Gordon Ramsay Calls Kitchen Lawsuit a "F---ing Joke"

Gordon Ramsay by Kharen Hill/Fox

Breaking a three-month silence, celeb chef Gordon Ramsay has slammed the $1 million lawsuit filed by a restaurant owner who claimed that Ramsay's yet-to-premiere Kitchen Nightmares cooked up drama by making the eatery seem worse than it was. "The idea of bringing moldy food in and planting actors [as disgusted customers] is a f--king joke," Ramsay tells TV Week. "[The plaintiff] is a man who got very scared and very embarrassed about his lack of professionalism.... We were issued a writ because, god bless America, if the toilet paper is not thick enough and you come out with a rash on your ass [you get sued]."

Is that true? Because the bathroom tissue here at the office is not exactly exemplary.

Earlier this month, a judge turned the suit over to arbitration.

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Posted by

Matt Webb Mitovich

Aug 28, 2007 10:23 AM

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Ramsay is right, we Americans sue over everything and its ridiculous. No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions. I've watched the British version of "Nightmares" and I'm interested to see how the US version compares. Go get 'em chef!
Posted by joesmom Aug 28, 2007 11:05 AM Report Abuse

I love Gordon Ramsay!!!! I too have seen the British version and it is great! I think he is sooooo funny! Mean, but funny!
Posted by iamjillian Aug 28, 2007 12:09 PM Report Abuse

Gordon Ramsey is very correct! Americans tend to blame others for their own shortcomings. I hope the case gets tossed out. Sometimes the truth hurts and people cannot bear it. I don't think Ramsey is mean, he just gets to the heart of things.
Posted by xevallah Aug 28, 2007 12:36 PM Report Abuse

After watching every episode of Kitchen Nightmares on the BBC, and after being inside many restaurants here in the U.S., I have no doubt that he found moldy food in the kitchens of our own "health department inspected" establishments. I cannot wait for the Fox version. I hate that they will make him be meaner than in the BBC version, but I think that's what's going to happen.
Posted by achyfakey Aug 28, 2007 12:44 PM Report Abuse

If you sign a release for your establishment to be featured on a TV program doesn't' that mean you take the good and the bad that comes along with it. I am sure these restaurant owners got paid for being on this show. Hasn't this guy every watched "Hells Kitchen"? There can be no possible way a person wouldn't know what they were letting themselves in for in regard to Chef Ramsay. This attempt at a law suit is just too funny. Gordon has it right -God Bless American- where the motto is: if we don't like it LETS SUE. This restaurant owner must be a close friend of the judge who sued the cleaner for losing his pants. Haha

Posted by MsMaggs2

Aug 28, 2007 12:56 PM

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Chef Gordon Ramsay knows what he's talking about. If he says something is rotten...it's rotten. Personally I check to see if the restaurant's restroom is clean. If it's clean the kitchen is clean must be clean. Good Luck Chef Ramsay and tell your mum Hello! I can't wait to visit Chef Rock in Las Vegas.
Posted by texaskitten Aug 28, 2007 2:35 PM Report Abuse

I agree that some lawsuits are frivolous, but this guy lost his job and with his face on camera might end up unemployable. If the producers of this new show did manipulate events to make the episode more exciting (which I don't put past anyone involved in reality television), his lawsuit has merit.
Posted by ibuprotein Aug 28, 2007 2:54 PM Report Abuse

Of course, when someone is legitimately wronged, their case should have merit.

In the BBC series, there was another restaurant that made the same claims against Ramsey. He found moldy food in their fridge as well. But after seeing the whole kitchen and getting no denials from the waaaaay-too-young chef who was right there, I really believe it was a legitimate situation. 100%.

He was exonerated in that case. And I hope the same will happen here because I have no doubt that we have a LOT of contaminated kitchens in the U.S.

Also, after that incident, I hope he has more protections in place to prove his innocence when these restaurant owners regret their decision to cry for help.

Posted by achyfakey

Aug 28, 2007 3:54 PM

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I agree that some lawsuits are frivolous, but this guy lost his job and with his face on camera might end up unemployable. If the producers of this new show did manipulate events to make the episode more exciting (which I don't put past anyone involved in reality television), his lawsuit has merit.

Don't participants of all reality shows essentially waive all rights? This guy knew exactly what he was getting into, but didn't like the end result.

I've only seen once episode of the BBC version and I thought it was great. Hopefully Fox won't screw it up.

Posted by fx772k1

Aug 28, 2007 10:39 PM

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Gordon Ramsay is awesome and I love all of his shows. But the people who lump all 300 MILLION Americans (legal or not) into such generalizations as 'Americans sue because they blame others for their shortcomings' is ridiculous. Yes, there are some stupid people who just cannot fathom that they are to blame for their own mistakes. But those stupid people are everywhere in the world.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the American version of the show, although since it's on Fox we can be sure there will be a lot of bleeping out of Ramsay's F bombs (unlike the UK shows).

Posted by pseudo

Sep 5, 2007 8:58 AM

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I love his show and can't wait to watch more... This is a new reality show and i'm loving it. Gordon Ramsay I must say you rock. Keep it real. I was just telling a coworker that I can't believe she missed the first show. I did remind her that it comes on this Wed. She proceeded to tell me something disturbing about a restaurant that her sister and a friend had gone to. Her sisters friend ordered a apple dish that comes served in a skillet on a wood dish. Well when the dish was put down about 5 roaches crawled out from underneath the dish and when they called the manager over he just wiped on the floor and didn't kill them just told the ladies that it was b/c of the hot skillet that they had come out. Of course they got there meal complimentary but he didn't even bother to kill the roaches is both disgusting and unhealth. I forgot to ask her what restaurant they went to so I will get back with that info.

I agree with what you said about americans sueing for anything. I would call it a get quick rich scheme. Also americans are nasty and lazy that's why there so fat.

Posted by justsmiles

Sep 24, 2007 5:31 PM

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