Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars is just one more entry in Ramsay’s competition series empire. Along with MasterChef, Kitchen Nightmares, and Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay is no stranger to creating fun, entertaining shows. The first season of Food Stars debuted in May 2023. It featured Ramsay putting contestants through weekly challenges on the reality shows to discover the next great food industry entrepreneur. Business owners pushed their own products and competed against each other to prove their acumen to Ramsay (and to win the $250,000 prize). But there were some elements missing that prevented the show from living up to its full potential.
In Season 2, which premiered May 22, Ramsay has added reality TV icon Lisa Vanderpump as his own competition. The two are battling head-to-head to see which member of their team will win the entire show. With Vanderpump joining the show, there’s now plenty of drama for viewers to sink their teeth into.
Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars (2023)
A reality competition show hosted by renowned chef Gordon Ramsay, focusing on discovering innovative culinary talents. Participants from various backgrounds, such as chefs, restaurateurs, and food truck operators, face demanding tasks that assess their cooking abilities, business strategies, and innovation. With Ramsay’s mentorship and sharp critiques, the contestants strive to impress and secure a significant investment in their food-related business. The show highlights the intersection of culinary excellence and entrepreneurial spirit, showcasing the journey of aspiring food stars under the watchful eye of a culinary master.
Lisa Vanderpump Brings Her Expertise to ‘Food Stars’
Anyone competing against Ramsay would need to be able to hold their own against his vast business experience and success. That’s why Vanderpump is such a worthy opponent. She has owned over 30 restaurants and bars with her husband, Ken Todd, over the past several decades. These eateries consist of famous restaurants featured on several Bravo series (including Vanderpump Rules), such as SUR and TomTom in Southern California, Wolf in Lake Tahoe, and Vanderpump Cocktail Garden and Vanderpump a Paris in Las Vegas. The success of these restaurants points to Vanderpump’s ability to steer the members of her team to a flourishing future in the food and dining industry. She has also launched a line of wines and vodka, a lighting collection, and she runs a non-profit organization called The Vanderpump Dogs Foundation. Her expertise extends to tons of different areas of business, which makes her a worthy mentor for the entrepreneurs.
Aside from her business acumen and her ability to make some serious money, Vanderpump is a welcome addition to any reality show because she knows how to bring the drama.Vanderpump was one of the OG’s of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. During her nine seasons on the series, Vanderpump always knew how to turn up the theatrics. Whether she was showing off her immense wealth or starting a catfight with one of her castmates, Vanderpump has always been immensely watchable. Her impeccable fashion and glamorous ways prove that there’s a reason Ramsay would want to hire her for Season 2 of Food Stars. What better way to introduce some glitz and some drama to the series?
Gordon Ramsay Now Has Someone to Compete With on ‘Food Stars’
Even with just a few episodes on air, it’s already clear that Ramsay made the right choice by introducing Vanderpump into the mix. In the first season of Food Stars, Ramsay had 15 entrepreneurs competing against each other. In Season 2, Ramsay and Vanderpump are now competing against one another. The first episode involved the competitors pitching themselves and their business ideas to the two titans. As soon as the teams were filled, the true competition began. Each week sees the teams compete in ‘Business Bootcamp’ challenges to see which entrepreneurs would actually be successful out in the real world. This setup allows for even more competition; not only are the entrepreneurs battling each other, but Ramsay and Vanderpump are both fighting for dominance.
Vanderpump is the perfect choice to act as Ramsay’s foil. The two Brits have an easy rapport, and even though they tease each other pretty mercilessly, the environment is a lot more fun than Season 1 because Ramsay has someone to play off of. This also allows the humor and lightheartedness of the series to shine through even more. As the Queen of Reality TV, Vanderpump brings a wry intelligence and snarkiness to the overall tone of the show, which is pretty different from Ramsay’s often belligerent and sometimes aggressive anger. Vanderpump has an understated drive and ambition, but it’s obvious that she wants to win just as much as Ramsay does. The two arguing never gets too negative or hurtful, because it’s clear that they have a mutual respect for each other.
So far, Ramsay is pulling ahead in the competition; only one member of his team has been eliminated, as opposed to two of Vanderpump’s team members. But with several episodes left, Vanderpump still has plenty of challenges for her team to dominate. That means that the title of Next Food Star is still very much up for grabs. However, the viewers are already the real winners of Season 2, since they get to see Vanderpump in all her glory in every episode.
