May 30, 2005 |
Meet Simon Cowell's Kitchen Cousin
Ask Gordon Ramsay, the British celebrity chef famous for his eviscerating tongue-lashings, if he's as rude as TV's other notorious verbal abuser and he doesn't miss a beat. "I make Simon Cowell look like a poodle," declares the pot-stirring star of Hell's Kitchen, debuting tonight at 9 pm/ET on Fox. Once you've seen him in action — stalking his charges in the kitchen, his eyes ablaze like lumps of burning coal, spewing forth a constant stream of expletives — it's clear he's not lying. In fact, he's being modest. Gordon Ramsay makes Simon Cowell look like a goldfish. Ramsay, 38, is the undisputed hard man of cookery. A muscular former professional soccer player with a face that, in repose, could easily scare small children, Ramsay — married with four children himself — stands out from the usual salad tossers and oil drizzlers. His talent is also larger than life: He's earned a total of seven Michelin stars. Ramsay's dogged quest to earn those stars was documented in two U.K. series, Ramsay's Boiling Point and Beyond Boiling Point. The whole country tuned in to watch his long-suffering staff "get Ramsayed." Two more series followed: Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (Gordon aids ailing restaurants) and Hell's Kitchen (Gordon runs a kitchen staffed by C-list celebrities). Now Hell's Kitchen has relocated to Los Angeles and the devil is sharpening his Sabatiers. This time he faces a crew of 12 chefs, one of whom will win the chance to run his or her own restaurant. Forming two teams, contestants must prepare a dinner each week for paying customers in a real restaurant created especially for the series. Ramsay picks the winning team; the weakest link in the losing team is sent home. Ramsay was impressed by the teams' level of commitment. "Some of the contestants were more passionate than some of the staff I employ." Nevertheless, he puts them through their paces and then some, dropping the F-bomb (and other even more unmentionable bombs) as frequently as we might say "like" and "you know." Much of his dialogue is obscured by one long bleep — all part of Fox's master plan. "Sometimes the bleep is funnier than the word," says executive producer Arthur Smith. "You get to supply your own." Don't expect Ramsay to sign up for anger-management classes anytime soon. "You push them to extremes for a response," he insists. "The objective is to become stronger. It's nothing personal. That's the way I've always worked." He also denies he plays up to the cameras. "I'm not interested in standing in position. I don't want to redo anything. And Fox [execs] were brilliant. They said, 'Be you.'" That he does. He pulls no punches when contestants present him with original dishes, such as a chicken breast that "looked like a big camel hoof," a vodka penne that he describes as "absolute dog----" and a dish of soft-shell crab that "looked like it had been run over by a juggernaut." Ramsay is so harsh that at least one contestant threatens to walk off the show. But he's unrepentant. "If those contestants thought I was going to become their best mate," he scoffs, "they should go work on the Food Network." Ramsay was fired up by his contestants' all-American competitive spirit, too — but in a good way. "Within 48 hours, they started turning on each other," he enthuses. He even admits he found the whole experience deeply moving. "The time I did enjoy was one minute before announcing the winner. I've never seen emotion like it in my life." For a moment, Gordon Ramsay is almost as nice as Simon Cowell. |
Apprentice Runner-Up Mouths Off
TVGuide.com: What happened? You were doing so well until your final task with the Olympics event.
Tana Goertz: The Olympics task went over beautifully, so I'm not even going to let anyone tarnish that task. It was impeccable. The day of the event, everything ran like clockwork. I just think Mr. Trump knew who he wanted [as the Apprentice] and that was the bottom line. TVG: Do you think it came down to education?
Tana: I don't know. I thought that they would hire a "street smarts" person, because the world wants to see a "street smarts" person succeed. But I'm a little naive. TVG: Do you think it was because Kendra is a little more polished?
Tana: Absolutely not. Are you kidding me? Did you see us? Hello! I'm in Lafayette 148 and she's in a Wal-Mart [outfit]. Don't go there. TVG: Kendra did seem more, um, restrained. You looked very out of control when you were out to get her about the Pontiac task.
Tana: Hey, I set the record straight [at the finale]. I am proud of myself and I don't care how it went down. At least my people know. I had 250 e-mails last night going, "You have GOT to be kidding me. We knew that task had to be you and you set the record straight, baby." I said, "You're damn right." Trump was floored when he saw me going nuts in the boardroom there. TVG: So you came up with the shape and Kendra did what?
Tana: I came up with the shape of the brochure and Craig came up with the colors to evoke the emotion. Kendra designed the CD holder and the business-card holder. It was a collaboration of all three of us. But the No. 1 reason that the CEOs chose [our brochure] was because of the shape. I have worked at the world's largest BMW dealership and I've seen a hell of a lot of brochures; I knew that the shape could not be a square or rectangle. I nailed that one. TVG: Was the scene with you going home to bed early exaggerated?
Tana: Absolutely. I went to bed at 4:45 am and they made it look like it was 1:30. We were all done and the task was done. TVG: Then what did Kendra do that was so above and beyond the call of duty?
Tana: Nothing. That is why I set the record straight on national television. [I got] Kendra to admit that on live television. If Mr. Trump didn't see how persuasive [I was] and how I could sell it... and he didn't want me? Then I don't want him. TVG: You don't think he'd hire you for a different job?
Tana: I'm sure he would. I got a business card about something that he is doing. I don't want to say he had his shot, but... I went there to win that title and I didn't, so I don't know about that. TVG: Have you talked to Chris or Kristen, who worked under you?
