Ramsay redeemed

Watching the first new episode of Gordon Ramsay’s "Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America on Thursday night, I was struck by how different he seems from the maniacal drill sergeant he plays on his Fox series "Hell’s Kitchen" — a show so cruel I find it impossible to watch. I mean, sure, he bleeped the chef pretty good for his prawns with chocolate sauce. And, come to think of it, the chicken stuffed with banana. But hey, he didn’t throw them at him. That’s practically cuddly in Ramsay Land.

Then it hit me what the difference was: Ramsay’s in love, and that brings out his soft side. No, not that kind of love. But watch "Kitchen Nightmares" carefully and you’ll see the signs: Almost every episode I’ve seen includes a shot of Ramsay ritually cleansing the restaurant. As he’s polishing a stainless steel backsplash or scrubbing a floor, you can almost hear him murmuring “There, there my pretty, you’ll be better soon.” Granted, his affection seems to be much more for the restaurants than the people who work in them, but it’s still something you’ll never see on the stage set that is "Hell’s Kitchen."

-- Russ Parsons

Photo by Tom Wagner