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Well, it’s back for a 7th season, another round of wannabes with the shouting of “Donkey!”

ringing through the halls again.  Chef Gordon Ramsay is back for more time in Hell’s Kitchen.  I’ve watched this show regularly since the 5th season, and have watched older seasons online as well.  This season the prize is the job of head chef in Ramsay’s own restaurant at the Savoy hotel in London, England, very prestigious.  There have been 9 episodes thus far.

The infamous Scottish Chef, Gordon Ramsay.

This season’s had quite a few good moments.  During the first episode, during the tasting of the contestants’ signature dishes, Chef Ramsay hugged and then french kissed the first lady whose food he’d tasted, and actually liked.  Everyone’s jaw hit the floor.  Then Chef admitted the woman was his wife.  I was certainly surprised, and was laughing hard as Brer Rabbit in the briar patch.  Then as punishment the red team, who’s getting their butts beat this season due to a lot of catfighting amongst themselves, had to wash a pen full of muddy, dirty pigs.  Then there was the 50th wedding anniversary the restaurant  hosted, they host 1 such event each season.  The top tier of a 3 tiered cake was starting to lean like the Tower of Pisa, and two men from the blue team had to go and save it by pushing the columns deep into the cake of the second tier.  There was also the service of a cheering group of cheerleaders, majorettes, and marching band from the local university.  There was the service for little children where Chef Ramsay asked the brigade, “Please, don’t make me cuss today.”  And then, when someone’s stupidity caused him to do so, and the childrens’ ears to perk up at hearing it, “So much for not swearing,” with an angry toss to the floor of his towel.  There was one of the few times the red team won a challenge and were rewarded with meeting Chef Ramsay’s wife, again, and his 3 daughters and son for a day at the beach.  Being a semi-professional player in Scotland before he was a chef (a knee injury took him out), it was no surprise when he and his family beat the red team at soccer while on the beach.

There’ve been injuries, as there always are.  One man sliced his finger, which usually happens, and Fran burned her hand pretty severely, and if you watch the episodes closely you can see she still has her hand kept wrapped up.  What’s shocking is after she burned it, Fran kept cooking and it took Chef Ramsay himself to get her to leave and get her hand looked at.

As far as the contestants this year, there’s particularly good talent this year.  They’ve finished all dinner services so far, but one, because Chef Ramsay got so disgusted with them that he threw BOTH teams out of the kitchen.  They even finished the very first dinner service, as Chef Ramsay had guaranteed the press, despite the fact that by the end he’d ordered half of each team out of the kitchen.  This was the first brigade in the history of the show to ever finish the first dinner service.  There was the usual misplaced arrogance, such as the case of Stacey, private chef to the stars.  Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore may have liked her food, but Gordon Ramsay didn’t, and in Hell’s Kitchen that’s all that matters, and she was gone at the end of the first episode.  Then there was Andrew, a farmer who slaughters his own animals and likes eating his meat raw.  He was a weird one, and I was far from sad to see him leave.  If he hadn’t voluntarily left, Chef Ramsay would have kicked him out soon, I’m sure. I actually liked Siobhan.  Her problem was that she was too nice.  She let others tell her what to do and take over her job, and that’s not what you want in a head chef.  They have to be assertive and in control and, yes, a bit mean.  Autumn could be head chef material, she’s good at taking control, she’s a hard worker, and she’s assertive.  The problem is I don’t like her, and neither do most of the other contestants.  She’s got TOO arrogant of an attitude, from what’s been said her food’s not that good, and she’s a little backstabber to boot.  Case in point, Autumn was put as waitress for the opposing team, she deliberately hung around her tables and if anything was the LEAST bit wrong, she would take the plate back to the kitchen, and she admitted on camera that it was to deliberately slow the other team down.  Autumn’s on the men’s team, even.  After annoying everyone on the red team, Chef Ramsay moved her to the blue team, which he’ll sometimes do if he sees bad blood but wants to give the contestant another chance.  The men tolerate her, but they weren’t thrilled to get her, either.  My current favorites are Nilka, a line cook, and Ben, a cullinary instructor.  They’re both good.  I also kind of like Fran, the older contestant, in her 40′s, who’s a catering chef.  She’s one tough cookie.

At any rate, there’s a LOT of infighting on the women’s team this season, more than usual, which is why the men’s team is whomping on them.  I do wonder why the women can’t seem to get their act together.  I just hope maybe ONE of them survives to the top 5.  This season’s been exciting, as the show usually is, and even if you don’t like Chef Ramsay’s HUGE, ginormous potty mouth, which I’ll admit I don’t, I still recommend watching, because they cut out the 4 letter words, and even blur his mouth so you can’t even tell by lip reading what’s being said.  If you like cooking and competition, it’s a great show.

4/5