I thought I would get a thread going. I’m watching my DVR recording right now.
Beer cheese soup? Really? Ugh.
I’d love to punch Gordon Ramsay in the throat.
That cheesy mess nearly made me lose my dinner.
I was expecting something a bit different in format, I think, but this kind of looks like it’s the same old, same old again.
I thought it was funny when Joe Bastianich asked that guy if the presentation would be better next time, and the guy said, “What do you mean?” And Joe just replied, kind of quietly, “You heard me.”
The thing is, when done properly both beer-cheese soup and those cheesy home style potatos can be good. These guys just did not know how to pull them off, but truth be told neither is the kind of dish I would expect Ramsey to like.
Oh, I totally agree, zoid, and those really aren’t the “look at my skills!” sorts of dishes I’d bring if I were in their positions. I might charitably wonder if they used up some of their nicer-looking/tasting dishes in whatever selection process got them to the “going on TV” point in the competition and they decided to not repeat a previous dish. (If so, bad idea.)
I don’t know. Ramsay doesn’t really strike me as a food snob. He has exacting standards sure, but I’m surprised at some of the “declasse” signature dishes he’s ended up liking on “Hell’s Kitchen.” Granted a baked potato casserole isn’t something he’d eat everyday (if ever), but if you made it right and used quality ingredients (it looked to me like the guy was just using prepackaged shredded cheese in the casserole) I could see him expressing some grudging respect for it.
Why? He was a real sweetheart compared to the guy at the other end of the table. That guy was just mean.
Joe Bastianich seemed to enjoy playing the asshole/tuffguy for no good reason—I would enjoy this kind of show much more if they would do away with all the melodrama and amature theatrics (from both judges and contestants)…
Agreed. Beer-cheese soup is wonderful if done right. Great with a bread bowl. It should be smooth and creamy, not grainy, not too thick, with the flavors of the sharp cheddar and malty beer blending just right.
Yeah, my wife is a big Gordon Ramsey fan, but after watching this episode, she’s thinking to giving the show a pass. They’re just phoning it in now, using the same tired techniques:
[ul]
[li]Loud music then a commercial break before some sort of ho-hum decision.[/li][li]Spending the first 2 minutes after a commercial break to rehash the last two minutes before the commerical break.[/li][li]Bringing the family in, fer chrissakes, to try to generate some artificial pathos.[/li][li]Aaaand, at least one instance of Ramsey spitting food out in disgust.[/li][/ul]
Note that this formula is used only on his shows on Fox (Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen). I’ve seen the UK episodes of Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America, and it’s very different. He does the narration himself and he very calmly describes what’s going on in the kitchen, and it’s very much a learning experience. In the US version of Kitchen Nightmares, the production company brings in outsiders to make over the restaurant, while on the UK show, he expects the restaurant staff to do the work. And his show The F Word is also much calmer, although every episode seems to feature him involved in some sort of macho hunting expedition.
Also on “The F Word” I haven’t seen ALL the episodes, but maybe a season’s worth, and every time Gordon went head to head with a home chef in making desert, the home chef won the blind taste test!!! Customers generally complained his deserts “too rich.” He took it in good humor. Or humour, as it were.
Too close to “Hell’s Kitchen” format. I was hoping it was going to be like the UK Masterchef, with mystery ingredients, people moving on to the semi final etc.
They don’t win all the time, but they win a surprising amount of the time.
I think **joebuck20 **is right. Ramsay seems more than willing to state that food doesn’t have to be some overly complicated mess to be good food.
The whole show struck me as “American Idol with Food”. The funeral potato thing was probably the worst food item I’ve ever seen – I can’t believe that guy was capable of cooking anything decent enough to get on the show.
I saw another Chef Ramsay show advertised on BBC America – Escape, or something like that? Anyone know anything about it?
I agree with the poster above - seemed like American Idol: In the Kitchen!!zomg!one!1
From the pre-debut advertisements, I thought the show had an interesting premise. However, I can’t stand what’s become the token “British jackass” on these type of judging panels. Do Simon Cowell or Gordon Ramsey have any friends at all? I watched the show for about 15 minutes before becoming disgusted with that kind of behavior and turned it off.
Is it Great Escape? That was pretty good - came out a year or two ago. He goes to India and it’s part cooking/ part travel documentary.
Yep, that’s it! I thought it looked interesting.
hobscrk777, Ramsay was freely distributing hugs throughout the course of the episode. He seems quite popular with the ladies, anyway. 
Yeah it’s formulaic and predictable at this point, but I’ll keep watching since there’s not much else better on TV at this point and I love Ramsey. And I too vastly prefer the BBC Kitchen Nightmares, since it focuses a bit more on the food and less on the drama. But the American version is a reality show on Fox, so what can you expect?