The Untold Truth Of Hell’s Kitchen

If there’s anything in life Gordon Ramsay doesn’t suffer, it’s fools and undercooked scallops. And please, don’t even get him started on beef Wellington.

The fiery Scottish chef has basically created a screaming chef monopoly, but the gold standard for his obscenity-laced, colorful tirades remains the cooking competition show “Hell’s Kitchen.”

If you’ve never seen the show, here’s how it works: A group of not-quite-camera-ready chefs from all walks of life (line cooks, sous chefs, and everything in between) is herded into a dorm and put through hell in hopes of landing a job as the executive chef of one of Ramsay’s restaurants. It’s kind of like “The Apprentice” only less horrifying in retrospect. And you’ll never believe this, but it turns out that not everything on “Hell’s Kitchen” is exactly what it’s … cooked up to be. (Not sorry.)
No one gets physical with Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen

There have been times throughout the run of “Hell’s Kitchen” where it appears that Gordon Ramsay and some hotheaded young chef — and it is often a young meathead dude from Long Island or New Jersey or Philadelphia — are on the verge of coming to blows. But as you might expect, that’s basically entirely fabricated for the sake of drama.

In reality, if any contestants thought about throwing a punch in Ramsay’s direction, they’d be tackled to the ground before they could cock their arms back. That’s because what you don’t see on camera is that Ramsay’s got bodyguards all over the place to prevent any actual physical altercations, according to the New York Post. Which makes sense, honestly.

As much fun as it’d be to watch Ramsay tussle with some young punk line cook named Rocko, Fox doesn’t really want anything more than the threat of violence. Ramsay’s too valuable an asset, and there are also those pesky potential litigations that could stem from a millionaire chef trading punches with some poor schmuck looking for his 15 minutes of fame.

Hell’s Kitchen is remarkably unhealthy
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No, we’re not just talking about the high fat content of half the foods being prepared and served to diners. We’re talking about how ridiculously unhealthy the entire “Hell’s Kitchen” is on the chefs competing for one of Gordon Ramsay’s coveted executive chef positions. And not just because the chefs are pushed to their physical limitations, either.

The stress of being in this particular competition — which involves sleepless nights, being constantly screamed at for the slightest mistakes, and having your every movement scrutinized by the ever-present cameras and microphones — drives the competing chefs to cigarettes and booze.

During Season 2 of the series, one producer noted that the competition began with only four smokers in the cast. By the end of the season, that number had more than doubled to 10. Yes, that’s right: this is a job interview so stressful that it drove six non-smokers to become chimneys just to try to deal with the pressure.

You’re not guaranteed to win anything on Hell’s Kitchen
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Holli Ugalde is the chef who won Season 7 of the American version of “Hell’s Kitchen.” Her prize for suffering through the vast and various indignities was supposed to be the top job at the Savoy Grill in London. It’s an iconic restaurant and a gig that many, many chefs would absolutely kill for — which is why it was such a crushing blow to Ugalde when she didn’t get the job she was promised because of work visa issues. Instead, she was named “Celebrity Signature Chef” of a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.

Obviously, Gordon Ramsay and the producers of “Hell’s Kitchen” can’t just force a government to grant someone a work visa, but Ugalde wasn’t the only one to miss out on the gig she was promised upon winning her season.

Each season, the show advertises a promised job title, often including the term “executive chef.” But even when the winning contestant does get a prize, it’s often something like “senior chef” or “head chef,” not the coveted title of “executive chef.” Those positions seem to go to those with more experience in the industry. Shocking? Not really, but still a big disappointment to those who win.

There’s a reason so many chefs struggle on Hell’s Kitchen

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If you watch “Hell’s Kitchen,” one of the first things you start irrationally screaming at the screen during every single episode is how bizarre and crazy it is that no one can seem to figure out how to cook basic staples of the show. There are a few items that are on the menu every season, including risotto, beef Wellington, and scallops. Yet somehow, these dishes are repeatedly undercooked or overcooked by the hapless chefs, whose culinary credentials we immediately start to question. And while some of the chefs on the show are working at higher levels than others, it’s