Marco Pierre White - pretencious knob or gastronomic Rambo? (Hell's Kitchen)

Member Name: thedevilinme

Product:	Hell's Kitchen
Date:	22/04/09 (273 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gastronomic genius

Disadvantages: Pretencious knob!

I'm a big fan of Gordon Ramsay and love 'Kitchen Nightmares', my Friday night fix, although organising the marriage of the owner and chef coupling on the show in the restaurant is a recent episode of the American series was somewhat over the top and ego driven by the volatile Scot. One presumes this is the sort of stuff the waver just before the show starts must be talking about - 'some events maybe be fictitious for entertainment purposes'.

With all his restaurants to run And TV work going on around the world in Gordon's name he seems to have over-extended himself somewhat of late, many of his flagship projects being 'credit crunched', Ramsay too proud to sell the eateries to fellow celebrity chefs, Anthony Worrall Thompson (the worlds tallest dwarf) knowing to his cost that its not a good idea to plead celebrity to your bank manager when your in financial trouble. Gordon also has slipped out of the world's top 50 restaurant list for the first time in eight years.

To concentrate on his restaurants, Ramsay has had to surrender Hells Kitchen to fellow bombastic chef Marco Pierre White, the youngest ever chef to get three Michelin Stars, what ever they are. It's a good job Ramsay isn't doing the show anymore because he has been caught out cheating this week in the tabloids, apparently using pre-packed and so not fresh food and ingredients in some of his star restaurants. Ramsay cuts down chef after chef with a tirade on Kitchen Nightmares if they dare use anything other than fresh produce and meat when he's around. The restaurants in the show often us pre-packed and older stuff before Ramsay comes to help them save money, hence calling Ramsay in the first place and perhaps why he is now doing the same now he is struggling, and so perhaps rather a hypocritical stance to have. I don't think I can watch that show anymore knowing that cheating is going on. The likeable French chef who's name escapes me but he does the reality show Restaurant on BBC2 recently had his restaurant in Milton Keynes given one star out off five by the health inspector and it was shut down for ten days. It's all in the branding it seems with these guys.

Marco, although of fine Yorkshire council house stock, comes across as a right pretentious knob, seemingly having to concentrate really hard to talk posh like our mums do on the phone by seeking every word, clearly desperate to expunge his Italian immigrant roots. The ridiculous Palestine scarf wrapped around his head just adds to the act. He's behaving just like a public school head boy with his Eaton 'fags'. Although he's moody and grumpy on screen he's in his element bossing Z-List celebrities around, Gary Linakers young trophy girlfriend bizarrely one of those so called celebrities. Chefs have a reputation for being bullies and being bullied is all part of the apprenticeship in the kitchens. If he pulled that crap on me he would have a zucchini rammed up his arse-wrapped in that said scarf!

-The Contestants

Anthea Turner
Grant Bovey
Linda Evans
Ade Edmondson
Danielle Bux
Ms Dynamite
Bruce Grobbelaar

I'm not sure why Grant Bovey is famous, other than being married to Anthea Turner, who wants to be called Anthea Turner not Anthea Bovey. The Bovey-Turners have taken over the kitchen, as expected, and responsible for the first sacking, young Jody Latham intimidated by all the big egos and walking out after being effectively fired by Marco. Jody challenged Grants bossy personality and Anthea, who is quickly losing her super cutesy looks, turned on him to back her plonker of a man up. The second youngest contestant, 'Ms Dynamite', recently touted as the future of British garage-hip hop music, with her 'sarf landan' accent, looks next to go. Is she looking for inspiration for her long awaited second album on the cooking show? Her soufflés are also one hit wonders.

Anyone celeb who didn't get on the show or on the waiting list for this type of payday is in the restaurant audience enjoying free food made by the celebs, guzzling three free wine as they slag them off, the striking eyes of Claudia Winkleman doing the fluffy stuff as host hopping between the tables and flirting with everyone, the long since demoted wit of John Cleese tribute act Angus Deayton no longer required. Dumb and down is Michael Grades motto at ITV. She is quite cute though and you could pick her up and push her against the wall and ....sorry.

Ex South African goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar looks an early favourite, although looking suspicious by dropping plates on his waiter duties and then rushing off to his bookie to bet on how many plates he would drop. Ade Edmondson, Vivian of The Young Ones of course, seems to pop up on all these shows and strikes a rather sad and bitter figure. Linda Gray was a surprise, the latest American to jump on the British reality TV gravy train. There's even a 'septic' on The Apprentice this year.

On the whole though this is tiresome unimaginative reality TV, yet another method and mechanism to wind up fading celebrities to bitch and argue with each other to fill that prime time vacuous ITV audience that demand this drivel. You don't actually see them make any food or learn anything and why don't they just fire the lot of them and have a reality show were z- list celebrities have top work in the Job Centre. Either that or bring back Ramsay and get rid of Rambo! Britain Hasn't Got Talent...


9 Pm most nights on ITV.
http://www.itv.com/hellskitchen/

Summary: Marcos out of ten-none!