Gordon Ramsay: Reality Lawsuit

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Poor Gordo. As if having a brother faced with a trial on drug charges in Indonesia were'nt enough! Now, tabloids are now abuzz with news of a lawsuit that alleges that Gordon Ramsay faked scenes in his reality TV show, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Here are the grisly details from the AP: A former general manager at Dillons in Manhattan, Martin R. Hyde, said Ramsay featured the Indian-American restaurant as part of a new series entitled "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares," to be distributed this fall by the Fox Broadcasting Co.. Hyde's lawsuit said Ramsay falsely claimed meat was spoiled, used a defective chair to imply that Dillons' furniture was shoddy and even hired actors to pose as customers to make the restaurant look busy at the end of the week. Hyde also claimed Ramsay, known for foul-mouthed outbursts and star of Fox's reality competition "Hell's Kitchen," humiliated him and forced him to quit his job to avoid further abuse. He asked for millions of dollars in damages and a court order to stop the show from airing. Gordon already won a similar suit in England against the Evening Standard which accused him of faking scenes in Kitchen Nightmares. Libel laws are different across the pond, but isn't that warning enough? Are we supposed to believe that this lawsuit is in earnest and not a ploy to get Mr. Hyde his own show (or at least a bucket-full of money to buy his own restaurant? After all, Kitchen Nighmares isn't "21". Since Rocco DiSpirito's The Restaurant, who would believe that any restaurant reality show was completely realistic? Anyone who participates in one of these shows, especially when it isn't the first season, ought to know what to expect. Surely, Mr. Hyde had inkling that Gordon's lashing tongue was the whole point of the show. As for spoiled meat that wasn't spoiled, the broken chair, or actors who were hired to make the restaurant look busy – who knows? But restaurateurs often fill up a restaurant with friends to make it look busy or to report on service. Perhaps the question should be: is Dillons better than it was before Gordon went to work? Maybe the jury will get a taste of the truth after all. Related news: Variety, E! Online, Daily Telegraph, Telegraph, Independent, New York Post, UPI Previous articles: Will Beckham Spice Ramsay With Puck? Marco Pierre White: The Devil in the Kitchen Gordon Ramsay: Find Me a Fanny Gordon Ramsay: Say No to Celebrity! Gordon Ramsay v James Bond Gordon Ramsay: Women Can't Cook Gordon Ramsay: A Chef For All Seasons Gordon Ramsay: In the Heat of the Kitchen Gordon Ramsay on Jay Leno: Funnier than Hell Hell's Kitchen on ICE Sneak Peak: Hell's Kitchen, with Gordon Ramsay Gordon Ramsay Joins Richard Branson in Fox's Reality TV Hell Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef