This week’s discussion: Kitchen Nightmares, Season 5, Eps. 1-6, 16. Watch it on Hulu.
Next week’s discussion: Survivor, Season 1. Watch it on Hulu. Watch it with Amazon Prime Video.
This week Mike and JS delve into their first food-themed reality TV show – Kitchen Nightmares. We mainly cover the US version, but also devote some time to discussing the original UK version as we were both struck by the many differences in the presentation of the shows and how they might reflect broader differences between US and UK culture. Topics discussed include: our impressions of reality TV star Gordon Ramsay, the insanity of Amy’s Baking Company, the ‘disclaimers’ in the credit sequence of each episode, the centrality of food in Western social interactions, the harsh realities of operating a restaurant, and how the optimistic narrative the US version tries to sell us reflect a broader cultural view of American idealism.
Show Notes and Links
1:08 / The moral of this week’s show
1:58 / Introducing the show
3:30 / The concept of the show (similar shows include Bar Rescue and Restaurant Impossible)
5:06 / The optimistic narrative arc the show is trying to sell us
6:02 / Discussing the history of the host, Gordon Ramsay; JS mentions Hell’s Kitchen
7:45 / Emphasis on the ‘celebrity’ in celebrity chef
8:22 / The differences in Ramsay’s presentation in the US and UK versions
10:15 / The US version struck us as much more heavily produced
11:20 / Starting our detailed breakdown of La Galleria 33
12:50 / The general arc and themes that reoccur in each episode
14:35 / Returning to La Galleria
15:22 / Mike fills in a couple spots in the episode arc that JS missed
16:35 / A brief digression on the editing
17:07 / The afterword at the end of each show
17:38 / The show often implies the owners are chiefly at fault for the problems at the restaurant
18:00 / Talking about the restaurant shutdowns
18:40 / The episodes of the show are pretty similar; many blended together for Mike
19:02 / Discussing episode highlights from Mama Maria’s
20:05 / The motif of frozen vs. fresh that comes up again and again
21:24 / Nostalgia is a common refrain in these episodes; many of the owners who have been successful at one point are more stubborn
22:06 / The common dynamic of multiple owners who conflict over the changes Ramsay wants to implement
23:53 / Segueing into our summary of Amy’s Baking Company
25:19 / JS can’t contain his giddy excitement over this episode
27:40 / This episode breaks the typical narrative arc of the show
28:47 / Discussing the fallout of this episode on the Internet and how it affected the business
29:52 / The difference between Amy and other recalcitrant owners was that the others would at least temporarily ‘play ball’ with the show
30:40 / Segueing into this show’s placement on the spectrum of ‘reality’ in reality TV
31:40 / There are some notable disclaimers in the credits of the show
32:42 / The diners being brought in by the show and ‘playing to the camera’
33:25 / JS knows of a restaurant near him that went through one of these shows, discusses the process of collecting diners
35:23 / Mike mentions a lawsuit against the show; JS explains mandatory arbitration
37:05 / Despite the lawsuit, our feeling is that this show is probably not TOWIE or Bridezillas
37:37 / The narrative of hate-to-love of Chef Ramsay by the owners came off to JS as producer coached
38:12 / The rags-to-riches theme of the US version reminds Mike of a Horatio Alger tale
38:43 / The site that Mike got his information from
39:01 / The harsh realities of the restaurant business
39:38 / The message of the US show may not correspond perfectly with the real world; the UK version seemed more realistic
40:52 / The restaurant as a symbol of the American Dream – often an immigrant success story
42:00 / The US show is very focused on the personal and family backgrounds of the owners
42:53 / The different center of focus in the two versions: US version is owner-centric, UK version is kitchen staff-centric
44:00 / The American focus on individual success and responsibility; UK focuses more on the overall team
45:38 / A brief aside of the differing budgets of the shows, Mike mentions Rupert Murdoch
45:53 / Segueing into the appeal of food TV
46:12 / The centrality of food and ‘dining out’ in Western social interaction; JS alludes to the Food Network
47:09 / The combination of immediate accessibility and specialized behind-the-scenes insight
48:15 / The allure of reality television success and overcoming difficulties
49:38 / Many of these owners have gone in without specialized business training
50:38 / Mike preferred the realism of UK version to the idealism of the US version
51:42 / The contrasting afterwords of the two shows as an example of this
52:38 / How does the episode of Amy’s Baking Company fit into the idea that this show’s appeal is about success?
54:00 / Was Amy’s Baking Company really a failure? Discussing the irony of the owners who tell Ramsay off doing better than many of the restaurants on the show who followed the instructions
55:20 / The capricious nature of the restaurant industry, even something as simple as lack of parking can doom a restaurant
56:10 / The high failure rate of restaurants in the first year (and an article Mike found that provides a counterpoint); this show perhaps looks at the industry through rose-tinted glasses
57:43 / We both discuss how will we never be opening a restaurant, even if we win the lottery
58:30 / This show, like other reality shows we’ve watched, is very focused on individual control and individual responsibility
1:00:48 / The appeal of the show’s Prodigal Son narrative, but how realistic is it for these businesses to dig themselves out of the deep holes they are in?
1:02:00 / Mike made a Facebook page: please go like the page and take part in our listener poll: Snooki & JWoww: Moms with Attitude vs. The Sorrentinos
1:04:02 / Announcing a semi-reoccurring segment for the next show: Reality TV First Loves
1:05:16 / Contact us, rate and review, and subscribe
42 Minutes of Reality 