****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
There are many reality shows on television now and some are just standard fare while others truly rise above. Project Runway is one of those and perhaps the best and most intense is Hell's Kitchen. This is a show about cooking and filtering through the 12 aspiring chefs week after week to get to the TOP CHEF who gets to run his own restaurant. What differs here is the extent of Ramsay's participation in each episode. He is not only there to judge after each challenge but actually walks the contestants through every step each week as he helps them learn the skills necessary to be a succesful chef. He is there to greet them in the morning, there throughout any and all challenges, there to judge and there to truly mentor.Gordon Ramsay is a premier English chef and many find his demeanor and foul mouth a little crass and maybe a gimmick. I can tell you that if you watch this season from beginning to end you will see that neither is true. He speaks honestly without being cruel but acknowledges that sometimes the truth hurts. As the show progresses you see how much he truly invests into these inspiring chefs and tough love is the only way to wipe an aspiring top chef of possible bad habits and train them with essential skills. Many you think will fall early hold strong and others egos get in the way. But rest assured. There is much drama here and we get to know much about the contestants but this is about cooking and producing a master chef. Ramsay takes the contestants on a spellbinding journey and you the viewer will only gain respect for the sincerity of Ramsay and how he puts his heart 100% into these people. He drives them, expects perfection and not surprisingly achieves it.To see the show uncensored is a hoot and brings the reality of the show that much more to life. To see as the season progresses how Ramsay forms his own special bond with the contestants is priceless. He is a master chef providing his knowledge. Ramsay is a real guy - passionate and dedicated and it takes this 100 fold to dedicate yourself to trying to train 12 aspiring chefs. This show is hugely addictive and I am thrilled that season 2 is coming out on dvd next week. With Kitchen Nightmare's as well as this Gordon Ramsay is providing viewers with much enjoyment and education on the realities of food and cooking. Highly recommended.
