The various British series featuring Gordon Ramsay bullying people, whether aspiring chefs or restaurant owners in dire need of advice, are a bit better and more understated than their American counterparts. That doesn’t mean, though, that this country’s versions don’t have their own tasty flavors. This is the fourth season of this Fox series – and each season, the wannabe cooks arrive with unjustifiable arrogance, only to have Ramsay take it away from them almost immediately. And this time, he’s got an extra-sneaky trick up his sleeve. (Or, more accurately, on his face.) – David Bianculli, TV Worth Watching
If there’s anything different as the cooking competition series enters its fourth season tomorrow night, it’s that Ramsay and Fox have embraced his cartoonish persona more enthusiastically than ever. A reference to him as "the dark lord" may confuse "Harry Potter" fans, but next to Ramsay, who seems to live on full boil, Lord Voldemort gives off little heat. And Satan probably never worked a dinner service. (Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News)
When chef Gordon Ramsay asks the contestants from the fourth season of "Hell’s Kitchen" to whip up their signature dish for him, one of them comes up with a combination that includes venison, caviar, capers and ground white chocolate.Ramsay looks extremely dubious, takes a bite and spits it out.You get the feeling several times in tonight’s season-opener that he’d like to do that with the whole new batch of wanna-be chefs who are quivering before him.That’s not good for the contestants. It could turn out to be good for TV viewers. (David Hinckley, The Daily News)
Somebody should rename this season of "Hell’s Kitchen," "Gordon Ramsay and the Chamber of Horrors." At least that’s the way it starts on tomorrow night’s insanely entertaining fourth season premiere. And it looks like this season’s going to be the worst - which means, of course, it’ll be the best. (Linda Stasi, New York Post)
At its heart, the show is little more than an excuse for Ramsay to yell at people while they try to cook. It is far more a contest show than a cooking one, with the main goal of the contestants being to withstand the abuse that Ramsay heaps upon them. However, for some, myself included, Ramsay’s personality combined with the cooking that does take place (before Ramsay shuts down the kitchen without serving his customers) is enough to make the show fun. I have not yet decided whether the show will be a fine wine or the worst vinegar, but it is intriguing enough that I will be back for another helping. (John Lasser, Blog Critics Magazine)
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