Anybody else think that the Asian guy with the duck dish is a ringer? “Server” my ass. I bet he works in the family restaurant, and cooks as much as he serves.
So, when’s this thing on? I’d like to set up my DVR to record it so’s I can check it out. (Though it being Ramsay + Fox, I don’t hold out all that much hope for it being actually watchable.)
The next episode is tonight. 8pm is Hell’s Kitchen (which I think is a horrible train wreck of a show) and 9pm is Masterchef (which I’m tentatively willing to give a shot).
I was impressed with that guy who did the Italian… whatever it was. The semi-surf-and-turf thing. It might not have been to their standards but I’m glad they gave him a chance.
Same with the woman they sent out to get some inspiration and cook. A definite sign of Ramsay’s appreciation for ‘authentic’ home-cooked food, rather than something tarted up to look fancy.
I gather that the US version is based on the Australian version rather than the UK original. It is like Big Brother with cooking except devoid of conniving and backstabbing. The contestants lived together in a large Sydney house and over the course of several months were whittled down to two finalists. Over the course of the series viewers come to know the contestants quite well and start to pick favorites.
The show is on 6 nights a week and I don’t think a week went past that it wasn’t a regular topic of conversation at work. The two series have been phenomenally successful in Australia. Every daily newspaper has articles about the eliminated contestants. The final of series 2 was the highest rating, non-sports event, in Australian TV history.
Is that the show which has/had John Torode as one of the judges? Because he was an excellent judge, whereas Gordon Ramsay’s, well, fairly keen on exhibiting the Americanized, Fox-ified version of himself (as stated previously), much to the show’s detriment. Oh, well. Anything to keep Fox’s trailer trash viewership engaged, I suppose.
Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares is one of my favorite shows. I’m a big Ramsey fan because of it. But after watching the first episode, I’m definitely going to take a pass on the rest of the show.
So far it has been American Idol with more contrived drama, not a good combination. I hope it gets better as it moves into phase two of the competition.
I hate the Fox/American reality show trappings. I know they’re trying to cash in on reality show audiences (here and on Hell’s Kitchen (US)) and hoping that fans of Ramsey from other shows will stick with them, but it’s really grating. I refuse to watch these live, and have been watching from DVR. I’ve gotten very good at figuring out when the next commercial break is due and tend to just hop past a lot of the fake drama pausing that comes right before and after those.
I also find myself wondering what it’s really like there. Do they have the group that they know is going to get the aprons regardless, and then the “get out of here, you suck” candidates like those weird ones on American Idol that they throw in for drama/[del]Simon Cowell[/del]Joe Bastianich to bitch at? Or do they have a cattle call of the whittled-down contestants that might have talent, and once all the aprons are handed out, “so sorry, go home, we’re all done here”? Because I’d be pissed if I was a good home cook and some of these yahoos got in ahead of me for reasons like having a good sob story.
I watched it for the first time last night. I could never really get into Hell’s Kitchen because Ramsey was so loud and yelly and they are doing stuff that is way over my head. I’m new to cooking and hoping to learn something from watching the show (and I did already - how to cut an onion.)
Overall I really enjoyed it. Dunno who the guy’s name is, but the one who did the poached egg with steak and mashed potatoes – you could tell Ramsey likes him and was giving him a hard time specifically to push him. I had a feeling he was going to be good just because he seemed so confident in what he was doing.
You could also tell they liked the girl who did an open-face BLT. I feel like they’re rewarding originality and risk which is good. It seems life a more warm and fuzzy version of Hell’s Kitchen. Think I’ll continue watching.
FYI you can find out how to do that and a lot more with the internet. So far I have never been disappointed when looking for a video on how to cut an onion or chiffonade or even a good way to get at pomegranate seeds. Most anything you could think of.
Theses shows help with some ideas and such which is good but as a way to learn how to cook not so much (although from Hell’s Kitchen you will nab little tidbits on rare occasions).
Oh, yes, I am having great fun with internet how-to videos. The other day I learned the proper way to cut a bell pepper. I’m making a garden harvest soup this week and it’s going to take twice as long as usual to make because I’m going to make sure I cut up all those veggies good and proper!
It’s crazy how good some of these people are at being creative with cooking. Like the 30 different ways people came up with for presenting an egg. That’s sort of the stuff I’m hoping to learn from the show – different ways to cook. Like it would never occur to me to try to make a poached egg, but now I want to learn. I only started cooking last year and I’m still in that ‘‘following the recipe’’ phase, trying to become more independent and creative in the kitchen. So any kind of exposure to cooking shows in general is probably going to help me.
I agree although it seems to me that Eliot follows Ramsay’s lead. Maybe cuz he is the young guy (although certainly accomplished in his own right). I liked that he liked the beer cheese soup which the other chefs panned. Eliot needs to stick to his guns more. No idea how that beer cheese soup was but I have fond memories of a fantastic beer cheese soup at a place I used to stay in the north woods in Wisconsin. It can be very tasty and nice.
Ramsay is, well, Ramsay. I do not think it is a schtick. I think that is him being himself. He can be an ass to be sure but when not browbeating wannabe chefs with his high standards he seems an ok guy.
Bastianich just annoys me to no end. His smug, supercilious attitude just drips off him (willing to throw narcissism in there too but would need to hear more from him to be sure). It is rare I have such an instant and powerful dislike for someone without having met the person. Bastianich is one such person. I am nearly positive I could not stand hanging out with that guy for more than 30 seconds.
It’s interesting how little it has to do with the UK version. Just completely different. It’s much more of a Food Network type of show, and runs everyday, and only 4 competitors compete at once. It also gets people into real restaurants to see if they can cut it.