This topic contains 12 replies, has 0 voices, and was last updated by 
doggydaddy 13 years ago.
I’m just sick of American style shows. It’s refreshing to see a different approach.
I love both the american and brit version of the office.. but i’ve always been a bit of a brit-o-phile myself…
You know, I have to respectfully disagree with the overall Brit vs. American television debate. They are two entirely separate things reflecting the tastes of their respective audiences. I don’t think one is better than the other. I’ve never seen the BBC version of Kitchen Nightmares, although it sounds enjoyable. But I don’t have a problem with the American version. He’s dealing with Americans, so the problems (and therefore, the solutions) are going to be different. I find his behavior on the American versions varies considerably depending on the situation he is given.
I have to point out, however, that just because something is on BBC doesn’t mean it’s better than the American version. A friend of mine sent me the first season of the Office (BBC version), and I found it unwatchable – largely because I didn’t understand half of what was being said (and it was more the slang than the accents). Whereas the American version of the Office is one of the funniest programs I’ve seen in years.
I realize it’s popular to bash American television, but we export a great deal of our programming and tend to import ideas rather than programs, so we must be doing something right.
Climbing down off of my soapbox now….
quote:
Originally posted by enginecapt
Well, not everything. I wouldn’t call Little Britain refined. Funny as hell? LMAO funny as hell. But not refined.
I’m a closet Little Britain fan as well… who couldn’t love Anne or Emily (because she IS a lady you know) 😉
quote:
Originally posted by enginecapt
Well, not everything. I wouldn’t call Little Britain refined. Funny as hell? LMAO funny as hell. But not refined.
Nor was it meant to be!
Well, not everything. I wouldn’t call Little Britain refined. Funny as hell? LMAO funny as hell. But not refined.
Everything that comes from England is more refined in so many ways. Face it BBC has much more style in their pinkie than Fox ever has. English manners are so much different from us crass Americans.
I have seen Gordon in a just a few episodes of both versions, so I can’t tell exactly if there is a difference. I will say that one episode on the Fox show had him at a place called Sebastions in L.A.
The owner/chef was a egotistical piece of work and definitely needed a serious bit of chewing out, and in the long run, there were still doubts as to whether any of it sunk in at the close of the show.
I liked the episode on Dillon’s, a place in Manhattan. I think that they benefited from his help and I would like to see this place, even though I am not a fan (or that knowledgable) of Indian cuisine.
What I do like about both versions is when he does realize the potential of good cooks and employees. I find that he is very encouraging.
I did think about posting this topic in the Professionals forum as there is much that we can see that we have experienced or at least see in ourselves and learn from the show.
I guess the part that I like the best is when they transform the restaurant and especially the kitchen. I become envious when I see a newly upgraded and funtioning kitchen.
I work in a great restaurant. We are quite busy. The last couple of days we have been slammed to a degree that orders became backed up and the waitrons became frustrated. I am sure that this was due to customer wait times.
Other cooks are aware of the show, but I have had some fun as I exclaim "Where’s Chef Ramsey…?"
mark
I have not seen the BBC version, but I am in no way surprised to hear that it is better than the states’ appropriation. Thanks for the tip, I’ll keep my eyes open for it!
I like both versions the bbc and the american I love reality tv tho esp when there is nothing else on on nights I’m home alone and hubby is working 🙂
The American version is nowhere near as good as the BBC show. On the American version he is always screaming and the staffs are always fighting and crying. There are several episodes on the BBC version where he never yells at all. That’s not to say that he doesn’t cuss and criticize. He does, but it is all about him doing what he can to fix the restaurant. And there are a couple of episodes where you see a completely different side of him. He will sometimes find one of the cooks that he really likes and he coaches them. One was a young kid who almost seemed to be slow but he really worked hard. Gordon did a lot of coaching and eventually let him cook the staff meal and praised him for his effort.
The new season of the BBC version starts tonight and I really hope it has not changed to match the Americanized version.
I love this show. The American version on Fox can’t hold a candle to it.
As far as GR getting stuck in doing the menial chores goes, my jaded nature makes me wonder how much of that is done for a few seconds of camera time. But he did start at the bottom as a kitchen commis and work his way up the ladder, so he’s no stranger to the scut work.
Hi everybody,
I do not watch reality TV. I did not care for Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, though I have not watched it. I know that the promos for the show just turned me off. I don’t like the idea of a chef screaming at young cooks who want to become better. Maybe I should take another look based on what has become my favorite show: Kitchen Nightmares.
This is a great show. I ecently came across his original show via BBC America and it is fun. Those British accents can be tough to keep up with. It seems that they will run a bunch of episodes on a weekend afternoon.
I have missed The American version on Fox as I work nights and it has flown under my radar.
Watching this show has given me a whole different insight to Gordon.
He is spot on with his hard cold truths to the owners, chefs or managers that he deals with in various restaurants.
What does surprise me is how hands on he is with so many aspects in fixing things. He will get down on his knees and help clean-up the messes. He will assist the struggling chef in the kitchen in the middle of a rush, or with the cooks when the chef gets pissed off and walks out.
Through the magic of internet, there are many sites that provide ‘free’ downloads This site provides whole episodes of this and many other shows. There are very short comercial breaks between segments. Below is the link to all the episodes from the first season.
http://www.fancast.com/tv/Kitchen-Nightmares/95907/watch-videos
This site has many great shows to watch, including the failed sit-com Kitchen Confidential, which tried to put a fictional and humorous spin on Anthony Bourdain’s book.
mark
Kitchen Nightmares
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.