This Explains That: Gordan Ramsay Edition

One of the perks of insomnia, is the ability to stumble upon some television I normally wouldn't watch. Tonight I stumbled upon Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, a show which basically allows competing chefs the opportunity to get insulted by Gordon Ramsay. Oh, and you get a cooking job if you win. Top Chef this is not, the show focuses on the contestants' mistakes and the numerous insults thrown their way.

I can understand why people getting yelled at makes great television (Tyra Banks I'm looking at you). Yes it's a show with a foundation built on insults, but it's been on the air for 5 years, has been nominated for an Emmy award, and gets great ratings.

I was surprised however, that Gordan Ramsay was the first chef to successfully capitalize on cursing/insulting aspects of chef culture. I spent too much time thinking about this: Googling, watching clips on Youtube, and Googling some more. Thankfully, I found my answer in the always reliable  Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain:

This...

The new celebrity chef culture is remarkable and admittedly annoying phenomenon...Of all the professions, after all, few people are less suited to be suddenly thrown into the public eye than chefs. We're used to doing what we do in private, behind closes doors. We're used to using language that many would find....well...offensive to say the least. We probably got in the business in the first place because interacting with normal people in a normal workspace was impossible or unattractive to us. Many of us don't know how to behave in public-and don't care to find. 

Explains That...

So while most chefs will continue to stay in the kitchen, Gordon Ramsay is allowed to expand his media empire to three shows: Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen, and MasterChef.

FML