It first had me at "there must be a hidden gem somewhere"... only to completely lose me immediately after that.
"epitome of luxury five-star hotel", "start their empire and be worth millions", "the most expensive thing I'll ever make", "they need to make money".
Five star five star five star blah blah blah (I know it's in the title), concept concept concept, money money money blah blah blah. It's the most infuriatingly cheugy thing I've seen for a while. It's like the Dubai-influencer kind of a show. Yes, I know restaurants are businesses, and fine-dining is expensive but guys... come on, have a wee bit of class? You can be bougie all you want, but not cringey and cheugy at this level? And I know it's a competition reality show, but you can't go shark tank all the way? After all, cooking still needs some artistry, authenticity, soul and personality, not just bling.
It's extra troubling to learn about the report of Roux paying kitchen staff below minimum wage. Just imagine that in your head, in 2023, when economic inequality is horrendous, some employees are scraping by just to have something to eat, while someone is gorging on caviar for the "five-star" lifestyle at the expense of the said employees.
The only saving grace is the cheftestants who seem like genuine people striving to meet the "five star" - whatever that means - brief.
