His bluntly honest remarks to the participants who failed to impress him on the shows attracted high viewer ratings and sometimes irritated the contestants to the point of wanting to physically fight him.
While the legendary chef never held back when it came to telling off the show’s contestants on Hell’s Kitchen, fans noticed that he was much less feisty when appearing on Master Chef, another food-based reality show.
So why was Gordon visibly tougher on one show than the other, and which version of him is closer to his true persona when the cameras are off?
Why Is Gordon Ramsay Tougher On Hell’s Kitchen Than Master Chef?
In a 2016 interview with CineMovie ahead of the premiere of Hell’s Kitchen’s 16th season, Ramsay admitted that he’s tougher in this show than Master Chef because they’re “two completely different competitions”.
“Hell’s Kitchen is about professionals,” he explained, later adding. “Master Chef is completely different. These are amateurs that have full-time jobs as firefighters, school teachers, bank clerks. And so, the journey from apron to finale, they finish like professional chefs. The arc of that incredible monumental journey is so exciting to see.”
“With professional chefs, in Hell’s Kitchen etcetera, I’m not going to tolerate their mistakes,” he went on.
However, Ramsay confirmed that there does come a point in the Master Chef journey where he does get tough on the contestants. “… we get to a stage to a stage on Master Chef, top eight, top six, where we actually put them into a restaurant environment. And they’re running a restaurant, for real.”
What Is Gordon Ramsay Like In Real Life?
According to the chefs who have worked with him, Gordon Ramsay isn’t the villain that he is often portrayed as through the media.
Christina Wilson, who won Hell’s Kitchen’s 10th season, told Mashed that Ramsay only gets fired up “if food that shouldn’t be going out of the kitchen is going out of the kitchen.”
Otherwise, she found him to be “constructive” and “calm” during the show’s challenges. This is because he cares deeply about his restaurant and reputation, and also wants every diner to have a positive experience.
Wilson also revealed that Ramsay is “a puddle” around his family and that people would “be legitimately freaked out” if they saw him gush over them. Mashed notes that Ramsay has taught his children how to cook, helped his daughter film a cooking show, and prohibits his children from swearing at home.
The chef and competition winner confirmed that Ramsay always ensures that the competition is fair, keeping a lawyer on set to oversee all activities. She also admitted that he is incredibly humble, despite his long list of accomplishments:
Nona Johnson from the show’s eighth season revealed that Ramsay is actually super funny in real life, and one of the hardest parts of being on the show was not laughing at him.
“[Ramsay is] really, really funny. Like really funny. And I know that, as a viewer watching, I’m laughing because the things he says are funny, but he’s genuinely really funny and he cracks jokes and really one of the hardest things was not laughing when he would shout out in anger and frustration.”
Other previous contestants, like Kori Sutton who won Season 19, found Ramsay to be like a fatherly figure: “When he’s there teaching you and talking to you, like one-on-one, it’s really a fatherly moment. He truly sees something in you. And he’s giving you the time of day because he knows you can do it.”
What Is Gordon Ramsay Like Around Children?
Fans have noticed that Gordon Ramsay is completely different from his tough on-screen persona when dealing with children. He is encouraging, patient, funny, and supportive, showing no signs of the approach he uses on Hell’s Kitchen.
