Top 20 Gordon Ramsay Outbursts
#20. Gordon vs. Abby
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
The British superchef has met his fair share of delusional owners throughout his cooking career, but one of his fiercest opponents was Down City owner Abby, who took stubbornness to new extremes. As Ramsay tried to help her fix her failing restaurant, it became clear that Abby was not interested in his opinion. Their feud reached a boiling point when he discovered the horrific state of her food storage, leading to an all-out war of words where things got so heated that Chef Ramsay was actually tempted to just walk away from it all.
#19. Non-Stick
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
Don’t you just hate it when someone makes such a basic mistake that it causes your voice to break? It happens all the time, really. You know it does. Well, anyway, the misuse of a non-stick pan causes our favorite angry chef to do just that. In fact, he looks so blown by away by the stupidity of this situation that it's possible he may have actually lost his mind for a second. Warning to all future culinary hopefuls: remember the basics if you're working under Gordon Ramsay.
#18. No Trust
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
It takes next level incompetence to contaminate your entire inventory of stored food, and Gordon Ramsay managed to find himself someone with just those qualifications. Disgusted by the conditions at one Mexican restaurant–including a lump of fat masquerading as ground beef and a bucket of cement in a re-fried beans mask– Chef Ramsay goes full-on ballistic. Not content with just calling out the lazy restaurateur in front of his staff, Ramsay also plays a gross out round of show and tell with the establishment's hapless diners.
#17. Phallic Fish
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
If there’s one thing we love about Gordon Ramsay – and let’s face it, he doesn't give us much to work with when it comes to these shows – it’s the wonderfully absurd similes he comes up with. In this case, one of the chefs makes the mistake of putting a whole salmon in the freezer rather than the fridge. When it comes time to serve, instead of a delicious fish, it resembles something a little more…phallic. Needless to say, Chef Ramsay is not a fan.
#16. Gordon vs. Amy and Samy
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
Ah, yes. The infamous restaurant owners that pushed Gordon Ramsay too far. As per the usual formula of Kitchen Nightmares, our favorite coarse chef was dispatched to try and fix any culinary or business blunders that the owners were making– except it was a different story altogether with Amy and Samy. What do we mean? To put it bluntly, they were insane. In denial about their food, screaming at customers, stealing tips from their servers – the list goes on and on. All of this led Chef Ramsay to do something he had never done before: give up.
#15. Gordon vs. Raj
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
We’re not sure there’s ever been a bigger donkey in “Hell’s Kitchen” than Season 8’s Raj. From the get-go, the supposed professional chef dazzles both Chef Ramsay and the audience with his stupidity. Between his blunders in the kitchen, that time he put his head in the fridge, that time he ATE THE FOOD and that other time he did drunk karate, he was certainly a standout character. Such a standout character, in fact, he drove Gordon Ramsay – and his fellow chefs – to their wits’ end. Eventually something had to give, which is why Raj’s stay in “Hell’s Kitchen” was a short one.
#14. French Pig
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
Stupid is as stupid does. However, it takes a very specific kind of arrogance when your business is failing and you can’t seem to cook a darn thing right, and then to argue with someone who is telling you how to how to do it better. Michel, the owner and head chef of the Secret Garden restaurant, tries to deflect well-founded criticism by pointing the finger at Gordon Ramsay, and then refuses to adopt Gordon’s new menu. Finally, Gordon reaches a breaking point, takes off his chef’s jacket, and lets loose on the French menace.
#13. Rancid Scallops
“Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” (2004-14)
There’s nothing Gordon Ramsay hates more than chefs who have stopped caring – and that hatred increased exponentially when it leads to him becoming violently ill. In a bid to try and help the failing Bonapartes Restaurant, Ramsay goes to the source and checks out what their cooks are made of, demanding they serve him their best dish. They boast about making a mean plate of scallops, and while they look good on the outside, they’ve actually gone bad. Well, as you can expect, Gordon runs off to wretch in the alley, and he is not particularly happy about it.
#12. Burned Duck
“Hell's Kitchen” (2005-)
Cooking is complicated, no doubt about it, and some people make mistakes. But if you need to be taught that lighting a duck on fire and continuing to cook the burned food in the same pan is wrong, then maybe you ought to reconsider your career choices. When Gordon Ramsay witnesses such a bizarre occurrence in his kitchen, we find ourselves in one of those magical “Hell’s Kitchen” moments where Chef Ramsay might have actually lost his mind. Alongside voice cracking moments like “look!”, and “non-stick!”, this is one for the ages.
#11. Toilet Brush
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
Sometimes, it’s the throwaway insults that are the funniest, and this is no exception. In season four, during one of the worst opening nights in “Hell’s Kitchen,” the Chef makes a last ditch effort to rally the Blue Team, while at the same time laying into the cooks who were at fault for the horrible evening. In typical Ramsay style, he spouts off a range of oh-so-eloquent remarks, insulting every chef in the place with his characteristic rapier wit. But our absolute favorite is his commentary on Louross’ hair. Well, can’t argue with that.
#10. Who’s the A-Hole Now?
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
If Gordon Ramsay tells you your food is garbage, it’s because your food is garbage. But for some reason, this lying chef became defensive and got in Chef Ramsay’s face about it. That’s enough to make an entry on our list, but this story is just getting started. When Gordon takes an in depth look at the kitchen, it’s not bad… it’s a disaster, and it’s enough to make him vomit. After all that, this chef still has the balls to call Chef Ramsay an ***hole. Ramsay may not have come to embarrass the lying chef, but that doesn’t stop him from spelling out the man’s incompetence in plain English.
