Gordan Ramsay revisits two restaurants, which allows for lots of time eaten up with flashback footage.
The idea of a “revisit” episode of Kitchen Nightmares is so that Gordan Ramsay can check back in on nightmares of the kitchen variety that he has theoretically set to rights in the past. First revisited restaurant: Sante La Brea, located in Hollywood. We sit through a lengthy recap of the initial Ramsay visit. It’s a little bit like the classic sitcom flashback episode, where the characters sit around and say, “Remember all those crazy times?” and cut to earlier “classic” episodes.
In the case of Sante La Brea, the highlights included Ramsay setting up a bit where a cop waltzes in to “arrest” the owner for poor health standards, the host sweating through his shirt continuously and freaking everyone out, and the chef walking out (which happens in about one in three Kitchen Nightmares installments).
The antics level hits a new high by the time we actually get to the revisit, as Gordon “discovers” that Mark, the sweating host, has been “put out to pasture.” Ramsay, totally “surprised,” arranges to meet up with him because he “knows he lives locally.” Mark tells Ramsay that he’s now working for a raw foods company, and Ramsay responds that Mark still sweats “like Niagara Falls.” Later, Dawn, the new manager/host and girlfriend to one of the owners, shows off her lack of sweaty pits. Also, the crazy volatile father went off to Syria to “relax,” leaving the owners/sons to prosper in his absence.
Next, we revisit Giuseppe’s, outside of Detroit, Michigan. Strangely (or not?) we have another crazy volatile father “who won’t slow down,” microwaved food, confused son, and a crappy and failing business. By the time we finally get to new footage, looks like the restaurant is better and everyone’s getting along, but the parents are losing their house. A touching moment when the mother talks about how she “can sleep anywhere,” showing a remarkable amount of resilience. After a seeming happy ending, it’s announced that Giuseppe’s had to shut down a month after the revisit. So, not so happy then. But at least the dad wound up complimenting the son every once in a while.
Other thoughts on this week’s Kitchen Nightmares:
- Here’s a Kitchen Nightmare’s drinking game: when Ramsay talks about food looking like “a dog’s dinner” or announces that he is stopping services, chug whatever beverage is closest to you.
- More flashbacks were used to kill some time: a Top 3 worst kitchen inspections, which featured lots of roaches scurrying around kitchens, moldy food, and freaking out, and Top 3 egomaniacal restaurateurs of one sort or another.
- It takes literally 1/3 of the show to get into new footage this week. You have to really want the Kitchen Nightmares goodness to sit through this one.
From Around the Web: Kitchen Nightmares, “Revisited #2”
- this dish is veg: During last night’s episode of Kitchen Nightmare’s Revisited, the boys of Sante La Brea pulled one over on Gordon Ramsay. Sammy and Arthur presented Ramsay with an asparagus dish in a ginger vegan tofu cream sauce. They cunningly waited until after the compliments to reveal that the meal actually contained unchicken (soy protein).
Some stats and info about Kitchen Nightmares, “Revisited #2”
TV SHOW – Kitchen Nightmares
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 2, Episode 10
AIRED ON – April 9th, 2010
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – FOX
GENRE – Docuseries, Office Culture, Trashtastic TV, Food Shows
CAST – Gordon Ramsay
This review originally appeared on TV Gee Army.