Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars

In spite of all his success Stateside, it seems like GR is pretty anxious to break back into prime-time British TV - this is his second attempt. I like him for that. The BBC, for its part, is desperate for new formats in that 9pm slot. But it's not so easy to come up with ones that work; hence this strange hybrid of Hell's Kitchen and The Apprentice which in more prosperous times - and if it was fronted by anyone else - would have been introduced gently, at teatime on BBC2.

The problem it has is that viewers have such a clear idea what they want from him and from food-related shows. People ask, what has jumping out of helicopters got to do with food? Well, what has directing terrible TV ads, appearing on shopping channels or buying a glass teapot in Marrakesh got to do with being in business? Nobody blenches when these ludicrous tasks are set on The Apprentice. Essentially the premise here is the same, a dozen hopeless eejits squabbling for our entertainment. But because it's Gordon, we feel it really ought to be about the food and so most of what the contestants do seems pointless.

No-one surpasses him at people management, and you see that when he's giving the contestants their feedback. But that's why his best show is Kitchen Nightmares, the old episodes of which are still being endlessly repeated on E4. That's what I'd like to see him back doing.

The premise of the show did not match up with the challenges whatsoever.

The cooking challenges, I somewhat understood because they were diverse and thought the contestants various things, but challenges like crawling thru a cave, and diving off a cliff, were pretty pointless.

My main issue with this show was the personalities, so many powerful contestants had little opportunity to shine due to loud mouths who threw a tantrum if things did not go their way, then throw their teammate under the bus later when their loud-mouthing didn't pay off.

Not a bad show to binge, but I wouldn't recommend it as a interesting watch, show could've been better if half the contestants were different, and the challenges were more consistent.

Very happy with who won in the end tho, at least they didn't mess that up.

Would've been 5 out of 10 if Valentina (the vegan) was eliminated much earlier, very obnoxious, loud and conniving.

"Guys, The Apprentice is ending, we need a copy cat show that's different enough for people to not notice".

And so 'Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars was born, and yes, we did notice.

It's not bad, goodness knows it's better than Ramsay's attempts at being a game show host (shudder at the memory), but this is The Apprentice with cooking, and it doesn't work.

So, Gordon wants to find a future food star. So far, so good. Then it's all downhill from there. So how have they done it, and more importantly, how have they done it so badly?

I suppose it's a cocktail. It's a mixture of GR with his claws buffed away, it's the Apprentice format to generate "point and laugh" failures, but even that is not enough. Dear me no.

So what's the final element........it's a food and drink show, but it needs a twist. You might think that simply being chucked into unfamiliar food and drink arenas would be that final twist.....everyone getting a chance to be a fish out of water. You'd be wrong.

Cue Mr Ramsey attempting to channel his inner Ant Middleton. Let's freak them. Let's subject them to some SAS Who Dares Wins frighteners.

So what does that heady mix of badly thought through concepts give us? A mess, that's what. An unmitigated disaster of a programme not worth one penny more of TV licence money.

Thankfully, stuff like this is likely to kill off much of reality TV, so it's not all bad. Series 2 anyone? Hopefully not. This is drivel of the worst kind.

Why does a baker (Amy) need to demonstrate that they can roll Sushi after a demonstration (generation game) or blend vodka and market it (the apprentice) did licence payers money pay for this ?

Then there is the product placement, Black lion 'award winning' vodka, this seems to have been an award given by a very small publishing company in the UK, not an international award,

Gordon Ramsey tries to be taken on the role of Alan Sugar investing his money in a food brand, but the constants appear to looking around for guidance. Maybe I am missing the point, but this has been so many times before,