Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series)

Hell's Kitchen
Genre	Reality television
Created by	Gordon Ramsay
Directed by	Tony Croll (season 1) Brad Kreisberg (seasons 2–5) Sharon Trojan Hollinger (seasons 6–)
Starring	Gordon Ramsay
Narrated by	Jason Thompson (seasons 1–12 & 15–)
Opening theme	"Fire" by the Ohio Players (seasons 1–15)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	16
No. of episodes	241 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Arthur Smith Kent Weed Gordon Ramsay
Running time	41–44 minutes[1]
Production company(s)	A. Smith & Co. Productions Granada Entertainment (2005–09) ITV Studios (2009–11) ITV Studios America (2012–present)
Release
Original network	Fox
Picture format	480i (SDTV) (seasons 1–3) 720p (HDTV) (seasons 4–present)
Audio format	Dolby Digital 5.1
Original release	May 30, 2005 (2005-05-30) – present (present)
Chronology
Related shows	Hell's Kitchen (UK TV series)
External links
Website

Hell's Kitchen is an American reality television cooking competition (based on the British series of the same name) broadcast on Fox. It is hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. At the end of the 13th season, it was announced that it was renewed for two more seasons through season 16.^[2] On September 9, 2016, Fox renewed Hell's Kitchen for seasons 17 and 18, ahead of the season 16 premiere, which premiered on September 23, 2016.^[3]

Format

Hell's Kitchen is a reality television show that uses a progressive elimination format to narrow down a field of twelve to twenty aspiring chefs to a single winner over the course of one season. The U.S. version of Hell's Kitchen follows the format of the UK version though the show is recorded and not performed live, nor is there audience participation in the elimination of chefs. The show is produced at Hell's Kitchen, a modified warehouse in Los Angeles that includes the restaurant, dual kitchen facilities and a dormitory where the chefs reside while on the show. They are also given knife sets that they get to keep, regardless of their progress.^[4]

At the start of each season, Gordon Ramsay breaks the chefs into two teams. Most often this is based on gender, with women on the red team and men on the blue; each is given a chef's jacket with panels of that color on the shoulders. The chefs remain on these teams throughout most of the competition; Ramsay may reassign a chef to the other team if the team numbers are uneven or if he feels the chef will perform better on the other team. When only five or six chefs remain, they are brought into a single common team wearing black-panelled jackets. From this point onward, they compete individually to be one of the final two.

Challenges

Each episode typically includes a challenge and a dinner service, followed by the elimination of a chef. In challenges, the teams or individual chefs are tasked with a cooking challenge by Ramsay. The type of challenges are varied, including ingredient preparation, meal preparation and taste tests. The first challenge of each season is a signature dish cook-off, giving the chefs an opportunity to show Ramsay their cooking.

Each season typically includes one or more challenges that allows teams to construct several dishes either for a banquet to be held the next dinner service or as part of designing their own menus. Other challenges typically include a "taste it, make it" task, where chefs must attempt to recreate a dish Ramsay has prepared after tasting it only, and a taste-test challenge where chefs identify ingredients while blindfolded and wearing sound-blocking earcovers. Some challenges have been full breakfast or lunch services, where the team completing the service first is declared the winner.

The winner of the challenge is determined by either a scoring system set for that challenge or by Ramsay's and/or guest judges' opinions. The winning team or chef is typically rewarded with a recreational activity away from Hell's Kitchen and other potential prizes, while the losing team or chefs are forced to do a menial task, such as cleaning the kitchens, preparing a specific ingredient for the following dinner or having to prepare the food for both kitchens.

Dinner service

For dinner services, the chefs are expected to work their station (such as meat, fish, or garnish) on the kitchen line to prepare food in coordination with their teammates and to Ramsay's high standards for quality and presentation. Dinner service is for about 100 guests (volunteers for the show), with each diner expecting to receive an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. The chefs are given menus and recipe books by Ramsay to study and memorize, which include some of Ramsay's more difficult dishes including risotto and Beef Wellington. The chefs may spend several hours before each service preparing their ingredients.

