Restaurant: Impossible

Each week, a different failing restaurant is given a FAST makeover by Robert Irvine and his assistants. In many cases, you find the restaurant owners likable but clueless. In others, they just seem like annoying jerks who seem to fight Irvine's suggestions--and the audience WANTS to see them fail but Irvine, inexplicably, doesn't give up. Regardless, by the end of the show, the establishment is cleaner, brighter and more able to succeed. Despite being HIGHLY scripted, the show, overall, is very entertaining. My only complaints are that the followups online are very vague and I'd LOVE to see a followup show a year or two later when they revisit many of the old shows. Still, a simple idea that manages to work.

I know that there has been some controversy about the host, Robert Irvine's credentials. I tried to get to the truth of this by reading a lot of articles on the internet and really couldn't. It appears as if he might have exaggerated a bit instead of actually lying about his experiences. However, he IS a very good host of the show--mostly because he appears to care so much about the people (unlike in the British version of this show--where the host is very abusive). He also seems like a really nice guy--and that is hard to fake.

Chef Irvine is bombastic and British - perfect fodder for an American food show.

This fresh update of the tired formula still being pushed by Kitchen Nightmares is worth a look. I enjoyed Gordon Ramsay when he first started, but lately the 'lay it on thick' emotional rubbish and bosses who just don't deserve help have reduced my interest in the show. If it wasn't for the show revolving around helping people (always worth supporting on that basis) I probably would have stopped watching.

Restaurant Impossible is like a nice reboot of the concept. We get to meet the crew who do the renovation, and watch it all come together. The cooking tips are real and the pressure seems genuine. I look forward to the next season, and do genuinely hope that the Kitchen Nightmares producers learn some lessons from this junior 'knock-off' and revitalise their own tired show.

I Love this show Chef Robert is an army drill Sargent type of guy that will get things moving, He's not Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray, He's honest in the best way, not the demoralizing "You ARE A PIECE OF SH*T!" way that is Gordan Ramsey's style, but the "I'm gonna tell you what you don't want to hear but you know it's true,"

It's tough but I'm here to help you, Brutally Honest, Brutally True.

Chef Robert say's "I will make YOU better, With this and that, YOU can do this, I will help you." And this show has Real actions, and reactions, it changes lives, and every show you can feel the real reality, unlike, most "reality shows" on TV.

He does great things and obviously knows what he is doing. His team are amazing, turning around the look and vibe of the restaurants.

But why is he so rude? Is it necessary to be so abrupt and rude to complete strangers? His first approach to the restauranteurs is just RUDE!

And what does this guy know about "counseling" I find him very inappropriate at times.

But at the end, usually he gets it done and helps turn around these restaurants!

I have watched one episode of this show, and it is literally a carbon copy of the kitchen nightmare format! Bad kitchen, chef comes in to see kitchen, head chef (HC) lies to presenter chef (PC). PC wants to see kitchen in action, and HC does silly things, PC brings them up on it and HC kicks off. HC then realises that PC is right. All is well.

Literally a Kitchen Nightmare rip off! Watch that, as Gordon is so much better!