Hell's Kitchen

Two teams compete for an ultimate prize, but this isn't "Survivor" or "The Apprentice".

The prize is a restaurant for the winner to operate. And Chef Ramsay isn't a mere host like Jeff Probst, nor a hands-off boss like Donald Trump. He's with the contestants all evening, as they attempt to operate their restaurant, "Hell's Kitchen". He serves as the order co-coordinator, with final say on whether dishes are presentable. And if one dish in an order isn't acceptable, back the whole order goes. He grating and foul-mouthed, and almost brings the contestants to tears. He's more drill instructor than chef at times, berating those who aren't performing well. Customers aren't immune to Ramsay's temper; he'll yell and curse at patrons who dare to "speak to the chef".

You feel so bad for those getting the brunt of Ramsay's wrath; you want to look away, but you can't. It's an interesting twist to the elimination-style "reality" show.

As a rule I am not a fan of reality TV. What makes this show go with me is Gordon Ramsey. He is very very good at his role on this.

Where do they get these contestants? I don't think any of the ones on the latest installment should win anything. I'd think there must be better people than this show comes up with.

The best on the show usually gets tossed & some of the worst I could do more around the kitchen than these losers & it has been 30 years since I was a hospital short order cook!

We have princesses who want run a place but have no ambition to do any labor themselves. We have ego maniacs who think they are the world when I can't even understand why they even qualify to collect garbage. I am Glad when Ramsey lashes into them.

At least when Ramsey gets rid of some these losers, he doesn't always say "this is a tough decision." That is because sometimes it is a no Briney.

Still, I do find enjoyment in watching Ramsey go through these paring them down to find a winner. Wish they can find him better candidates in future seasons.

"Get out of Hell's Kitchen!" If you don't like that concept, then go cook for yourself. I may not have cooked for many years, but I never took food out of the garbage.

This is not a creative cooking contest. It's not supposed to be. If you want a show where the chefs get to display their culinary ingenuity, hit up Top Chef or Iron Chef, etc. That being said, this is a great show if you take it as is: it's about people getting yelled at by Chef Ramsay for not working and cooking his way. The chefs are not there show that they have their own style of doing things, but to prove they can survive the stress of working in one of Ramsay's kitchens.

I'm a fan of both Top Chef and Hell's Kitchen. When I want to see innovative new dishes and salivate over the deliciousness on the TV screen, I watch Top Chef. When I want to watch people get yelled at (and live vicariously through Chef Ramsay because who wouldn't want to get paid to yell at people for doing dumb things? C'mon, admit it, there are people you work with who you'd love to yell at...), I watch Hell's Kitchen.

Enjoy it for what it is. Don't bash it for not being something else.

Some seasons are good some are bad. I love chef, I just don't love some of the contestants. A little too much sexism for my taste within the contestants but really a guilty pleasure for me.

I hadn't seen the show since the beginning. For me, they've always had professional chefs & cooks competing. Watching season 1, I see that it didn't start out that way. They had a mix of home cooks & very few pros. Then he throws them into a restaurant kitchen to disastrous results.

This probably gave Chef Ramsey the idea to start Master Chef, a competition for home cooks, and made Hell's Kitchen a competition for pros.