxious. You can see more of it with the extended seasons with little to no editing, music or effects. He never just yells, he’s very constructive.
This is such a well put-together video man, gonna binge the rest of your stuff ASAP :)
(Completely agree about Britney, btw)
I remember there was an AMA a few years back with someone who worked at a KN restaurant, and she said that Ramsey didn't actually spend very much time at the restaurant--he would come in for the parts that would be on TV, but the rest of the time it was his team doing the actual work of fixing the restaurant.
Did you think he was there with a hammer and a tool belt?
@@bend8353 I didn't mean the renovations, I mean everything--the menu, the cooking, all of it was done by his team and he just showed up for the parts on TV.
From a quick google search, he owns 81 restaurants. It would be a bit difficult for him to visit them all regularly
@@EthanWintersLeftHandand hi think he runs those restaurants personally? LMAO
this video essay is such a hidden gem!! i love the way it’s composed and the silly music choice
sir, while you make valid points throughout, this video has no clear direction. Idk what you're main point is trying to say and your non sequiturs make it hard to follow your line of thought. IMO I think you're trying to criticize US reality tv, and then blame gordon for it? He's definitely no saint, his shows are definitely manipulative and his outrage in the kitchen can surely do more harm than good in some cases, but for the most part his criticisms are completely valid and is generally pro-worker, millionaire or not, that's a noble cause to stand up for and showcase on national TV. And yeah the audience believes he's right most of the time because he's an expert in the field and has years of experience running restaurants? If audiences can't deduce that a human being isn't 200% right all the time, then that's on the watcher, reality TV is gonna be like that: trashy, deceiving and heavily influencing authentic interactions. Good luck in future videos.
Almost had a stroke when I heard music from Flower Sun and Rain in this video LMAO
Also wanted to say great video, the framing devices of film and its language are so important even in "reality" television, so thank you for highlighting that!
Yes of course, because Gordon's cursing is honesty, not a break down. He's been helping so many people and businesses. I don't like his language but he only proves that you can go to church every day and be an asshole and you can curse and still be a good person who helps people.
Great video. I’ve been watching this show for years and feel the exact same way as you do - it’s one of my favorite “junk foods” and endlessly entertaining. You did a great job explaining the editing choices and the commentary on the TH-cam channel is spot on. Really excellent job!!
You are getting parts of this wrong, but I like where you are spot on. I seriously dislike Ramsay because of the impression he leaves on an industry I respect and have worked in.
3:22 "he always enters..." by meeting the owners for the first time and insulting something about them. It might be the way they look, the way the restaurant looks, or anything else that is demeaning. That's his standard opening: make the owners dolts.
I've written up a sample script which is essentially what you summarize, but I go into a little more detail. It is the same show every time. Except you are a bit more kind to him than I am. You left out his superman cape and the fact that 80%+ of the restaurants fail after he leaves because he put them in an unsustainable position with his 'investment'.
7:25 "[essentially the assumption that Gordon's perspective is correct - and it frigging isn't]" Bravo.
7:50 You indeed nailed the grilled lettuce. I have a bunch more examples that I have collected over time. For example, he fakes not being able to get a burger in his mouth in an episode because it is too tall. Then his home version of a burger is 5 inches tall, and somehow that's fine.
8:35 I love how he shows up to restaurants in his damned underwear. Later he'll get his cape on...
I would keep watching, but I honestly just hate him too much. And I don't hate people. On the other hand, I will make an excuse to subscribe because you are OK... ;-)
paused the video (really good so far btw!!) to say that the m.. meta joke? of the objectively lame cue ball joke paired with the canned laughter, is REALLY GOOD at achieving your point. i did not want to laugh but the energy was literally infectious and i caught myself grinning. nice job. liked that a lot.
edit: the rest of the video was great too. subbed and going through your other stuff. thanks for the tasty treats.
Kitchen Nightmares isn't a cooking show. It's a show about running restaurants.
This was really great. Please keep making more content.
Those Kitchen Nightmare TH-cam thumbnails look like something you'd see on the front of the Daily Star.
After hearing Hotel Dusk / Last Window music I knew I had to subscribe. Great video!
It’s funny because when a boss treats their staff like shit, he goes off on them and says it isn’t right.
Difference is Gordon pays his staff very well and knows more than them
People should watch Hell’s Kitchen uncut and you’ll see why he’s frustrated most of the time.
ah, so THIS is why you used kitchen nightmares as an example of the kuleshov effect in the fesh pince video
I wanna say that I appreciate the use of Hotel Dusk and Last Window music in the video background. Such underrated gems.