 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Hell's Kitchen
- Fox
- Genre: Reality TV
Common Sense Media says
Top chef serves up insults in tense reality show.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this competitive reality show features a foul-mouthed chef who regularly insults and humiliates the contestants. Those who remain calm under pressure and work through the pain of insults, cuts, and burns are rewarded with an occasional compliment from the raging chef. When out of the kitchen, the contestants drink, smoke, and linger in the hot tub wearing revealing attire.
What's the story?
In HELL'S KITCHEN, 12 aspiring chefs on two teams compete against each other in a restaurant kitchen while top chef Gordon Ramsay hurls vitriolic insults at them. The winning contestant will become the executive chef at a very upscale restaurant, so the stakes are high. After each evening of service, Ramsay chooses one of the two teams as the loser, and one person from that team must select two teammates for possible elimination. Ramsay then chooses which of those two unlucky nominees goes home -- a step obviously designed to provoke tension and resentment among the contestants, who live together in dorms connected to the kitchen.
Is it any good?
Ramsay's British restaurants are top-tier, and he has expectations to match -- outside of the kitchen he's a nice guy, but inside he's brutal. Those who've worked in professional kitchens know that his intense demeanor isn't unusual for chefs under stress, but he surely plays it up for the cameras. Ramsay rages at every mistake, calls the cooks names, and sends back plate after plate of attempted dishes. Some nights the kitchen turns out zero entrees, despite being open for hours.
But if you can handle Ramsay's rudeness and the annoying reality-show elements (constant replaying of key moments, odd editing, and overly dramatic music), the action is nail-bitingly delicious. Many of the competitors have professional cooking experience, with a few exceptions, but even the tenured folks have a hard time acclimating to such intense circumstances -- tears of frustration, explosions of temper, thrown plates, and more emotional moments season the action. The contestants work as hard as they possibly can to impress the chef and turn out edible food, but in order to succeed, they must work together, stay calm, and avoid the wrath of Ramsay -- never an easy task. By watching Hell's Kitchen, teens with any illusions about celebrity chefdom will get a glimpse into the harsh realities of the professional kitchen.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about work environments. What makes a good or bad boss? What drives employees to succeed -- gentle support or the desire to impress an exacting leader?
How would teens react to a boss like Ramsay? How have adults managed a difficult employer? Do different working environments call for different types of leadership?
What parallels can teens draw between tough bosses and tough teachers?
Does the world of professional cooking appeal to teens or parents?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Cool
This show rocks! I don't think kids under the age of 10 should watch this. Anyways, Hells Kitchen is really funny and stuff. You should watch it.
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AGE
OK people...
I love this show! it's hilarious, though not for little little kids who reapeat every word they hear. Ramsay's nicer outside the kitchen. Like Simon Cowell, Ramsay has his mean moments and occasional complements. everyone will be entertained and excited for the next episode!
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AGE
FOUL MOUTHED CHEF HAS A POINT---
Okay, lets get this straight, my father is a chef. I know, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and so I have grown up listining to quotes from famous chefs like Mario Batalli, (I might have spelled his last name wrong, remember I only heard quotes) and smelling wonderful dishes from Rachael Ray, and even a few of my Dad's dishes. but the point is that chefs will listen to other chefs, especially if they already have fame and fortune. Thus began my father and I's journey, we watched Hell's Kitchen. Okay, so he shoots of his mouth, okay he dumps dishes down the drain if they are not perfection. But the same thing happens to my math test sometimes, the only diference is that Mrs. Hanes dosn't yell , 'This is ------' nasty!" So, no one will learn if they don't make mistakes! Although maybe the camera dosn't need to be here. My 5-year old sister does not watch this show, and my Grandmother thinks he off his rocker. (She dosn't know the delicious dinner we had on Sunday was one of his recipes.) I think it's the same thing with Simon Cowell. He is mean, but more often than notm he's right. Deal with it.
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AGE
i am hooked on it
its is bad that i love this show, how can people let themselves be treated that way, i can not get enough. but for children, the language is too much. it is on later in the night, so adults can watch without little ones around
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Kid, 11 years old
June 27, 2011
AGE
great for pre teens and teens
I love this show even though I hardly watch it.
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AGE
i love hells kitchen,,,you have to be that way to get people to motivate....
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AGE
Mean chef servies up insults in hilarious reality show
When someone is mature enough to understand this show, they ought to find it very funny if entertaining at all, even though reality shows are typically not supposed to be humorous. It is funny because the contestants constantly make stupid mistakes and Chef Ramsey always overreacts. Contestants curse a lot, but the majority of it is bleeped. And sometimes they drink and smoke as well when not having to put up with him right that minute. In fact, they also often drink when teams go on rewards for winning reward challenges. So parents need to caution their children when watching this show. Tell them that Chef Ramsey is so used to his being perfect at cooking that he treats his contestants like dirt for not being prefect. They also need to be told that the language said by the contestants and the chef that isn't bleeped is not to be repeated. Ditto for the drinking.
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Kid, 12 years old
June 24, 2010
AGE
never for kids: 8 and under iffy for kids: 9-18 appropriate for kids: 18 and over
see, some networks have bleeped "hell" and "dam".
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| TV rating: | TV-14 |
| Network: | Fox |
| Cast: | Angus Deayton, Gordon Ramsay, Mark Durden-Smith |
| Genre: | Reality TV |
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