It's hard to keep track of all the TV shows Gordon Ramsay appears on these days — the
celebrity chef has built his empire on culinary and hospitality-related reality TV, and it
doesn't seem like he's bored of the idea.
In July 2018, Ramsay announced yet another television endeavor: a travel reality series
called Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted.
Here's what we know about it so far.
Previously-charted territory
According to the press release for Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, the show will center around
travel and food, of course, with, to quote the press release, "a dash of friendly competition."
Each episode will feature Ramsay exploring various food scenes around the world.
He'll take what he's learned to test his culinary skills against the chefs he meets along the
way, "pitting his own interpretations" of dishes against the time-honored classics.
This isn't his first travel-focused production: In 2010, Ramsay embarked on Gordon's Great
Escape, a seven-part docu-series for Channel 4.
The premise of the show was a personal journey through India and Southeast Asia, where Ramsay
interacted with locals on a quest to discover what makes their food unique.
Production on Uncharted is set to begin sometime in the fall of 2018, and everyone involved
is being secretive about where Ramsay is headed.
But it looks as though he'll definitely return to Southeast Asia: the press release says
Ramsay will "harvest fresh nests in Malaysian Borneo" and "hunt tarantulas in Cambodia."
A Studio Ramsay joint
Uncharted will be produced by Studio Ramsay, which — you guessed it — is the celebrity
chef's own production studio.
Studio Ramsay was responsible for the docu-series Gordon Ramsay on Cocaine, the live cooking-slash-talk
show hybrid The F Word with Gordon Ramsay, and Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back.
According to the press release, Uncharted will be broadcast on the National Geographic
channel in an impressive "171 countries and 43 languages."
NatGeo is partly owned by 21st Century FOX, and the FOX network is currently home to a
whopping five Gordon Ramsay shows, and was formerly the home of his Kitchen Nightmares.
While Uncharted will air on a different channel, it's clear that Ramsay is a favorite of the
FOX family, and the decision was likely a way for the two networks to further unite
their programming and brands.
The backlash begins
Some critics think the premise of Uncharted is a bit problematic.
Ramsay competing to see if his take on regional cuisine is "better" than what the locals make
is being criticized as "culinary colonialism."
Alicia Kennedy touches on many of these points in her Washington Post article, "Gordon Ramsay's
new Nat Geo show is a colonialist mess."
Along with support from other food and travel writers, she discusses how the show's concept
not only degrades world cuisine, but also perpetuates the stereotype of the restaurant
industry as a "boy's club."
National Geographic went as far as to issue a reaction statement, telling Eater,
"We are disappointed that the announcement of our upcoming series with Gordon Ramsay
was taken out of context […] We have not gone into production on the series yet, so
this perspective is premature."
Ramsay's controversial concept isn't exactly groundbreaking.
Netflix's Ainsley Eats the Streets, which received praise from outlets like Eater, features
British chef Ainsley Harriott sampling street food from around the world … then showing
the locals how he'd improve on it.
"Definitely I think you nailed it.
Very good."
"Cheers, my man!
Thank you for bringing me here."
"No problem."
So the concept can be pulled off in respectful way, in the right hands.
The Bourdain connection
Some critics also think Uncharted is capitalizing on the June 2018 death of beloved chef, author,
and TV host Anthony Bourdain.
Bourdain was celebrated for the way he interacted with other cultures around the world on his
string of cable travel shows, from No Reservations to Parts Unknown.
He was humble and inquisitive, and championed regional cuisine and local chefs.
Because of its similar premise, many of Uncharted's critics claim that Ramsay and National Geographic
snatched up the chance to fill the space Bourdain left behind.
One of those critics is celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods, who worried
on Twitter that the show might, quote, "[perpetuate] the problems of 'otherness' and invisibility"
regarding world cuisine.
In an interview with Us Weekly shortly after Bourdain's death, Zimmern expressed concerns
about networks trying to replicate Bourdain's winning formula:
"My fear is that having realized how valuable [Bourdain] was now that he's gone, that there's
some network out there ready to launch 30 Bourdain copycat shows with real idiots hosting
them."
Only time will tell what path Ramsay chooses to take with Uncharted, but if his previous
productions are any indication, it certainly won't be boring.
But whether or not he's taking his critics' concerns into account is unknown as of the
making of this video.
One thing's for sure: Gordon Ramsay isn't exactly known for compromising his vision
"What do you think of that?"
"I'd say it's a little f--ked up, chef."
"There you go."