Menus may be customized for a specific dinner service, such as ethnic-themed dishes or plates that resulted from the earlier challenge. One service per season allows for the teams to develop their own menus, which are reviewed by Ramsay for quality and presentation before the service. Dinner services may include additional challenges. A chef from each team may be asked to serve a table-side meal for their team, to wait and serve celebrities sitting at the kitchen's chef's table, or to act as a server for the evening, taking and fulfilling orders. After the chefs are on a single black team, Ramsay will use one dinner service to ask each chef to run the pass to test their quality control, including deliberate mistakes made by the sous chefs or Ramsay himself.

During a service, Ramsay demands that all orders for each course for a table go out together, and will send back entire orders if one item is improperly prepared, such as being over- or undercooked or not seasoned correctly. While the chefs are in two teams, Ramsay is assisted by two trusted sous-chefs, each monitoring one of the kitchens, demanding the same standards and alerting Ramsay to any issues. Ramsay's goal is to complete every dinner service, but exceptionally poor kitchen performance by one or both teams will cause him to close one (or both sides) of the kitchen early and send the team(s) back to the dorms. Ramsay may also evict individual chefs from the kitchen based on repeated poor performances during a service, and on rare occasions, may eliminate a chef on the spot.

Elimination

Once the dinner service is complete, Ramsay determines which team is the losing team and informs them to come up with two chefs to be nominated for elimination. Occasionally, Ramsay declares that both teams have lost, or requests a different number of chefs to be nominated for elimination. In some cases, Ramsay has named both teams winners, but still requires both teams to nominate someone for elimination. This is a group consensus, but Ramsay may occasionally name a chef "best of the worst" on their team and instruct them to choose the nominees.

Ramsay reassembles the teams in the dining hall and hears out the nominations from the losing team(s). Ramsay may also nominate other chefs for elimination if he believes it appropriate. After giving these nominees the chance to defend themselves, Ramsay selects one to hand over their jacket and "leave Hell's Kitchen." Ramsay can overrule nominations if he wants, and can even eliminate a chef who has not been nominated, even a chef on a winning team.

The eliminated chef is shown leaving the restaurant, providing some last thoughts on the experience. After dismissing the chefs, Ramsay is then shown going back upstairs to his office and symbolically placing their jacket on a sharp hook below their picture in a row with the others. After the jacket is hung on the hook, the chef's picture ignites, signalling their departure. During this scene, there is a voiceover of Ramsay explaining his reasons for eliminating the chef. If an eliminated chef has performed exceptionally well, Ramsay may allow that chef to keep their jacket as a token of their success up to that point, if he sees fit.

Chefs may be eliminated from the competition due to medical reasons, both voluntarily and involuntarily. Chefs that violate the competition's rules may be immediately eliminated. Chefs may also exit the competition voluntarily for any other reason; though this is not encouraged, their wishes are ultimately granted (with reasons by Ramsay explained, if applicable).

Final service

In the finale, the two remaining chefs are each given the opportunity to develop their own menu and lead a brigade of former competitors through a full dinner service on their own. In the first five seasons, this included the opportunity to decorate half of the Hell's Kitchen restaurant to their liking. Prior to the dinner service, the two chefs compete in a tasting contest, and the winner will earn the advantage of picking their brigade of chefs first. Ramsay will ensure that all menu items meet his standards for high cuisine prior to service, and he and his sous chefs will oversee the service to make sure that his high quality standards are retained, but does not otherwise get involved, allowing the two remaining chefs to demonstrate their ability to run the line.

