By Cassie Kim
Stubborn overworked owners, filthy kitchens, unpalatable dishes, and Gordon Ramsay all come together to form Kitchen Nightmares. In this reality show, failing restaurants reach out to Ramsay to be saved. He travels to their restaurant and tastes the food before watching how the restaurant executes the dinner service. He expertly critiques the quality of the food and the cleanliness of the kitchen, which is most often dismal. In some of the most dramatic episodes, Ramsay has discovered mold, dirt, old and expired foods, but worst of all, raw meat on the same shelves as cooked meats and pastries, breaking a cardinal rule of food storage! The revealing investigation of the kitchen often leads to a shouting match between either the chef or owner and Ramsay. In some episodes, Ramsay has gone as far as shutting down the restaurant while customers are still eating! Ramsay ends the night, telling the owners to get some rest because they are going to start the improvement process the next morning. Sometimes, Ramsay and his team remodel the restaurant, provide new equipment, and they always create a new, delicious menu. Taking an emotional turn, the owners often share their past experiences and thankfulness for Ramsay’s help. He is often their last resort; some owners would have only been able to keep their doors open for another month. Ramsay’s tough love, generosity, and experience in the kitchen and service industry make him the perfect candidate to turn these kitchens around. If you are looking for a dramatic, sometimes disgusting, and heartfelt reality show, I suggest that you give Kitchen Nightmares a try! Kitchen Nightmares is available for free on a variety of platforms, including Hulu and Amazon Video.