Gordon Ramsay Wakes Up From Kitchen Nightmares Just In Time To Check Into Hotel Hell
Gordon Ramsay announced on Monday that he was ending Kitchen Nightmares after a decade of production. The move to end the show has provoked strong reactions from fans, many of whom have been commenting via Twitter. Inquisitr reported on Ramsay’s initial announcement yesterday, quoting the chef’s blog as saying:
“I’m currently filming 4 new episodes, Costa Del Nightmares, for Channel 4 which will be my last. I’ve had a phenomenal 10 years making 123 episodes, 12 seasons, shot across 2 continents, watched by tens of millions of people and sold to over 150 countries. It’s been a blast but it’s time to call it a day.”
As Ramsay points out, the show helped to propel his career in television when it premiered in 2004. Gordon Ramsay’s other flagship reality television show, Hell’s Kitchen, started the same year.
Fans of the format can look forward to Gordon Ramsay’s new(ish) show Hotel Hell. Based on its short first season two years ago, the program appears to be an extension-and-rework of the Kitchen Nightmares format, with the added complexity of managing the entire hospitality experience and not just food service.
The same familiar story tropes that fans loved in Kitchen Nightmares are resurfacing in the promotions for Hotel Hell: Gordon Ramsay’s temper, his attempts to center the customer experience, his objective reality checks on owner expectations, and his indignation whenever mistakes are explained away.
It would be easy to discount the end of Kitchen Nightmares as Gordon Ramsay attempting to avoid market saturation, but that explanation is probably too simple, considering all that Kitchen Nightmares has done and all that it has failed to do. Popdust points out that the show’s track record for saving restaurants is low: just 9.5% over the first two seasons. Many of the closings are related to debt and/or other business trouble, but a few of the owners specifically cited Gordon Ramsay’s changes as the cause of their woes.
Whether or not Hotel Hell can improve on Kitchen Nightmares‘ track record remains to be seen. A lot will depend on Ramsay’s knowledge of the wider hospitality business, which he has not publicly claimed in the past. TVLine posted a short description of the season’s highlights, though, and they do look exciting:
“According to Fox, Ramsay’s actual Season 2 mission will find him checking into — and attempting to reinvent – ‘an Oregon inn run by hippies where all night partying kept guests from actually sleeping; a 90-year-old North West landmark hotel run by a millionaire struggling to come to terms with his alcohol addiction; and a New Mexico boutique hotel whose owner thinks she’s Cher — and makes Gordon wish he could turn back time.'”
Hotel Hell season 2 will premiere on July 21. Gordon Ramsay will also continue to produce Master Chef, Masterchef Junior, and Hell’s Kitchen.
What do you think? Will Hotel Hell scratch that same Kichen Nightmares itch? Will Gordon Ramsay’s back-to-basics approach be enough to overcome his relative lack of experience in hotel management? Or is this just another attempt to extend the life of an aging and repetitive format?
[Image via Fox]
