The Hell's Kitchen Prank That Majorly Backfired

Pranks seem to be hardwired into human nature. All the way back in A.D. 222 there was a Roman emperor who allegedly put deflating leather chairs around a table for his guests. This information comes from the book "The Crimes Of Elagabalus" by Martjin Icks (via Amazon and Friends of Classics Reviews), and goes on to say the emperor would have slaves deflate the chairs, thereby dumping his guests on the floor. While it's doubtful this is the first prank ever pulled, it shows that hijinks extend back through time, and up to royalty.

When a prank goes well, it can be a masterful work of art that is actually funny for everyone involved. Like one of the great drive-thru pranks that didn't waste an employee's time, but instead brightened their day. When it goes wrong, though, you can end up with a "Carrie" situation where the person who gets pranked unleashes terrifying mind powers against their classmates.

Unfortunately, the set of "Hell's Kitchen" is not always the best place to play a prank. While no one is likely to use occult means to cause destruction, a simple joke can easily turn into a serious issue.

Gordon Ramsay has had feuds with other chefs and can be something of a loose cannon, to say nothing of his irascible behavior whenever he's in front of a camera. He has strong opinions on seemingly everything, to the point that he'll take time to scream about pickles over TikTok. With his brand of unpredictable behavior, when a prank comes from his fingertips, it doesn't always land quite right. Though, YouTube shows he's had some good ones over the years.

A Reddit thread discusses the finale of the 20th Season of "Hell's Kitchen" and poses a question. "Anyone remember the young guns finale when Gordon brought in loads of drugs and threatened to kick the finalists out ... AS A PRANK," asked the poster.

For those who missed this keystone moment, a YouTube clip shows the chef shouting about how he's "never, ever felt this angry" while accusing contestants Megan Gill and Trenton Garvey of hiding copious amounts of cannabis. The response from Reddit showed that many people echoed the feeling. "I guess the producers felt like there wasn't enough natural drama ... so they had to manufacture some so they could make clickbait-type teasers," suggested one fan. Another decried it as, "Easily the unfunniest thing that I have ever seen." While the goof may have created some internet traffic, and buzz, it also may have alienated long-time viewers, like this commenter who agreed, "That wasn't even REMOTELY funny at all."