Starting this month, we’ll be launching a monthly series titled ‘How We’d Fix Them’. Ever wanted to see something done differently or better? We do and well we couldn’t help ourselves in turning this idea into a monthly feature. First up. Sir Gordon. Enjoy!
So Hell’s Kitchen is about to air it’s 16th season. Let me repeat that for you. HELL’S KITCHEN IS ABOUT TO AIR IT’S 16TH SEASON!!
Think about that one for a second.
In a world of smartphones, infinite TV, The Kardashian’s, and SnapChat, this shit-show has somehow remained on air. Think about how much has changed since its debut way back in 2004.
Justin Bieber was barely 10 years old.
Usher had the biggest song of the year with his hit, ‘Yeah!’ — tell me, when was the last time you thought of Usher? Been a while, hasn’t it?
Sideways, Anchorman and Napoleon Dynamite hadn’t even hit theatres yet. MySpace was still in its infancy and Facebook was just starting out as Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard Platform to meet girls. Friends was on its last legs and we even had this
Oh James Blunt — Where are you now?
Back in 2004, I was a broke kid trying to survive in Toronto while working a crappy job at a swanky Steakhouse. Back in 2004 feels like a lifetime ago. I can barely remember it now, well, at least I try not too that is. But, in 2004, Fox gave us Hell’s Kitchen, a show centered on the personality of one Gordon Ramsay. Here was a talented Michelin starred chef who’d become somewhat more famous for his quick temper than for the food he makes. Building a show around his obvious flaw would for most of us seem rather weird, yet in the age of reality TV, which peaked around this time, Fox saw ratings. Much like why we love to watch UFC or how you can’t help but stay and watch after a car accident, to watch Gordon blow up made for great drama. Was it stupid? Of course, it was. But so is making 8 Fast and Furious movies. Quality isn’t why they’re made, viewership is. The dumber the audience, the more you had them.
For a year, it was cute and funny. Maybe even for 2 or 3, but 16 seasons, 12 years counting!!!! Holy, Hell’s Kitchen, how much is enough????
Let’s pause for a second on that note and take a look at things from another perspective, shall we?
To put it quite simply, I really love watching Gordon Ramsay cook. He’s the most engaging and talented chef I’ve ever seen. Having been blessed with a personality that constantly tows the line between being both arrogant and charming, Gordon Ramsay has become one of the most popular Chefs of the 21st Century. He’s found a way to parlay his smarts in the kitchen into an empire filled with restaurants that dot the globe, numerous TV shows, cook books and much, much more. I’ve been following his career since 2004, and, in that time, I’ve come to admire his greatest work on shows like Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word, Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, and, my personal favourite, Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course. With these (good) shows, Gordon found a way to parlay his tremendous culinary talents into new and exciting platforms. But as he’s about to hit the 50 year mark later this year, here are a few things we’d like for him to continue doing and some of which we’d like for him to stop. In a nutshell, here’s how we’d fix his career.
- Kill Hell’s Kitchen.
Since 2005, Gordon has peddled his angriest state on this crappy show. With very little in the way of talent, the chefs used, sadly, are just props, used to poke the beast), very few of them have any talent worthy of his tutelage. The setting is awful, the commentator is even worse (he narrates as if discussing a tennis match) and the food looks just as bad. There’s no real learning here, no emotional connection, no real Gordon. All we see is a man who has sold his soul to the devil (thank you Roger Ailes) only to reward us with one screaming lunatic who at one time used to resemble a talented Chef. Yes, he lost his temper on Boiling Point (his first TV show), but at least there there was merit to his anger — searching for that illustrious Michelin star will do that to you. What’s he angry about here?
