1%-5% of your purchase will help support the PTC.

Worst TV Show of the Week Brought to you by the Parents Television Council	Share |
WARNING: Graphic Content!!! Do NOT push play if you don't want to see the explicit video!!!

Hell’s Kitchen on Fox

Reality television has often been called “Hollywood’s sweatshop.”  An article in the New York Times from August 2009 exposed the grueling working conditions for so-called “skill-based” series like Lifetime’s fashion design competition Project Runway, and Hell’s Kitchen, the cooking competition shown Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox.  Producers frequently use long working hours, sleeplessness, isolation, and an abundance of alcohol to promote erratic behavior.  But when the show’s host is the most volatile person on the show – as is the case with Hell’s Kitchen host, Gordon Ramsay- it doesn’t take much to trigger outlandish behavior.  For extreme vulgarity, the June 1^st seventh-season premiere of Hell’s Kitchen has been named Worst TV Show of the Week.

It’s safe to say that Hell’s Kitchen is the most profanity-laden show on broadcast television.  Hardly a minute will go by before the familiar sound of “BLEEP!” breaks up the dialogue.  In fact, in this one episode alone, the f-word was bleeped 60 times.  Ramsay curses so much, a swear jar kept throughout the season could probably fund the $250,000 cash prize for the winner.

Here’s a taster’s sampler of the kinds of profanity Ramsay regularly utters:

Commenting on a contestant’s wild hairdo: “Now, what the [bleeped ‘f***’] is going on with your hair?”

Commenting on the spiciness of a dish:  “That's gonna blow your [bleeped ‘f***ing a**hole’] with that.”

Commenting during one of the pre-taped tutorials that awaken the contestants during the middle of the night: “I don't give two [bleeped ‘s****’] what time in the morning it is.”

Commenting on the poorly cooked potato slices: “Un-[bleeped ‘f***ing’] believable.  Look at this. I got bits of [bleeped ‘s***’].  No cooking.  Overcooked.  And that one there.  I can't even describe that one there.  C'mon ladies.  [bleeped ‘F***’] off will ya, yeah?”

Kicking the guy with the weird hair-do out of the kitchen: “Mikey, c'mere.  Again. Raw [bleeped ‘f***ing’] halibut.  Take that, do me a favor – [bleeped ‘f***’]) off!  Get out!  Up to the [bleeped ‘f***ing’] dorms, and get your [bleeped ‘f***ing’] hair done.  Get out of my kitchen!”

Ramsay’s behavior is infectious, in that the contestants invariably curse as much as he does, especially when they wilt under the pressure.  Last season, a contestant nearly came to blows with Ramsay, challenging him to a fight in the parking lot.  This year’s contestants don’t appear to be as violent, but shouting matches, mental breakdowns, and trash-talking are this show’s bread and butter.

Whatever the show plans to dish out this season, you can bet it’ll be rotten with vulgarities.  And for that, the season premiere of Hell’s Kitchen rightly deserves the title of Worst TV Show of the Week.