Ah yes, nothing quite beats watching the failure of others on reality TV, and who is more daunting to face than Gordon Ramsay? While this world famous chef is particularly known for the gorgeous, gourmet dining experiences he provides as well as his competitive cooking shows such as Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef, nothing is funnier than watching him tear apart those who struggle in his same industry. Kitchen Nightmares is an iconic show, even if it is sometimes formulaic. Here are the 8 things that happen, without fail, pretty much every episode.
1. It starts off with this gloriously intense musical opener.
2. Gordon is greeted at the restaurant, where there is at least one somewhat crazy employee.
3. The decor does not go unnoticed.
4. Chef Ramsay places an extensive order, and isn’t afraid to let anyone know how he feels about the food (PS, it’s usually not good).
5. …Like, not afraid to tell anyone.
6. Everyone at the restaurant vilifies Chef Ramsay (which isn’t completely unwarranted), even though they invited him into the restaurant to make it better.
7. Still, he’s not afraid to give anyone the tough love or sometimes hard push to get an effort out of them, and that’s pretty cool.
8. Tears are shed at a pretty steady pace throughout the episode, but some of them are happy, like when the staff sees the new menu or exposed brick in their remodeled location.
Ultimately Kitchen Nightmares, much like all of life, is a mixed bag. Chef Ramsay leaves these restaurants having been hard on them, but also having given them some amazing new resources to start over and hopefully succeed. And we all know that despite his reputation as this insane, sailor-mouthed terror, he has a softer side.