HellsKitchen-related stories
Posted Nov 3rd 2009 4:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, OpEd
Fox's master foodie is at it again.
Gordon Ramsay has conjured up a new show called MasterChef, only it's not really his idea. See, it's already been done in England and Australia, but Gordon will put his spin on this show. So for all intents and purposes, it's another Gordon Ramsay project. (Like the Alan Parsons Project without Alan Parsons and a small 'p').
In
MasterChef, amateur chefs will compete to master the perfect dish. These will be everyday people, not sous chefs or short order cooks, but backyard grillers and homemakers who have a specialty at which they excel. Sounds to me a bit like the
Food Network Challenge shows in which people try to make the best chili or the definitive hamburger.
Continue reading Gordon Ramsay cooks up new show
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 10:29AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Top Chef
(S06E09) The thing that sets
Top Chef apart from similar shows such as
Project Runway or
Hell's Kitchen, is the level of professionalism on display. While both of those shows have strong contestants, on the whole, the pool seems more amateurish than those on
Top Chef. This was clearly evident in this week's episode with the Quickfire Challenge.
The challenge, in which the contestants had to go in blind and complete a dish in ten-minute segments was amazing. I was thoroughly impressed with not only the fact that they could do this in the first place, but with how cool and calm everyone stayed. There wasn't a single contestant who didn't seem completely professional-- a fact that was evident when you saw how impressed guest judge Rick Moonen was with everyone.
Continue reading Review: Top Chef - Restaurant Wars
Posted Sep 26th 2009 4:26PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Animation, Celebrities, Casting
As if
Hell's Kitchen and
Kitchen Nightmares weren't enough, Gordon Ramsay will be hosting another television show called
Gordon Ramsay, At Your Service. Only this time, the show
will be stop-motion animation by the same team that brought you
Celebrity Deathmatch on MTV, Cuppa Coffee Studios.
This idea is reminiscent of those Saturday morning cartoons that would involve a fictional world surrounding a particular celebrity, usually Jackie Chan or Mr. T. or someone like that. Will Gordon Ramsay moonlight as a chef by day and solve crimes at night? Will he fight food-based super-villains? Will his kitchen be his high-tech headquarters where everything is operated by ladle? Will he face down with other celebrity chefs like Emeril or Rachael Ray?
Given his penchant for strong language, I suspect either this will be shopped to one of the channels of more adult content (HBO, Showtime, etc.) or every word coming out of Ramsay's clay mouth would be a beep.
Posted Aug 7th 2009 10:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, Programming, OpEd, Celebrities
While reading
Joel's account of the Fox media panel, I was curious about the announcement of a
new special called Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. It sounds like a variation on Food Network's
Emeril Live or
Paula's Party, but hopefully, it'll be a lot better. And perhaps we'll get to see the
Gordon Ramsay Fox has not revealed up to now.
Unless you've been living in a cave the past five years or so, you know that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has emerged as one of the biggest stars on TV. But if you only watch Gordon on his Fox TV shows --
Hell's Kitchen and
Kitchen Nightmares -- you've only seen one side of the bellicose chef. On those shows, he's a screaming, cursing, demanding, hard-driving taskmaster. He's compelling, but you wouldn't want to be on the other side of one of his verbal tongue-lashings.
Continue reading Will Fox let us see the other Gordon Ramsay?
Posted May 13th 2009 7:04PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Programming, OpEd, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, CSI, House, Lost, Smallville, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, 30 Rock, Reality-Free, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation
Do the American people really like watching their favorite shows this way? Assuming you have more than one or two shows you enjoy following, this week is daunting to say the least and beyond exhausting. Just last night I had a three-hour finale of
The Biggest Loser and that awesome
Fringe finale. In the past few days we've said goodbye to
The Amazing Race,
The Apprentice,
Cold Case,
The Unit,
Brothers & Sisters,
The Big Bang Theory,
House and
Castle. And that's just on the major networks.
Over the next two days we have
America's Next Top Model,
Lie to Me,
Lost,
Bones,
My Name Is Earl,
Smallville,
Parks & Recreation,
CSI,
Grey's Anatomy,
Hell's Kitchen,
The Office,
Supernatural and even
CSI: NY on a special night. And it goes on through the weekend. In an era where ratings are slipping, how can it make good business sense to put all of these finales on against one another all within a few days of each other. I know they've always done that, but I just don't think it makes sense anymore.
