Critics are accusing MasterChef star Gordon Ramsay’s new show, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted of copying Anthony Bourdain’s shows Parts Unknown and No Reservations. Ramsay earned his culinary fame for his aggressive behavior in shows like Hell’s Kitchen, The F Word, and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, among others.
Two of the most popular household chef names can easily be narrowed down to Gordon Ramsay and the late Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain was known for his quick wit and cutting tongue, as he would often go after other celebrity chefs by calling them out on their subpar cooking. However, though Bourdain expressed that he didn’t necessarily enjoy Hell’s Kitchen, as he felt that Ramsay had ripped off a restaurant in New York City, the two celebrity chefs seemed to remain friends up until Bourdain’s death in 2018. Bourdain was a celebrity chef who scoured the world for new and interesting recipes in some of the most exotic places, and the recent premiere of Ramsay’s new show seems to be rubbing fans of Bourdain the wrong way. The show is being criticized for copying Bourdain’s shows.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Ramsay did acknowledge that he has taken quite a bit of heat for having too many similarities to both of Bourdain’s shows. Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Ramsay’s new travel food show on National Geographic, has plenty of similarities to Bourdain’s shows, but Ramsay stands by his choice and a new path in his career, saying that he respects all that Bourdain has done with his shows, but that he has also been working on projects like this new show since 2004. The new series, which is produced by Ramsay’s own studio, is meant to focus on “scaling back and unearthing those secrets that we have forgotten about.” Ramsay wants the show to be conducive to exploring, food, and a bit of competition. In each episode, fans will watch Ramsay reveal a culture’s culinary secrets.
In the show, Ramsay will unearth lost food techniques and secrets by interacting with the local food stars of the countries he visits. He will be taught local traditions surrounding that dish, and then cook his own rendition of the local delicacy in exotic locations. Despite the critics comparing it to Bourdain’s shows, Ramsay sticks to his guns and says that he’s been doing these types of shows for as long as Bourdain, saying that audiences and critics need to “judge [this] program with integrity. I totally respect what he did and how he did it, but this journey began in 2004, discovering India, Vietnam, and Cambodia and literally getting away from the three Michelin star setup with 25 chefs.”
The verdict is still coming in from viewers whether Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted is a complete rip-off or an improvement on other travel foodie shows as he travels to locations like New Zealand, Peru, Laos, and Alaska. Ramsay will be exploring the connection between adventure and food with a dash of cooking competition, and it remains to be seen if Bourdain fans will hop on board or if they will remain skeptical.
Next: Parts Unknown Final Season Airs This Fall; Features Tribute to Anthony Bourdain
Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted air Sundays at 10pm EST on National Geographic.
Source: Deadline
