What It Really Feels Like When Gordon Ramsay Kicks You Out Of The Kitchen, According To Alex Belew - Exclusive
You've seen it on screen at least a billion times — and "a billion" is only a small exaggeration. Gordon Ramsay's face flits through miffed, flabbergasted, disappointed, and enraged in less time than it takes to salt an egg. The beef Wellington was overcooked. The risotto was undercooked. The crab cakes are cold, or (god forbid) the steak is raw. At home, from the comfort of your couch, maybe you cringe. Do you cover your eyes like you would while watching a rom-com when your hero(ine) gets kicked to the curb?
"Hell's Kitchen" Season 21 contestant Alex Belew had studied Ramsay kicking cowering contestants out of the kitchen plenty of times before it was his turn to suffer the legendary chef's wrath; he thought he knew what he was in for. The first time it happened to his team, the Tennessee-based chef exclusively told Mashed, he nearly asked Ramsay for a hall pass to go back to the kitchen and finish his ticket. Here's why he didn't.
Ramsay's disappointment is hard to stomach
We all know by now that Gordon Ramsay is not, in fact, a walking incarnation of the Grinch who stole Christmas. Contestants often describe him as gracious, a loving father, a mentor, and — much more than angry — funny. That must make a disappointed Ramsay all the harder to stomach. So what is it like to bear the brunt of Ramsay's righteous indignation, all while being filmed by cameras for the world to see?
"How do I put that into words? Really disappointing. That feeling that you had as a kid when your parent looked at you and said, 'I'm disappointed,'" Belew told Mashed. "Oh, is that acid reflux? That doesn't feel good."
Belew particularly remembers when a couple came into the restaurant from England to celebrate their 40th anniversary. "They flew over to America, booked their dinner, and we could not get their food out. We got kicked out," Belew recalled. "I remember he kicked us all out to the dorms and then I stood there in the hallway, contemplating. Do I go back in there and say, 'Can I please finish this ticket?'"
If you've seen the episode, Belew ended up staying put. Going back, he told Mashed, "would've gone one of two ways. 'Good man. I appreciate you trying,' or 'Get the f*** out.' I didn't want that to happen so I turned around and walked away. It was heartbreaking."
New episodes of "Hell's Kitchen" air Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX. To keep up with Alex Belew, visit his website and subscribe to his mailing list.