Continue reading We're barely halfway through and I've already got finale fatigue!
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 10:03AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Survivor
An
opinion was put forth at a Hollwood Radio and TV Society luncheon for reality television executives that questions the use of the 30-second spot in that type of programming anymore (the entire context was about the decline in television advertising, in general). While they were referring to reality TV, I was wondering if that question could be asked of television, in general.
Consider this: the BBC in England doesn't use commercials. They get money via other methods such as merchandising. While I don't think that would work in America, why ruin the flow of the show? The existence of Tivo somewhat renders commercial breaks moot. We already see ads scrolling around the sides of the screen during many television shows (Fox is notorious for them), not to mention product placement, so why not use that method for all advertisements for all shows?
I ask this of you, television viewers: would seeing commercials during the run of a program sell more products, or would it just ruin the viewing experience?
Posted Mar 27th 2009 11:15AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Food/Home/DIY, Cancellations
It cannot come as a big surprise that NBC's reality series
The Chopping Block has been chopped after three episodes. The show started poorly in the ratings and have sunk lower in the subsequent two broadcasts.
Ratings alone aren't the reason for
The Chopping Block being sent back to the kitchen, or thrown down the garbage disposal, or any other food euphemism you might want to suggest.
The Chopping Block was dumped and deservedly so because it was not a good reality competition show.
Continue reading No surprise...NBC axes The Chopping Block
Posted Mar 16th 2009 11:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Food/Home/DIY, TV Squad Lists
When it comes to cooking competition shows, the two that consistently make the grade are Bravo's
Top Chef and Fox's
Hell's Kitchen. But while the two shows are ostensibly both about aspiring chefs competing for a prime position -- to beat the competition and emerge as number one -- there are really more things about the shows that separate them.
In terms of quality competition, food expertise and cooking skills,
Top Chef is superior to
Hell's Kitchen. They're both fun to watch, and I have followed every season of each of them. But the main thing they have in common is the kitchen. Read my five reasons and see if you don't agree with me that
Top Chef has it all over
Hell's Kitchen.
Continue reading Five reasons why Top Chef tops Hell's Kitchen
Posted Mar 6th 2009 3:01PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Software, Reality-Free
If you're a wobbly-kneed, amateur chef with a tendency to wet your pants anytime someone's voice goes a few decibels higher in your direction, a good version of the
Hell's Kitchen video game should make you wish you put on your rubber pants before you started playing.
Unfortunately, the real version isn't even worth shelling out for the price of a pair of extra-large Depends.
The game lacks in just about every area imaginable, from gameplay to ambiance, most notably and disappointingly from the angry chef himself, whose mean stare can make puppies cry and anger spittle can burn a hole in your face like hot alien acid.
Continue reading Hell's Kitchen - video game review
Posted Jan 29th 2009 5:05PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Food/Home/DIY, Celebrities
I love British chef Gordon Ramsay. I love watching him on TV, whether it's his Fox shows --
Hell's Kitchen or
Kitchen Nightmares -- or the ones that have turned up on BBC America like
Ramsay's Boiling Point and the most recent show,
The F Word. The F stands for food, by the way. Much as I love him, though, I don't think I want him as a teacher.
Well, that's what he's going to be doing next. The Simon Cowell of cooking is plotting something new for the network.
Ramsay's doing a special cooking show for Fox in the Julia Child tradition, teaching how to do what he does. The idea is for Gordon to create a three-course dinner while giving home viewers instructions about how to do it with him.
Continue reading Gordon Ramsay plans another Fox food program
Posted Nov 27th 2008 11:35AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, Episode Reviews
(S05E03) Three episodes in and while
Top Chef has been fun with really good challenges and interesting food, something is missing. Or maybe it just hasn't simmered to the surface yet. I'm talking about conflict, drama, hatred. Everybody is just too damn happy with each other.
I mean, last night the only nasty interaction was one chef flipping a finger at the other -- which Bravo actually blurred out, give me a break -- and Jamie commenting that she's fed up with Dave. Compared to previous seasons, that's pretty tame. Turn up the heat, guys and gals. Let's see that "too many cooks spoil the broth" energy.