2. Cut ties with Fox
This kinda piggybacks with the 1st recommendation. Since starting with Fox back in 2004, Gordon has made the following shows with them:
1 Hell’s Kitchen
2 Kitchen Nightmares
3 MasterChef
4 MasterChef Junior
5 Hotel Hell
That’s a lot of crap right there. The MasterChef shows are not bad, but again they don’t highlight or even use his talents in the right way except to have him moderate and criticize his contestants. *Ahem, we’ve seen that song and dance before. Kitchen Nightmares is just a terrible rip off of the better UK version he started back in 2004. Much like Hell’s Kitchen, it, too, only wants to pick the worst restaurants possible as candidates. Then they embarrass them with being so ungodly dirty and disgusting or stupid, that Gordon has no choice (as if he didn’t know) to rip into them, and then like the fairytale ending most Disney movies are made to be, all is great and whole by the end of the episode. Of all the shit these shows have produced, only this small bit with Gordon actually doing what he’s best at is worth watching. His cockiness is what sells it and seriously that’s what makes him a great TV personality. More of this please!!!!
Fox, you’ve enjoyed a nice ride with Gordon, stop dumping piles of cash on his lawn, and let the man go dammit!!
3. Stop opening new ventures
If you go to his website, you’ll notice that Gordon’s been a busy man since opening his first restaurant back in 1998. He now employs over 700 people in just London alone. His company has over 30 restaurants and bars globally. I wonder if the term stretching yourself too thin entered his psyche at all.
I get it, build an empire, use your clout, money and name as a tool to invest and sell your vision. When Gordon first opened Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea in 1998 it was to go out on his own and garner that famed Michelin star. To become a 3 Michelin starred chef is everything. If you have ego you NEED it to satisfy yourself and your critics. Once achieved in 2001, the next challenge must be found and met. TV it was, and well you know how that’s gone, don’t you? To expand and grow is the human ideal. We want continued growth to get better. But when is enough enough before you start to lose sight of who you really are? Or when can you no longer maintain the standard you set in the beginning?
There’s no way Gordon is watching over every restaurant he owns. Just this month, he’s received major criticism over the terrible food his Plane Food restaurant at Heathrow Airport has been getting. Over the years, he’s had 14 restaurant closings. Not all of these closings were due in part to his absence and lack of leadership (this one certainly did however). Bad timing and ill-conceived ideas oftentimes factor into a restaurant’s demise more times than not. It’s apart of the risk you take when you work in hospitality. Gordon may be a household name, but he’s not impervious to failure even with his celebrity status and all. Spreading yourself too thin will do that to you.
4. Go back to doing what you’re good at.
To have a talent is to be good at something. Some of us are born with god given talent (Usain Bolt comes to mind here). Others must work our asses off to realize our talent or to improve on the talent we’ve been given (I believe I fall nicely into this camp). Then there’s the Gordon’s of the world, those who possess both. He possesses both a god given ability to create, cook, inspire and convey a love of food not found by many others. To hide this talent for years (again 12 and counting) in shows like Hell’s Kitchen is to waste this ability. Yes, the Michelin star was achieved, but there’s so much more that he could be offering. Like why haven’t we seen another season of The F Word? Or another Ultimate Cookery Course? Or, how about an expanded version of The Best Chef Series? Or how about a Podcast?
There are a million great ideas he could do to use this immense talent. Now that he’s about to turn 50, he should leave Hell’s Kitchen and Fox where they belong, in his 40s. He’s made his money, now it’s time to cement his legacy.
5. Get back in the Kitchen
He’s in great shape (I’ll never understand the appeal of Triathlons. Let’s swim a ton, then bike forever and then run a marathon!!! Nah, no, thanks. However, if you really want to impress me, try doing the swim last…Ha! Let’s see how that one works out.), thus he can work. No, I’m not saying jump behind the lines behind each restaurant throughout the year. But get cooking again. Find the passion that brought you to where you are now Gordon? Inspire yourself with events and such. Get it out that Gordon is cooking tonight. Hell, even tape it. Boiling Point Season 3, anyone? Shock us and give us that cocky bravado once again.
To conclude, let’s just call it like it is, Gordon Ramsay’s career is fine. He’s as popular as ever, he’s on TV all the time and he’s rich, really rich. He still has his Michelin Stars, his kids are all grown up and he’s a triathlete. For someone who’s about to hit 50, he’s lived himself a full life. His career doesn’t need fixing. But if it were up to us, this is what we’d do to improve his career.
I’m not going to watch season 16 of Hell’s Kitchen. I’ve seen that song and dance before. Let’s only hope that Gordon does one day as well.
Next Month: Sherry — How We’d Fix its Fledgling Image
