Gordon Ramsay Over Cooked?

Is Gordon Ramsay going down in flames? A victim of over exposure to the television gods that made him? Could the next entry in his multi show television deal be poop and scoop on a plate?

I love Hell's Kitchen. I love the flying food shrapnel, I love the trash cans being kicked into space, I love the F&*@ing donkeys! I can't wait to see a contestant cry, I keep score of what I call the curse of the winning challenger (I find a high percentage of contestants get eliminated after winning an individual challenge), and after this season, I love watching what happens in the hot tub! I'm almost as enthralled by Kitchen Nightmares. I sometimes think I enjoy the US versions to the UK, mostly because the chef being beaten down by Gordon usually mumbles making it harder to follow, and the British are polite to the point that they rarely put up anything in close to a fight compared to their American cousins. I've even enjoy the F Word in spurts, and I have a love/hate relationship with format of the series. I like the seasonal brigade challenges, having the customers cast their dollar votes by either paying or not paying for a course prepared by each group of cooks was particularity entertaining and I looked forward to the competition. I hate the regional ingredeint segments, especially when Ramsay snared a cute little puffin, broke it's neck and cooked it--hated it! I like the celebrities ,semi famous Brits I may or may not have heard of, who cook his or her specialty while GR cooks his version and a random (or planted) group of diners vote on the winner--it's amazing how many times Gordon loses (again, staged, I don't know). I hate when he raises animals in his back yard and they he and his children chow down on Wilbur or Nigella, if I had to be reminded at every meal that my food had a face, I would definitely be a vegetarian! And two things I really, really hate--when he has some rancid food, ingredient eating contest with some semi celeb. What does it say about a restaurateur who encourages quests to barf for the cameras, and in his own dining room! And I hate Janet Street-Porter. The woman will drink anything to appear interesting on tv. Breast milk, animal blood, who knows what all else. I'm as dark and brooding as the next goth guy, but she really irritates me. But all in all, it was a peaceful little series where Gordon could glad hand and get the back slapping he's sure he's due.

Now having said all that, the chinks in the Ramsay restaurant empire are not a big secret. Everyone from the BBC to the New York Post have reported on restaurant closings and lawsuit filing. Currently, GR 50% interest in a package of littler known television shows is being sold off for a pretty good chunk of change.

But, I gotten say, I think the man needs to consider playing a little harder to get!! That cook along with the D-list celebrities and you at home, sucked ass!! I was embarrassed for both of us, and Alyson Hannigan! And Master Chef, well, I've never watched American Idol, so maybe I just don't get it! Now that the field has narrowed and you can connect with returning cooks, it becomes perilously close to the HK tried and true format. I suspect that the difference is you can judge for yourself if you believe am entertainer is talented, but we only have our visual impressions and the word of the 3 judges on the contestants signature dish. Soon the dishes and the contestants all begin to look the same.

So is the GR franchise slipping? Are we in the midst of watching Gordon jump the sauteed shark? I've felt a shift in the force!

This season of HK wasn't what I would call spot on! On one hand it was a guilty pleasure to catch two episodes a week, but I think series suffered. Maybe we subconsciously become more invested when we aren't looking ahead to the 2nd episode. I don't know. I only know that I didn't feel the same connection to the chef's that I have in previous seasons. My most consistent complaint of Season Seven is that everything seemed forced and a little tired. The making out with his wife sequence seemed like a desperate attempt to give her some television face time while convincing us that the marriage is fine and the rumors of a mistress and long term adultery are groundless. The mistress is publishing a book next month, I'm not so sure! Everything felt hurried and really edited. Instead of the traditional challenge winning photo shoot, they took pictures of Ben (the makeover couldn't have helped but been an improvement!)!! They didn't even design two dining rooms, although neither did Season Six. The prizes and rewards seemed a little lame, and most importantly, Where The Hell was Chef Ramsey???? He was like the Claude Raines host!! The chef's went alone to their rewards, or they sent JP. What was going on? I kind of felt cheated, imagine how they felt.

And then their are the Hell's Kitchen facts of life. Did you know Season One winner, Michael Wray, wound up with a set of cookware for winning Hell's Kitchen. He's initial prize was head chef,@blah, blah, blah, can't remember the name--but turned it down to work for Ramsay in one of his restaurants in England. He went to England, he returned after a brief visit and didn't take either job--so essentially he did all that for some pots and pans (wow). Last I heard he's attempt at his own restaurant HK One, hit a financial dead end and he teaches cooking. Dave Levey, the one armed bandit of Season Six, did work at Araxi for the Olympics plus 3 months. Dave is my friend on Facebook and he says that the duration of his position was his decision and that he learned a lot--but at the end of the day it was the television exposure, not the actual prize that has boosted Dave's career. Heather West and Christina Machamer seem to have fared the best. Heather returned as Hell's Kitchen's sous chef for Season 6 and Machamer worked for Ramsay's London West Hollywood Hotel for a year and has further expanded her culinary education and produced her own spice line BCBC Blends Spices. I've long felt cheated that the contest is a virtual sham--usually around $250K to accept a glamorous sounding position for the cameras and press, but did you know most of the diners aren't even real. Here's how it goes. 100 people are paid $50 per to possibly be taped entering and leaving Hell's Kitchen for each televised service. He's the catch--only the a small number of those actually get food prepared by the chefs! WTF? The other diners eat take-out ordered in from another restaurant. Then tell me why those guys are having such a hard time with service??

One internet posting slates Season 8 premier for September 22. Dave Levey who was caught on tape with Sous Chef Scott during the Season Seven finale with the cast still on his arm, admits that reality tv isn't live, and that the production schedule between seasons isn't long. This season is rumored the be the series finale. I'm an addict, and even when the crack is crap I gotta have it. So I'm giving HK another season. As for Gordon Ramsay and his other offerings, let's wait and see.