With my life spent watching TV, I have seen plenty of genres, from the best dramas and comedies to some of the newest, incredibly entertaining shows. But you want to know my guilty pleasure? A good old-fashioned Gordon Ramsay competition.
Yes, the famous chef has created God knows how many reality shows over his television career. There’s a reason why he’s probably one of the best-known chefs of all time. But something about his competition shows gets me every time, and as someone who's watched every single one, I knew I had to rank them.
From some of his latest additions to classics that have stuck around, here are Gordon Ramsay’s major competition shows, ranked.
4. Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars
The latest in Gordon Ramsay's repertoire is Food Stars, which… isn’t really about cooking at all.
Before you turn away from the screen, this series isn't bad. The core premise of Food Stars is that Gordon Ramsay and, in season 2, Lisa Vanderpump invest in contestants' individual businesses, which often revolve around food.
Each episode shows them presenting their product in different ways while showcasing their entrepreneurial skills. The winner earns a major investment from Ramsay, plus a significant amount of money.
It’s not that the series isn’t great because it is entertaining. But I think it’s missing the classic Ramsay attitude that we’re used to. It’s a different side of his business that we do know about, but we don’t see it that often on television. Putting it in a competition format doesn’t work as well as the cooking competitions because we’re used to that version of him.
However, if you’re into business, I think it’s worth a shot.
3. Next Level Chef
Next Level Chef is Ramsay's latest cooking competition for Fox, and its popularity proves how much people love it. Essentially, it has three teams of cooks, guided by Ramsay and professional chefs Richard Blais and Nyesha Arrington, and each team competes on three different kitchen levels—one professional, one with everything you could need, and one with little to be desired.
The series spans three floors and is quite entertaining. I put it at number three because it feels a little like MasterChef, just… on different levels. That’s the only thing that truly differentiates it from MasterChef: it still has social media cooks, professional cooks, and home cooks, like MasterChef.
That said, this show has some awesome episodes, and I will always watch it whenever it is on.
2. MasterChef
MasterChef is, in my heart, my favorite. It’s not the most entertaining—that goes to another pick below—but it is one of the most wholesome competition shows that Ramsay has done. The other judges have changed over several seasons, but Ramsay has always been there, judging, tasting, and guiding.
The main series follows cooks who make it past an audition round and compete to win the MasterChef title, a trophy, and usually extra prizes. Each episode features increasingly difficult kitchen challenges that test their skills and push them toward the ultimate MasterChef.
This series has a lot of heart, too, and it features stories of people who won, some who didn’t but went on to successful careers, and even a marriage or two. I think Ramsay probably enjoys this one most because it features genuine cooks who, most of the time, want to be the absolute best they can be. Even the biggest chef on YouTube, Nick DiGiovanni, got his start on MasterChef.
1. Hell’s Kitchen
You knew Hell’s Kitchen would top this list; don’t lie. The iconic series, which has run for 25 seasons, has always been Ramsay’s magnum opus. The series pits two teams against each other in two different kitchens to become the next head chef of whatever restaurant Gordon is cooking up, usually another Hell’s Kitchen location, but sometimes a different brand.
The series features so many iconic moments that I don’t even know where to start. It has launched incredible chefs and even helped Gordon pick some of his next culinary development executive chefs from past winners. The best part is that this series is entertaining. There's never been a dull moment in Hell’s Kitchen, and I don’t know if there ever will be.
25 seasons do sound like a lot, but you can easily binge through them in a week or so. It’s that addicting. And sooner or later, you’ll be yelling, “Where’s the lamb sauce?!” into the air, as I do.
You can stream all of these Gordon Ramsay shows on Hulu.
Add us as a preferred source on Google