Continue reading Top Chef: Foo Fighters
Posted Nov 13th 2008 11:29AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Other Reality Shows, Late Night, The Shield, How I Met Your Mother, Celebrities, Dexter, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory
I was reading AOL TV's "
TV's 50 Hottest Hunks - Ever," and I was struck by two thoughts: "Ugh, can people really use the term, 'hunk' without shuddering?" and, "
David Boreanaz? Seriously?"
I get it. Television is populated with pretty people and there are just some guys who are objectively hot (
hellooooo,
Jon Hamm). Generally speaking though, I'm not drawn to the
Luke Perrys and
Mario Lopezes of the world. I like quirky guys, and so while most of the dudes on this list aren't going to make it into the
People magazine "Sexiest Man Alive" issue, they keep me tuning in every week (heh, that sounded totally dirty).
Follow me after the jump for the undercover hotties: ten guys on TV I secretly love.
Continue reading Undercover hotties: ten guys on TV I secretly love
Posted Jul 9th 2008 6:00PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Video, Watercooler Talk
It's no secret: I'm the only non-U.S.
blogger here at TV Squad. I live in
Quebec City, the capital of Canada's French province. Living here means that I have access to American, Canadian, and French-Canadian TV channels on basic cable. Canadian and American TV lineups are pretty much alike, especially since a lot of the U.S. shows also air on the Canadian airwaves. But French-Canadian TV is somewhat different than the two other ones because of the language, the culture, etc. However, the influence of American TV can be felt throughout the French-Canadian lineup. One of the main areas influenced by U.S. TV is reality programming.
Reality TV,
like it or not, is definitely a major part of TV today all around the world. A lot of the U.S. reality shows originated in other countries, while some U.S. shows made their way around the world. In Canada, we have our own version of
American Idol and
America's Next Top Model, for example. In Quebec, there is a singing competition,
Star Académie, not unlike
Idol and a
Big Brother-like show too and some U.S. reality shows are dubbed. That got me thinking, what are the reality shows that are watched elsewhere around the globe?
Continue reading Reality TV around the world - VIDEOS
Posted May 18th 2008 12:01PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Survivor, Ratings
Now that the
upfronts have been presented, it's time to start handicapping the ratings (although
Jeff Zucker doesn't think Nielsens matter that much anymore). Nevertheless, some are looking at next fall's schedule and predicting a big-time battle royale on Thursday night at 8 o'clock. Which reality show will emerge at the Nielsen number one -- CBS's
Survivor or Fox's
The Moment of Truth? According to
Hollywood Reporter,
Fox is taking aim at CBS. When asked at the upfront about positioning
The Moment of Truth -- and
Hell's Kitchen right behind it -- on that night was a strategic move, the executive was diplomatic at first. He said Fox isn't looking for a battle; they're doing their own thing. But then said of
Survivor, "Look, it's eroding. It's an older show. Its eventually going to give up and were trying to accelerate that."
Hmm, sounds like fighting words to me.
The Moment of Truth and
Hell's Kitchen are two of Fox's three premiere reality shows, behind only
American Idol in the ratings. Anyway you slice it, Thursday night is going to be a night to drive TV fans crazy. While Fox and CBS are leading with reality shows to start the night, ABC will offer Emmy winner and critic's darling,
Ugly Betty, NBC will serve up its Emmy winner(s) and critic's faves,
My Name Is Earl and
30 Rock, and the CW will bring back the venerable fan fave,
Smallville. And that's not even considering what the rest of the networks have planned.
Continue reading Will Survivor survive The Moment of Truth?
Posted May 7th 2008 12:52AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Episode Reviews, Hell's Kitchen
(S04E06) "I don't want to mess with someone crazier than I am." - Matt
Welcome to week 6 of Hell's Kitchen, also known as Everybody Hates Matt. This was one episode where I didn't buy Chef Ramsay's decision at all. He had to choose between three people at the end, and the one who should have gone - clearly - didn't. The one who should have gone second? That person didn't go either. I really think this week was all about "how can we guarantee more reality show tension in the weeks to come?" and not a professional decision. And that's really disappointing to me.
Continue reading Hell's Kitchen: Day 6 - VIDEO
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