Recently, I started watching the show Hell's Kitchen. I don't normally watch reality TV, but my roommate is a fan of this show and I decided to give it a try. I was quite surprised at how entertaining Hell's Kitchen turned out to be.
For those who don't know, Hell's Kitchen is an import of a British reality competition for chefs. The show is on Fox on Wednesdays from 8-10pm. The host and judge on the show is award winning chef Gordon Ramsay. The contestants are split into two teams eventually becoming one team near the end of the season. Chef Ramsay puts the contestants through a grueling set of team and later individual challenges. The winner is then given a high profile job (the current season's winner will be head chef at a high class LA restaurant).
I am typically not a fan of reality TV, but Hell's Kitchen has managed to draw me in. This is in large part due to the intensity of the show. In every episode, the contestants make one individual dish that is presented as part of a team challenge and then the two teams run a dinner service for customers at night. Chef Ramsay does not typically eliminate a contestant based on their performance during the team challenge, but instead on their performance during the dinner service. When the teams are preparing dinner, Chef Ramsay is standing there watching how the contestants react under pressure. The choices of music and the quite real pressure of living up to Chef Ramsay's high expectations make Hell's Kitchen very intense. Chef Ramsay, for his part, is completely unafraid to yell at the contestants when they mess up and he has occasionally thrown contestants out of the kitchen for making too many mistakes.
It is for these reasons that I am eagerly anticipating the return of Hell's Kitchen on Wednesday, November 8th (the show is currently being preempted for the MLB playoffs). Also, don't let the fact that the show is currently part way through its 8th season dissuade you from watching Hell's Kitchen because it is easy enough to start in the middle without feeling as though you are missing something.
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