Ramsay uses his own observations and those from the diners and other sources to decide who is the winning chef. He has two doors in his office leading out to the balcony above the Hell's Kitchen seating area. Each chef stands at a door and Ramsay tells them to both turn their handles at the same time. After a commercial break, only the door of the winning chef is unlocked allowing the winner to walk through and be greeted by the crowd below. The winning chef receives two prizes including the opportunity to work as the head chef or executive chef at a restaurant of Ramsay's choosing, as well as a cash prize of $250,000.^[5] In a similar manner to the voiceover at each elimination, Ramsay has a voiceover to explain his reasons for choosing that chef as the winner.

Cast

Gordon Ramsay is the head chef. Jason Thompson is the narrator. Jean-Philippe Susilovic, a Belgian maître d'hôtel, comes from Petrus, one of Ramsay's London restaurants and appeared in the first seven seasons and later returned for season 11. He left after season 12 and was replaced by Marino Monferrato for season 13. Susilovic was also the maître d'hôtel for the first series of the original British version. James Lukanik replaced Susilovic for seasons 8–10.^[6] Each team also has the services of one of two sous-chefs. The sous-chefs are Andi Van Willigan and Aaron Mitrano (since season 15). Previous sous-chefs were Mary Ann Salcedo, Gloria Felix, season 2 winner Heather West, Scott Leibfried, James Avery and season 10 winner Christina Wilson. In season 15, Wilson filled in for Willigan who was getting married at the time of filming but returned for one episode when her reception was one of the themed dinner services for that season.

Production

Broadcasting

The theme song is Fire by the Ohio Players. When the U.S. version is broadcast in the U.K., Italy, Portugal and some countries (shown on the table below), it features only the instrumental version. The instrumental version also appeared in the uncensored DVD release for the U.S. version.

Setting

For the show's first two seasons, the Hell's Kitchen restaurant set itself was housed in the former studios of Los Angeles television station KCOP at 915 North La Brea Avenue, in Hollywood, which at one time hosted production of game shows Tic Tac Dough and The Joker's Wild.^[9] KCOP was acquired by News Corporation in 2001 and its studios were integrated with those of Fox affiliate KTTV in 2003, leaving the La Brea facility vacant.^[10] Originally the studio was put up for sale, but in the end they were retooled for the production of Hell's Kitchen. The dining room area was the location of the former KCOP news studios, and living quarters for the contestants were built behind the restaurant.^[11] Before season three, the Hell's Kitchen facility was moved to Century Studios at 3322 La Cienega Place in Los Angeles. Since the fourth season, Hell's Kitchen's venue has been located at 8660 Hayden Place in Culver City. According to Arthur Perkins, the soundstage is only open for audience members when taping is taking place.^[12] The studio sits on the former location of the famous RKO Forty Acres backlot, which was used in movies such as Gone With The Wind and television series such as The Andy Griffith Show and The Adventures of Superman. The studio building sits on the location of the military camp seen in the television series Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C..

Accusations of staging

The series has drawn numerous online and editorial accusations of staging and dramatic license,^[13] mostly due to editing techniques of the producers which splice together several hours of footage from a dinner service, in order to make certain contestants appear as poor performers, later justifying their elimination. This was most obvious when one episode featured clips showing an already eliminated contestant in the background, still cooking.^[14]

One of the most controversial accusations of staging on Hell's Kitchen relates to an incident with contestant Joseph Tinnelly, who, during one elimination round, angrily confronted Ramsay, challenging him to fight, and was then escorted off the set. The incident drew immediate fire from critics as an overplayed and possibly faked scene, conducted to cause action and tension on the show in order to spark viewer interest.^[15]

In a 2013 interview, Ramsay admitted that the vast majority of his anger towards contestants was acting, his on-camera rage being done to force contestants to give their all and that when off-camera he treated all contestants with friendliness and respect. Ramsay further stated he would often meet with eliminated contestants after their departure from the show, offering positive criticism and advice. Staff and production members further affirmed that in real life, Ramsay was a sociable and friendly person and most of the on-camera drama is played out for the benefit of the audience.^[16]

