Jean Philippe Hell s Kitchen

I liked last year's Hell's Kitchen. And I like a good fat joke as much as anybody. Making fun of the lame, the halt, the dim-witted–surely there's a place for it in comedy. But this season's HELL'S KITCHEN is–even for me–an exercise in pointless cruelty so ugly, cruel and squalid in its half-hearted, ritualized beat-downs as to shame all who take part–and all who watch.

I like Gordon Ramsay. I admire his 3 star Gordon Ramsay at Hospital Road–and (unlike many critics) find even his outposts excellent (if not always groundbreaking). I am a fan of his excellent and sympathetic Kitchen Nightmares and thought the Brit doc "Boiling Point" of a while back riveting and realistic television. But there's not even the pretense of real cooking–or anything resembling quality food on HK this year. Why do they even need a chef for this Springeresque freak show? It might as well be R Lee Ermey (in fact it SHOULD be), pretending to torment this crop of contestants–it being blindingly obvious that all are unemployable in any capacity in ANY kind of busy restaurant. The challenge? WHAT challenge? They never seem to cook on HK! Their job appears to be to pretend to rush around in circles while Ramsay pretends to care. I've seen no more than a four top on the range at any one time. The rest of the time, they stand there or mill about like mute sheep, waiting for the blow. Few finished plates are ever seen–and what is seen wouldn't pass muster at an Applebees. Pathetic, overaged [...]