There's a bit of embellishment going on (2024)

Kitchen Nightmares had memorable episodes throughout its seven-season run, including that often talked-about couple from Amy’s Baking Company. Like with any reality show, however, not all aspects of one of the best reality TV shows are real. Kitchen Nightmares may have been canceled, but its legacy continues.

Clever editing, fudging details, and even hamming things up for the camera are all par for the course with reality shows. It’s all in the spirit of making them more attractive to watch. And with Kitchen Nightmares, there was quite a bit of that, according to the cast and crew. Parts of the show might be fake, but Kitchen Nightmares is always iconic.

1 Gordon’s Mean Persona Is All An Act

As fans of other Ramsay shows like Masterchef Junior and Gordon Ramsay Uncharted know, the celebrity chef isn’t as mean as he comes across on shows like Kitchen Nightmares in real life. Indeed, according to Eater, citing an interview by writer Lee Stranahan, the owner of Finn McCool’s that was featured on a 2007 episode, described Ramsay as “warm, a great teacher, and a good man who responded when someone tried to bring their game up.”

Indeed, according to Eater, citing an interview by writer Lee Stranahan, the owner of Finn McCool’s that was featured on a 2007 episode, described Ramsay as “warm, a great teacher, and a good man who responded when someone tried to bring their game up.”

Some of the drama, particularly on the craziest episodes of Kitchen Nightmares, is enhanced to make the show more interesting, including Ramsay’s attitude and angry outbursts with some staff and owners. With that said others report that the situations can get intense, and Ramsay does appear to legitimately care and be upset about the state of restaurants that are flailing.

2 Dinner Service Is Set Up To Fail On Kitchen Nightmares

One of the core features of every episode of Kitchen Nightmares is when the restaurant holds its first dinner service, and Ramsay observes. According to the same Lee Stranahan article, now cited by Ranker, several restaurant owners he spoke to reported that the dinner service was set up to fail. One owner said he was sent in only shortly before dinner service started with an entirely new kitchen and menu. Another noted that the restaurants are purposely overbooked to create chaos. Fin McCool’s, for example, should seat 50, but on the day of filming, the owner claims producers sat 150 guests.

According to The New Jersey Record, which spoke to the owner of a restaurant featured on the show called Bazzini, owners have very little interaction with Ramsay. “He comes in with a huge machine of assistants and helpers,” he said. “The only time that I ever spent any time with him was on camera.”

But the show makes it seem like Ramsay spends hours with the owners, helping them figure out what’s wrong with the business and even discussing familial or personal issues that might be getting in the way. However, what is seen on camera is the extent of those conversations.

4 Situations Are Fabricated For Dramatic Effect On Kitchen Nightmares

Eater also notes that some scenes are edited to make them look more dramatic. For example, a scene showing a chef angrily walking out of the restaurant is followed by footage of a van speeding away. But that was someone else leaving: he was not in the car, nor did he drive off in anger. In another, a cook who dropped food on the floor was reportedly hired just for the days of filming. It's a mix of clever editing and fake employees mixed in with real ones that can create situations that aren’t entirely truthful.

5 Producers Ask Provocative Questions On Kitchen Nightmares

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Bazzini also told The New Jersey Record that producers asked questions to purposely cause friction between her and her husband, who own the restaurant together. For example, they asked her how she could stay married to him if the restaurant failed. The questions are designed to stir up drama that can then be captured for the cameras and, in turn, make the show much more exciting. Such questions likely contributed to some of the best episodes of Kitchen Nightmares. While this isn’t a fake element of the show, per se, it is a way of trying to instigate drama where none might otherwise exist.

6 Some Customers Might Be Paid On Kitchen Nightmares

According to Reality Blurred, some customers who appear in the restaurant during dining service might be paid to be there, not simply patrons who showed up for a good meal. They figured this out through a fine print disclaimer that appears in the show's credits. The disclaimer reads: “The producers may have provided customers at the restaurant with a financial contribution towards the cost of their meal.” That said, this could simply mean that customers served bad food, had long waits, or didn’t get what they ordered were compensated for the inconvenience.

7 The Gross Refrigerator Finds Might Not Always Be Real

The show wouldn’t be as entertaining if Ramsay walked into impeccably clean fridges and freezers every time, with only a few things out of place or not kept in sanitary conditions. But some things he has unearthed have been downright disgusting and unbelievable. From rotten chicken swimming in the water next to fresh chicken to rodents, insects, mold growth, and more, some seriously vomit-inducing episodes have occurred.

While this is not substantiated, an article in StarChef2.com states that some of those “refrigerator nightmares” may be planted for a more dramatic effect. “I strongly believe,” writes the author, “the most outrageous refrigerators Gordon Ramsay has walked into might be scripted to make it a more interesting watch.”

8 Most Of The Restaurants Don’t Survive After Kitchen Nightmares

While the show makes it seem like things are rosy after Ramsay and his team swoop in to help refresh the restaurant, this isn’t always the case. As shown in fast-forward segments at the end of each episode and through “where are they now” specials, some of the restaurants did not survive. But that number might be higher than fans think. Only 15 of the 77 restaurants featured on the long-running show remain open as of 2018. Perhaps this is why Kitchen Nightmares ended.

Reality

Cast

Gordon Ramsay

Release Date

September 19, 2007

Seasons

7

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu , Amazon Prime Video