Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay pushes back on his new Bourdain-esque show.
Gordon Ramsay apparently has had enough. The chef and TV personality is firing back at critics who claim his upcoming series for the National Geographic Channel is ripping off the late Anthony Bourdain.
“The Hell’s Kitchen” and “MasterChef” host and producer came under fire last month when it was announced he is working on a new project called “Uncharted.” The format of the unscripted series has him traveling the world and exploring foreign food cultures.
Critics who have yet to see the series have slammed Ramsay for basically following the playbook of Bourdain’s “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown,” and claiming that the temperamental reality TV star makes for an inappropriate Western export.
“World to Gordon Ramsay: You are no Anthony Bourdain,” read a headline in The Washington Post, which slammed the idea as a “colonial mess.” Others accused him of cultural appropriation. Meanwhile, fellow chef and TV personality Eddie Huang wrote, “The last thing the food world needs right now is Gordon Ramsay going to foreign countries showing ‘locals he can cook their cuisines better than they can.’ ”
Ramsay has stayed silent on the topic, until now. In an exclusive chat with Entertainment Weekly, he basically concluded that the haters are gonna hate.
“God, the feeble warriors that sit in their dungeons and spout negativity without understanding what we’re doing,” he said. “I’ve been doing assertive, combustial shows since 2006 since I started ‘The F Word’ — whether it’s diving for giant crab or hanging off a 500-meter cliff chasing puffins. So I’ve been on that level of exploration and understand those cultures. I’m a chef that needs to get motivated by understanding different cultures. I helicoptered into Nagaland 50 kilometers from the Burmese border in Northern India and cooked at a wedding. And in order to get accepted into the wedding, I had to buy a f—ing buffalo. That was 12 years ago.”
Ramsay added: “Tony Bourdain was a great mate of mine. We were on the red carpet together last year at the Emmys. I think he’d be happy and impressed at (‘Uncharted’s’) level of jeopardy and jumping into these — Brazil, Peru, Alaska — and sourcing incredible ingredients and then highlighting some of the best (culinary) talent that hasn’t been noticed yet. It’s a dream come true. Judge (‘Uncharted’) when you see it. The research going into (the show) is extraordinary. We’re (airing in) half a billion homes, 177 countries, in 43 different languages. And I can’t wait to make all those bitter, twisted, little, boring truckers who aren’t busy enough in their lives eat their words.”
“Uncharted” was originally described by NatGeo with this: “Each episode of Uncharted will include three key ingredients: unlocking a culture’s culinary secrets through exploration and adventure with local food heroes; tracking down high-octane traditions, pastimes and customs that are specific to the region in hopes of discovering the undiscovered; and, finally, testing Ramsay against the locals, pitting his own interpretations of regional dishes against the tried-and-true classics. The series moves beyond conversation to truly immerse Ramsay in all aspects of the local culture to better prepare him for the final friendly cooking competition with local chefs and foodies.”
Wrote Tim Carman in the Post: “The sound you hear is Bourdain, who died in June, trying to convince St. Peter to give him a day pass so he can come back and slap some sense into Ramsay, who apparently didn’t read the Columbusing memo on
white men ‘discovering the undiscovered.’ ”
NatGeo defended the project after the initial round of criticism. In a statement it said, “We are disappointed that the announcement of our upcoming series with Gordon Ramsay was taken out of context. With National Geographic’s storied history of exploration, our plan with this series is to celebrate and learn about local cultures around the world. In partnering with Ramsay — a well-known adventure enthusiast — we are going to fully immerse viewers and give them a glimpse into surprising and unexpected cultures and local flavors.”
In July, Ramsay made a brief appearance at the Television Critics Association summer press tour to announce the project. At the time, he told reporters, “This series combines exploration, adventure and food, all with a dash of friendly competition. And you know at times how friendly I can get, especially under pressure. I am an iron man, athlete, an adrenaline junkie, and I’ve always believed that learning is best achieved by doing so. But, in this series, I’m going beyond. I’m going to immerse myself in all aspects of the local culture in the cities, across the world. And then build up for that final big exciting cook-off … unearthing the most amazing chefs, local foodies, discovering the most fantastic produce, and beneath all that, discovering talent.”