Are kitchen nightmares scripted? An insight into it.

The world of reality TV shows is extremely convoluted, and many people are often confused regarding the authenticity of the shows. Kitchen Nightmares is a show that has garnered immense popularity over the years, and once it had taken off in the UK, they took the transatlantic flight and reached the continent of North America quite soon. 

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Mr Gordon Ramsay is an enigma in himself, and his straightforward nature and culinary mastery have endeared him to his fans all over the world. Once his hit reality show aired on-screen, the format of the show left many with lingering doubt, is kitchen nightmares scripted?

Well, the answer isn’t as straightforward as a yes or a no, and many factors go into creating a reality TV show, and we will be taking a look at some of the specific issues that prove the authenticity or spicing up of the show. By the way, if you are interested in running a successful restaurant, or running a fabulous kitchen, cooking simulation games can help you do it better than anything else. Now, let us take a look at these specific instances and answer, is kitchen nightmares scripted?

Selecting the restaurant.

If you are an avid follower of the show, you must be wondering how the restaurants are selected, and whether they are actual restaurants at all or just sets that have been propped up temporarily. Well, we’d like to point out that there is a stringent selection criterion that restaurants must go through, and it has been observed that the restaurants that are in a sorry state of affairs are selected for the final draft. So it can be safely said that this aspect of the show isn’t scripted at all, and you can visit a lot of these restaurants even today as well, and have a hearty meal. 

The initial tasting. 

We are all familiar with Gordon Ramsay rebuking the food that he is served on the first sitting, and this is accurate in most cases, if not all! Well, here’s something that we must point out, the behaviour that Gordon exhibits on the sets of the show is spiced up to a certain degree to add a tang of entertainment. If you have followed him across other shows, you’d be aware of the fact that Gordon Ramsay is a sweetheart of a person in real life, and his Indian North-Eastern tour bears proof of that fact like nothing else. 

That being said, the food that he is often served is sub-par at best and being the expert chef that he is, detecting a poorly made dish isn’t that difficult for him. Contributing to this reaction is the poor ambience that these restaurants often exhibit. While the overall portion isn’t scripted at all, it can be assumed that the screenplay is cooked to a minimal extent to add “masala” to the mix.

The on-screen behaviours. 

One of the main attractions of the show that fans crave is the on-screen chemistry that goes on between everyone involved in the show, and you would be forgiven for thinking that it is scripted, but the reality is that the truth cannot be farther away from that notion. Reality TV shows are quite emotionally charged, and most of the shows operating in this segment go to great lengths to mask them to a great extent, but kitchen nightmares are an exception in this regard. They portray the emotions that are going on accurately, and the customers who are seen dining at the restaurants during the various services are known to be paying out of their pockets on several occasions. 

That being said, we must add here, that certain scenes are obviously edited and spiced up, but the scope of that happening is quite limited, and the production team follows a hands-off approach for the most part. Are kitchen nightmares scripted? Not really, at least in this department.

The restaurants.

Everything from the cleanliness to the quality of the food, decor, and staff quality is closely scrutinized by Gordon Ramsay and his team, and the reality of the matter is that the restaurants are given an advance notification regarding the arrival of the MasterChef. The cleanliness of the restaurants isn’t modified or scripted in any way, and it is the reality that is portrayed in most cases. 

When it comes to the food, the chefs would be under the impression that they are the best when it comes to doing what they are doing, and this is where the problem lies. This attitude results in a lot of clashes, and we have witnessed Gordon going to great lengths when it comes to rectifying and teaching them and even fixing them up by consulting chefs to improve the overall standards of the restaurants. The diners are encouraged to report each and every issue that they face with the food, be it late deliveries or cold food, and this may give the impression that the show may be scripted, but that’s really not the case, and honest feedback plays an integral role in every restaurant business there is. 

Kitchen Nightmare operates with a significant budget, and that helps them give the restaurant a rapid and effective makeover, and it is known that Gordon personally oversees a lot of the renovations and marketing campaigns that he plans for the restaurants. 

Final take:

All said and done, it can be safely said that Kitchen Nightmares isn’t scripted, and while some moments and scenes may be spiced up or emotionally charged, that cannot be referred to as being scripted as far as reality TV shows go. These are real-life restaurants that receive the classic Gordon Ramsay treatment, and that helps them in more ways than one. If you want to learn and experience how these restaurants operate from the comfort of your homes, you can do so now by playing restaurant simulation games.

Vivek is a published author of Meidilight and a cofounder of Zestful Outreach Agency. He is passionate about helping webmaster to rank their keywords through good-quality website backlinks. In his spare time, he loves to swim and cycle. You can find him on Twitter and Linkedin.