Tana: Yeah. We were dancing [and] we had a great time last night. I could never have done it without my team. We are all friends and we all get along. Everything's hunky-dory. This was a unique experience. We all shared very stressful and very trying times and we'll all stay in touch. TVG: But Chris seemed more than a little annoyed with your comments when he saw them on TV.
Tana: Oh, they all were. Nobody knew that I felt that way. But everybody on the show thinks that they are the best. We are all type-A personalities. Nobody wants to think that somebody doesn't approve of them. But I'm a straight shooter and I admit when I am wrong. I apologized to them and said, "I'm sorry that I talked behind your back." But I wanted to bring the Olympics to New York City and I was doing everything in my power to make this a successful event. What didn't get shown was that I got three job offers on that final task. One of them was from the chair of the Committee for the Olympics. TVG: Are you considering any of those?
Tana: Absolutely. I am considering all options right now. You don't get job offers if a task doesn't go over impeccably. TVG: You were interested in Trump's Miss Universe job, which would've meant a lot of traveling and time away from your family. Would you still pick that or was it just a rush decision?
Tana: You bet, that is so my speed, [what] with Mary Kay and enriching women's lives. Give me a break! That is my area of expertise. I would have taken that in a heartbeat. I've got a really supportive husband and great kids that are very self-confident. Me not being home every night isn't going to shake who they are. TVG: Now, the Hanes task with the Bedazzler...
Tana: Oh, god, that was great. TVG: Great? You drove two hours to Staten Island just for beads!
Tana: It was so great. And the beautiful thing about it is that those shirts sold like hot cakes — $54.99 and nobody batted an eye. It worked. TVG: Your use of profanity during the final task was surprising. Was that just stress?
Tana: No. I swear. I'm not going to hide the fact that I swear. I'm a swearer, baby. I get all crazed up. I was the most stressed I'd been through the entire season on that task, but swearing is part of my vocabulary. I don't regret swearing. If you know me, that is part of me. TVG: Any advice for Kendra on her new gig?
Tana: Nope. Nope. Nope. She'll do fine. |
Will Top Model's Baddie Make Good?
TVGuide.com: Keenyah, how are you doing? You seemed to take it really hard to have come so close...
Keenyah Hill: Yeah, so close! And then to be just flushed down the toilet was very hard. But I got over it. I'm doing great! TVG: Toward the end, you were getting a little fierce... and not in a good way! You were pushing other girls out of the way at go-sees, biting Brittany's head off etc.
Keenyah: I do agree I got pretty aggressive toward the end, and that was due to the situation. It was so stressful, and we were all getting so close. You have to keep your eyes on the prize! So I don't regret anything I did, because when I was supercompetitive, I ended up winning that [go-see] challenge. I just tried really hard to stay in the competition. TVG: Did you and Brittany eventually kiss and make up?
Keenyah: We sure did. Brittany and I are great friends. We'll probably be great friends forever. It was such a stressful moment every time we got into an argument, but we refused to let those moments define our relationship. TVG: They probably kept you sane.
Keenyah: Yeah, they kept me feeling like a real person. TVG: You two were an odd pair. She is so loud and so obnoxious!
Keenyah: I love Brittany's personality! When we first started, I thought, "I've got to find somebody who is fun and outgoing and matches my personality as close as I can find." And Brittany came in, full of energy and life! That's something I think keeps you happy in a competition, as opposed to someone who is very quiet and mysterious. TVG: Or fragile like poor Kahlen Rondot, who cried the whole time you and Brittany were going at it.
Keenyah: [Laughs] Yeah. Going into something as emotionally grinding as the show is, there are certain things that are going to happen, and you just have to deal with it. Everything's not going to be peachy-keen all the time. TVG: Indeed! Brittany nearly got you eaten by lions!
Keenyah: [Laughs] Oh, man, I really thought that I was going to be dinner that night! It was very, very scary, but once I got to the other side of that gate [at the animal preserve], I thought, "Wow, that was a lot of fun!" Before the show, the closest I had gotten to any safari was watching The Lion King, so I enjoyed it a whole lot. TVG: It was surprising that when a male model got a little too "friendly" during a shoot, you didn't just take his head off and be done with it.
Keenyah: I tried to be very professional and also keep my head on tight, because I can be criticized for having a bad picture and I didn't want it to be because of someone who was going to be in the shot with me. So I had to try to let him know that I was uncomfortable while being as professional as I could be, and luckily I was able to get a good shot. TVG: Were you surprised that Mr. Jay didn't take him aside and say, "Hands off, bubba!"?
Keenyah: No, because obviously, this is just a humongous test for what will happen in the real world. And of course, there are going to be tons of other male models who are going to be groping and, you know, cross that line. So this just prepared me for my future. And I have no problem with Jay doing exactly what he did. TVG: Which was more embarrassing — having to pose as an elephant or being caught on tape stuffing your face?
Keenyah: I would have to say being caught on tape eating so much, because I pulled off the elephant look very nicely, I think! But I definitely thought that each time America saw me eating, everyone was thinking, "Oh, she's overeating!" But it was so stressful that I wasn't disciplined in my food habits. Now I'm exercising and eating right, which is key. TVG: You never thought, "To hell with it! Gimme another fry; I'm just gonna be a plus-size model!"?
Keenyah: No. Even during the elephant shoot, I thought, "Hey, an elephant is going to be an elephant. But if I'm going to be a supermodel and an elephant at the same time, I'm going to be the hottest elephant I can be!" |
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