Fiery Scottish chef Gordon Ramsay lords over the cooking competition Hell's Kitchen, while
ambitious contestants from all walks of life try to land a job at a fancy restaurant.
Let it suffice to say, they're really put through the ringer.
"You've always got something to say, button it!
You've now pushed me to the limit.
I suggest you shut your mouth."
Here's everything you need to know about Hell's Kitchen.
Sometimes it looks like Gordon Ramsay and some hotheaded young chef are literally about
to come to blows.
But make no mistake: If a contestant ever tried throwing a punch in Ramsay's direction,
they'd be tackled in a jiffy.
Ramsay has bodyguards.
Lots of them.
And they're there to ensure that things never get violent.
"I ain't no f---ing b----, chef.
I don't give a f---.
I ain't no b----!"
As former contestant Robert Hesse told the New York Post in 2010:
“He has a few Suge Knight-looking [guys] waiting to break some necks.
If you saw the episode where the military guy snapped [and challenged Ramsay to a fight
in the parking lot], those are his bodyguards.
They are ready for anything.”
Obviously Hell's Kitchen isn't a cooking competition for the faint of heart.
We're talking about a highly stressful experience for contestants.
"We're two plates short.
We're two plates short!
Roe!"
"You're a f---ing idiot, Roe.
Now we're scrambling because you can't count to f---ing twelve."
The stress clearly takes its toll, too.
In 2010, an executive producer told Delish:
"We started with four smokers in season two.
Then we ended up with 10!
They just end up smoking once they're here, it's the weirdest thing."
As you watch Hell's Kitchen, you may wonder why none of the contestants seem to be able
to cook much of anything.
After all, a few items are on the menu every season: risotto, beef Wellington, and scallops.
But somehow, these dishes are repeatedly undercooked or overcooked by the seemingly hapless chefs.
So what's the deal?
Why are these dishes always so screwed up?
According to a former contestant named Amanda "Tek" Moore, producers secretly swap out ingredients
to create drama and give Gordon Ramsay something to shout about.
Sometimes, this includes juvenile pranks…like swapping out salt for sugar.
How fiendish.
When you sign up for a reality show, you basically kiss your privacy goodbye.
On Hell's Kitchen, the cameras are always on, and they're absolutely everywhere.
It's the only way to capture all the abuse.
"It's the last two tables.
Wake up!"
"Now?!
Yes chef…?!"
"GET OUT!”
Apparently the microphones are always on, too.
According to one former contestant, you wear your mic 24/7 - even when you go to bed.
But if you desperately need some "alone time," there is one way to get the cameras off you.
Former contestant Dana Cohen told The Record in 2014:
"You have to sing.
If you sing a song while you're crying, they can't put that on TV…a copyrighted song."
Crafty.
As you curl up to watch another episode of Hell's Kitchen, it's only natural to wonder:
Is there any way to attend a taping of one of these dinners?
After all, you'd likely get to enjoy an incredible meal.
And if you're lucky, you might even get to see Gordon Ramsay have one of his hissy fits.
Talk about fun for the whole family.
But unless you have some connections over at Fox - or happen to be some sort of extremely
glamorous celebrity - you'll probably never set foot inside Hell's Kitchen.
According to a Reddit AMA with former contestant Kevin Cottle, the dinner guests are almost
exclusively friends and family members of the crew.
Bummer.
Picture it: Gordon Ramsay kicks both teams out of their kitchens, but there are still
dozens of customers waiting for their meals.
Hey, it happens - and it happens rather often.
"Tonight, there's no such thing as 'a winning team.'
I had two pathetic, embarrassing brigades."
Wondering if all those customers go home hungry?
Well, you can sleep easy tonight.
According to former contestant Kevin Cottle, the show employs backup chefs who are ready
to swoop in at a moment's notice.
So don't worry: One way or another, these customers are going to be fed.
Holli Ugalde won Season 7 of the American version of Hell's Kitchen.
Her prize was supposed to be the top job at the Savoy Grill in London - an iconic restaurant,
and a gig that many chefs would kill for.
Sadly, Ugalde didn't get the job due to issues with her work visa.
Instead, she was named "Celebrity Signature Chef" at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.
As she told the Daily Mail in 2010,
"'I'm extremely disappointed and I feel a little betrayed.
I was so excited to win the competition, and [I was] crushed when told I wasn't going to
the Savoy.
But I'm more upset that I've heard nothing from Chef Ramsay.
All I've seen is his press release saying I'm not going to London after all."
Ugalde wasn't the only winning contestant who missed out on a promised gig.
In 2011, Reality Blurred pointed out that:
"The series has a long history of not actually offering its announced prize."
That prize is usually a title like "head chef" or "executive chef" at some exclusive, high-end
restaurant.
"The winner of Hell's Kitchen will become the head chef at the stunning multi-million
dollar restaurant Yardbird."
But apparently, all is not what it seems.
In 2011, the New York Post reported this little morsel:
"Unfortunately for the eventual winner, the term 'head chef' is almost meaningless in
professional kitchens."
Oof.
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