My Fav Five: Gordon Ramsay TV Shows

Did you know Gordon Ramsay has produced and starred in more than 20 TV shows — from renovating disgusting hotel kitchens to teaching inmates how to cook and run a lemon tart business? No? Well, here’s a list of a few of my top Gordon Ramsay series to choose from.

“MasterChef Junior”

For years, American audiences have associated Gordon Ramsay with being an uptight, no-nonsense entertainment chef who once clapped someone’s face between two bread slices and shouted, “What are you?” — to which the person famously replied, “An idiot sandwich.”

However, MasterChef Junior features an alternate Gordon Ramsay personality: calm, patient and encouraging. The show features 24 of the most talented junior chefs between the ages of 8 and 13 as they compete for $100,000, with Gordon as the terrifying judge with a soft heart.

If you’re looking for an easy, feel-good TV show to binge-watch, the nine seasons should keep you busy and rooting for all the young chefs.

“Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted”

In this four-season series, Gordon Ramsay teams up with National Geographic to explore local cuisines from around the world. Ramsay travels to Tasmania, West Sumatra, Peru and more in search of “the world’s most incredible food.”

In each new location, Ramsay learns culinary secrets through side quests with “local food heroes” and immerses himself completely in the region’s culture. By the end of each episode, he uses what he’s learned to team up with local chefs to cook for the community.

If you’re interested in exploring top cuisine from around the world, be sure to watch Uncharted on National Geographic or Disney+.

“Kitchen Nightmares”

This one is pure reality entertainment. If you’re looking for a show with Ramsay’s iconic “Hey, panini head, are you even listening to me?” British humor, no-nonsense attitude and slightly volatile mood swings, Kitchen Nightmares is the series for you.

In this show, Ramsay somehow finds himself as the business mentor, financial accountant, therapist, manager, chef and implementer of brain cells — all in one. Just when you think worse decisions can’t be made, these kitchens are determined to prove you wrong.

While some of the restaurants were able to be redeemed, others — like Amy’s Baking Company — were not. Both, however, provide plenty of mindless entertainment. If you need a little pick-me-up while cooking, put on this show and you’ll instantly feel better about your own creations.

“Hotel Hell”

Honestly, this series is just hilarious — pure entertainment in the worst possible way. It follows Ramsay as he tries to bring hotels back from the edge of closing with a crushing dose of drama and befuddlingly incompetent owners.

With a 45% success rate and a 55% failure rate, the statistics alone guarantee Hotel Hell will be a fascinating experience. If you’re doubting the entertainment value, I challenge you to watch the first episode and decide whether Gordon Ramsay, in all his glory, is the definition of reality TV entertainment or not.

“MasterChef”

This one is a classic. Unlike its junior counterpart, Ramsay does not hold back his diabolical sass on MasterChef. With the same concept as MasterChef Junior but featuring professional adult chefs, Ramsay doesn’t hesitate to call out anyone as an “idiot sandwich.”

With 15 seasons — and recently renewed for Seasons 16 and 17 — MasterChef is the perfect reality TV show to binge whenever you have plenty of free time.

Sarah Taylor is a third-year majoring in telecommunications and media industries. To contact her, email smt6314@psu.edu.