#9. …And She’s Dead!
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
From the moment Gordon Ramsay walked in, the writing was on the very pink wall that the restaurant was going down in flames. Clue #1? The owners of Miami, Florida’s Fleming – a place that supposedly specialized in Danish cuisine – had no connection to Denmark. But worse yet, the poor practices in the kitchen in terms of storage, preparation, and overall cleanliness left much to be desired, to the point where Chef Ramsay was forced to take half-eaten plates of food away from customers for fear they’d be poisoned. In fact, some of the food later came out in such a terrible condition that the Chef stated that his deceased grandma could do better. Oddly enough, we don’t doubt it.
#8. Pretend Chef
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
No matter how bad the last chef on this list was, at least he didn’t own the place. The owner of the Mill Street Bistro is condescending to his customers, abusive to his staff, and has somehow deluded himself into thinking he can cook. This two-part “Kitchen Nightmares” episode has plenty of blow-ups, given that the arrogant chef doesn’t seem to know the difference between fresh and frozen food, or that you can’t put raw onions in French onion soup. Their biggest fight happened when Chef Ramsay confronted the owner about his disappointing lunch and had to spell it out for him. The delusional owner still didn’t get it though, and the episode was just heating up.
#7. “More Pumpkin”
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
Don’t even think for a second that Gordon Ramsay limits his insults to incompetent chefs, delusional restaurant owners, or D-list celebrities. This particular customer learns this truth for himself the hard way, much to our viewing pleasure. Unhappy with his dish, this customer has the gall to approach the kitchen in person. He squares up to Chef Ramsay and demands more pumpkin on his risotto– a request Chef Ramsay obliges in his own, special way. That’s one place he didn’t check for more pumpkin!
#6. Never Cooked a Mussel
“Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares” (2004-14)
It takes balls to go toe-to-toe with Ramsay when he’s fired up. Maybe it was the humiliation, or maybe this chef had just finally lost his mind. But when Gordon Ramsay calls him out for having never cooked a mussel, the whole kitchen goes up in flames. Yelling, imitations, insults, condescension, guttural noises… this fight has it all. What’s really amazing is that after the dust has settled, the person most confused seems to be Gordon Ramsay himself. Well, at least the two chefs are on the same page.
#5. Where’s the Lamb Sauce?
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
There’s nothing Gordon Ramsay hates more than being given a dish that’s incomplete. While the flustered blue team desperately struggles to assemble their garnish, Chef Ramsay continually demands the elusive lamb sauce in a moment that has since become a highlight of the entire series. It’s also worth mentioning the additional insult of “donkey,” which has become something of a reccurring trend of Ramsay’s. “Fat, useless sack of Yankee, Dankey, doodle shite,” however, just hasn't caught on the same way.
#4. Plastic Surgery
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
If there’s a commendable trait about Gordon Ramsay’s outbursts, it’s that he will never be swayed by a person’s gender, looks or social status. Ramsay's insults are instead all encompassing, as we see when a couple of conventionally good lookin' ladies decide to flirt their way to some appetizers. As you’d expect, Chef Ramsay is having none of it– in fact, no one seems to be having any of anything, hot girls included.
#3. “Gordon vs. Joseph
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
One of the most infamous contestants in Hell’s Kitchen history, Joseph had an attitude problem, and that was evident from the get-go. After failing to answer Ramsay’s fairly straightforward question and rambling on about who is and isn't a bitch, Joseph can’t take the humiliation and actually tries to throw down with the chef. While he doesn’t let the situation come to any actual blows, Chef Ramsay is too busy being confused to be fazed, which is just as well for Chef Goodfella– because it's pretty clear that he would get his ass handed to him.
#2. Gordon vs. Giovanni
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
Pressure in the kitchen can make even the most experienced contestant crack. However, under no circumstances does that mean you should attempt to talk back to Chef Ramsay, because you will not like the consequences. After being humiliated and given the charming title of “dickface” by the Chef, Season 5’s Giovanni decides to snap back. The unfortunate result is that Gordon Ramsay quite literally explodes in his face. Kudos to Giovanni for keeping his cool and not curling up in a ball on the floor during this rant-fest; we’re not sure we could handle a Gordon Ramsay that angry and that close. This remains one of his most eruptive outbursts to date, and one unlikely to be forgotten – especially by Giovanni.
Before we get to our favorite Gordon outburst, let’s cleanse our palate with these Honorable Mentions:
They Don’t Have to Work Here
“Hotel Hell” (2012-16)
Ben Gets Owned
“Hell's Kitchen” (2005-)
Imitation
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
Red Mullet from Thailand
“Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” (2004-14)
Old Bag
“Kitchen Nightmares” (2007-14)
#1.“Look! Look! LOOK!”
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005-)
This one isn’t so much an insult as it is the death of Chef Ramsay's fragile and curse-fuelled sanity. During the dinner service, contestant Melinda has to cook the same pasta dish nine times, tossing out a whole lot of food along the way. Upon discovering she had trashed an exceedingly large amount of capellini– that is, ALL the capellini ever– both Gordon Ramsay’s voice and his poor, lightly battered mind, shatter, crack and split right before our very eyes. And every second of it is hysterical. It’s beyond us how he managed to not walk out then and there!