COLUMN: Gordon Ramsay should stay off TV


I strongly dislike Chef Gordon Ramsay.

I've never liked any of his shows, and now his newest one has me scratching my head.

But first, I would like to do a quick run through of some of his shows that he has done in the past.

Ramsay's first show, "Boiling Point," aired the first eight months prior to the opening of his first restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. This was the catalyst to the explosive and loud-mouth villain we see on shows every week.

Then came "Hell's Kitchen," Ramsay's most famous show where his temper would always come out the most. Ramsay's main objective was yelling at 18 contestants who would have to pass through several elimination challenges to compete for a position as head chef at a high-end restaurant.

This was the beginning of the end of good television.

Next came the show "Kitchen Nightmares," which made me lose all hope in reality television, or rather, what was left.

The show sped through American restaurants with Ramsay as the perennial Dog Whisperer of failing restaurants. Here, Ramsay goes to restaurants on the brink of closing and tried to save them over the course of a week. The irony of these was that the majority of these restaurants would close a year later.

"MasterChef" came next with an "American Idol"-type model of cooking competitions.

Home cooks from around the country audition in front of three judges (sound familiar?) before cutting them down to a group of 18 or so. These cooks go through challenges each episode until one is left to be named MasterChef. I don't know what happens once they have won, but I assume they go on to record a single with Carrie Underwood.

Now, his newest show seems to take everything he has done in the past and downplay it.

I remember the first time I saw the show "MasterChef Junior." I couldn't imagine a 46-year-old chef cursing at infants. But then I started to like the idea.

But after watching one show, there was no cursing. There was no yelling or crying.

Every contestant, which ranged from 9 to 13 year olds, was complemented and given a pat on the back.

They were even sent home in pairs after being eliminated from contention. The only F-word used on the show was food.

In summation, if I wanted to see an old guy who crosses his arms and puts people down for millions of dollars a year, I would watch Simon Cowell frown on television for an hour a week.

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