Seasons

Season	Original run	Winner	Runner-up	Reason for winning	Contestants	Winner's prize
01	May 30 – August 1, 2005	Michael Wray	Ralph Pagano	High standards[17]	12	Tatou in Los Angeles[lower-alpha 1]
02	June 12 – August 14, 2006	Heather West	Virginia Dalbeck	Determination[17]		Terra Rossa at Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas
03	June 4 – August 13, 2007	Rock Harper	Bonnie Muirhead	Leadership		Terra Verde at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson
04	April 1 – July 8, 2008	Christina Machamer	Louis Petrozza	Potential	15	London West Hollywood in Los Angeles
05	January 29 – May 14, 2009	Danny Veltri	Paula da Silva	Maturity[17]	16	Fornelletto at the Borgata in Atlantic City
06	July 21 – October 13, 2009	Dave Levey	Kevin Cottle	Ability[17]	17	Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler
07	June 1 – August 10, 2010	Holli Ugalde	Jay Santos	Confidence[17]	16	Savoy Grill at Savoy Hotel in London[lower-alpha 2]
08	September 22 – December 15, 2010	Nona Sivley	Russell Kook II	Palate[17]		LA Market at JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles
09	July 18 – September 19, 2011	Paul Niedermann	Will Lustberg	Enthusiasm	18	BLT Steak in New York City
10	June 4 – September 10, 2012	Christina Wilson	Justin Antiorio	Passion		Gordon Ramsay Steak in the Paris Las Vegas[18]
11	March 12 – July 25, 2013	Ja'Nel Witt	Mary Poehnelt	Composure	20	Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace[19][lower-alpha 3]
12	March 13 – July 24, 2014	Scott Commings	Jason Zepaltas	Artistry
13	September 10 – December 17, 2014	La Tasha McCutchen	Bryant Gallaher	Will & Determination	18	Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Atlantic City[20][lower-alpha 4]
14	March 3 – June 9, 2015	Meghan Gill	T Gregoire	Natural Leadership
15	January 15 – April 29, 2016	Ariel Malone	Kristin Barone	Vocalness		BLT Steak at Bally's Las Vegas[21]
16	September 23, 2016[22]	TBD	TBD	TBA		Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at The Venetian Las Vegas[23]

Notes

Awards and nominations

Hell's Kitchen has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Art Direction for Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming category in 2007, 2008, and 2009. It has also been nominated for two Art Directors Guild Awards in the Television — Awards Show, Variety, Music or Non-Fiction Program category in 2007 and 2008, winning one in 2008. It has also been nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Series.

In 2009, Gordon Ramsay won an Astra Award for Favourite International Personality or Actor.^[24]

At the 2011 People's Choice Awards, Hell's Kitchen was nominated for Favorite Reality Show and Gordon Ramsay was nominated for Favorite TV Chef.^[25]

At the 2014 Reality TV Awards ceremony, Hell's Kitchen won an award for best new cast.^[26] In 2015, Hell's Kitchen won awards for best overall show and guilty pleasure at the 2015 Reality TV Awards.^[27]

Other media

DVD and Blu-ray releases

Visual Entertainment has released the first fourteen seasons of Hell's Kitchen in Region 1.^[28] Season 14 was released on March 15, 2016, and to the Blu-ray format for the first time.^[29]

In Region 4, Shock Entertainment has released seasons 1–8 on DVD in Australia.^[30]

Hell's Kitchen: The Game

On September 11, 2008, Ubisoft released Hell's Kitchen: The Game for the Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows, and iOS which features the likeness of Ramsay, and the many important tasks shown in the U.S. version of the show.^[35]

On April 2, 2009, Ludia and Social2u released the official Facebook version of the Hell's Kitchen game.^[36]

References

• Perkins, Jr., Arthur E. (2011). Chef Wars: Hell's Kitchen. U.S.: Charleston. ISBN 9781456450236. 

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Hell's Kitchen

• Official website
• Hell's Kitchen at the Internet Movie Database
• Hell's Kitchen at TV.com