TV Obsessive
This week we’re recommending cooking shows! Robin’s been watching Hell’s Kitchen. Ryan’s in the thick of the latest season of Top Chef. And Caemeron thinks you might enjoy Crime Scene Kitchen.
You’ve probably heard of the first two, at least, but have you watched them? Have you watched them recently? Do you want to spend your summer working your way through 20 seasons of the same TV series focused on making food? (I’m thinking about it myself, honestly.)
Anyway, let’s get to it. And feel free to make your own recommendations in the comments.
Hell’s Kitchen
Robin Moon: Now, I’m aware I’m about two decades behind on this one, but in my latest attempt to kick back and relax after work, I’ve been watching some trashy reality TV, i.e., early seasons of Hell’s Kitchen (US). Season 6 was my introduction, and I quickly got drawn into the drama, competitiveness, and high-pressure, fast-paced environment which is the cooking industry. I work in hospitality myself, and sometimes all you need after a busy, stressful day is to watch people in a job that’s infinitely more intense than your own.
Gordon Ramsay is a brilliantly entertaining judge—his angry, sweary persona is such a staple of reality TV and cooking shows at this point, and it’s clearly even more ramped up for US viewers. Something I particularly enjoy about the format of Hell’s Kitchen (US) is that the losing team of chefs chooses two participants for elimination every episode, but Ramsay ultimately has the final say on who goes. That is to say, if the team are being cliquey / biased and don’t put up the chef who actually made the most screw-ups at dinner service, then Ramsay won’t hesitate in ignoring the two up for elimination and getting rid of the worst chef regardless.
Aside from the drama, there are some genuinely wholesome moments in there, such as when Ramsay’s mask slips and he shows support for the chefs. Plus, the winner gets an actual job in one of Ramsay’s restaurants (or a similarly famous fine-dining restaurant). I mean, what a prize!
If you need to just turn your brain off and watch a needlessly dramatic show to cathart (the insanity of some contestants’ confessionals alone will make you rage), then Hell’s Kitchen (US) is the show for you.
Top Chef
Ryan Kirksey: Long considered the gold standard of cooking competition shows, Top Chef is currently wrapping up its 23rd season. Top Chef: Carolinas will end its run on Monday night on Bravo (and the next day on Peacock) when one of three remaining chefs will take home the prize of $250,00 and the title of Top Chef.
Compared to other cooking competitions, and especially other reality television competitions, Top Chef can offer something these other shows rarely can. The contestants on Top Chef are top-of-their-game chefs and restaurant owners, who go in knowing they are competing against the best of the best.
Don’t get me wrong, I get a kick out of shows like Worst Cooks Ever, and ones that poke holes in the lack of contestants’ culinary skills, but there is something unique and stimulating about experienced chefs who come from a variety of backgrounds competing at the highest level against one another. It’s like watching those Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning battles back in the day. Ryan Leaf against JaMarcus Russell can potentially be fun to watch, but when the best go head-to-head, magic can often happen.
Top Chef also has long prided itself on its lack of artificial drama or forced storylines. The drama comes with the cooking and the race against the clock. There is very little interpersonal drama or conflict, and the focus remains on the finished plates. However, if you like your reality TV served with a dash of spicy drama, this season might be the one for you to check out. Partly through his own doing, and partly for circumstances out of his control, a chef named Sieger has set the Top Chef subreddit ablaze this year with some of the drama that seems to follow him.
If nothing else, Top Chef is a glossy, prestigious way to look at something almost all of us do multiple times a week, while making us think, “I bet if I tried hard enough, I could make a perfect emulsion for a lovely Hollandaise sauce.”
Haha, good luck!
Crime Scene Kitchen
Caemeron Crain: I discovered Crime Scene Kitchen when I was scrolling Hulu, looking for something relatively low stakes to watch. The show is hosted by Joel McHale, who I tend to enjoy, but it was the premise that intrigued me enough to press play.
You might be able to infer the basic idea from the title. Pairs of contestants are given the opportunity to inspect a kitchen where something has been made, and their first task is to try and determine what it was. The clues will range from ingredients to dirty implements and things in the trash, while certain items might be red herrings.
Each team has to come to a conclusion about what was prepared in “crime scene kitchen”—or, perhaps I should say they have agree on what they are going to make, as sometimes the two will be thinking in different directions. Regardless, they have to make something to present to the judges.
Ideally, they’ll have chosen the right thing to prepare, but part of what’s interesting about Crime Scene Kitchen is that the contestants are also judged on how good their dish is. It’s at least possible that a correct guess poorly executed could lose to an excellent item that was somewhat off the mark.
If I have any complaint about Crime Scene Kitchen, it’s just that the challenges tend to center around desserts. I’m not really a dessert guy, so the series doesn’t get me going from a food porn aspect as much as some other cooking shows might. That said, it makes sense with the premise to focus on baking, so I don’t think it’s a real criticism so much as something pertaining to my personal tastes.
There are three seasons of Crime Scene Kitchen available on Hulu (in the US), and while Season 3 aired in 2024, reports are that Fox has renewed the series for a Season 4. Maybe we’ll get that sometime later this year.
What’s your favorite cooking show? Let us know in the comments!
