hellskitchen

Fox's master foodie is at it again. Gordon Ramsay has conjured up a new show called MasterChef, only it's not really his idea. See, it's already been done in England and Australia, but Gordon will put his spin on this show. So for all intents and purposes, it's another Gordon Ramsay project. (Like the Alan Parsons Project without Alan Parsons and a small 'p').

In MasterChef, amateur chefs will compete to master the perfect dish. These will be everyday people, not sous chefs or short order cooks, but backyard grillers and homemakers who have a specialty at which they excel. Sounds to me a bit like the Food Network Challenge shows in which people try to make the best chili or the definitive hamburger.

Amateur foodies take note: Fox is developing 'MasterChef,' a new reality competition series starring everyone's favorite culinary devil, Gordon Ramsay, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Developed from a similar concept already tested in the U.K. and Australia, the show will be an 'American Idol'-style talent search for the next great amateur chef.

Details are still being figured out, but it will most likely resemble the Australian version of this concept, in which contestants audition for a spot on the show by cooking a dish for three judges. After the semi-finalists are selected, contestants will compete in team and individual challenges until a winner is ultimately chosen.

(S06E09) The thing that sets Top Chef apart from similar shows such as Project Runway or Hell's Kitchen, is the level of professionalism on display. While both of those shows have strong contestants, on the whole, the pool seems more amateurish than those on Top Chef. This was clearly evident in this week's episode with the Quickfire Challenge.

The challenge, in which the contestants had to go in blind and complete a dish in ten-minute segments was amazing. I was thoroughly impressed with not only the fact that they could do this in the first place, but with how cool and calm everyone stayed. There wasn't a single contestant who didn't seem completely professional-- a fact that was evident when you saw how impressed guest judge Rick Moonen was with everyone.

Dave Levey has been named the winner of 'Hell's Kitchen' season 6.

The San Diego resident beat Kevin Cottle of Middleton, Connecticut to win the show's grand prize: A head chef position at Whistler, B.C.'s Araxi restaurant, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Levey faced an uphill battle for most of the season. In episode three, he fractured his left arm, which had to be placed in a cast, and almost left the competition.

Ariel Contreras finished in third.

This week on TV: DJ AM's coda on MTV, 'Simpsons' Halloween episode, and welcome back, '30 Rock'!

MONDAY, OCT. 12
'Gone Too Far' (10PM, MTV) series premiere
A little strange, and a lot sad, given the August death of Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, this reality series stars the late Goldstein, himself a recovering drug addict, as he traveled around the country sharing his experiences with drugs and trying to help those crippled with their own addictions. In the premiere, Goldberg heads back to his hometown, Philadelphia, to assist with an intervention for a young heroin addict who refuses to go to rehab.

As if Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares weren't enough, Gordon Ramsay will be hosting another television show called Gordon Ramsay, At Your Service. Only this time, the show will be stop-motion animation by the same team that brought you Celebrity Deathmatch on MTV, Cuppa Coffee Studios.

This idea is reminiscent of those Saturday morning cartoons that would involve a fictional world surrounding a particular celebrity, usually Jackie Chan or Mr. T. or someone like that. Will Gordon Ramsay moonlight as a chef by day and solve crimes at night? Will he fight food-based super-villains? Will his kitchen be his high-tech headquarters where everything is operated by ladle? Will he face down with other celebrity chefs like Emeril or Rachael Ray?

Given his penchant for strong language, I suspect either this will be shopped to one of the channels of more adult content (HBO, Showtime, etc.) or every word coming out of Ramsay's clay mouth would be a beep.

Can 'American Idol' really exist without Paula Abdul? Fox thinks so. The show has already scheduled guest judges for the audition rounds, and is expected to find a permanent replacement for Paula by January.

Also in the news today: Virginia Madsen will guest on 'Monk,' while the details of 'Family Guy''s abortion themed episode are revealed.

See more of today's top TV headlines after the jump.

While reading Joel's account of the Fox media panel, I was curious about the announcement of a new special called Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. It sounds like a variation on Food Network's Emeril Live or Paula's Party, but hopefully, it'll be a lot better. And perhaps we'll get to see the Gordon Ramsay Fox has not revealed up to now.

Unless you've been living in a cave the past five years or so, you know that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has emerged as one of the biggest stars on TV. But if you only watch Gordon on his Fox TV shows -- Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares -- you've only seen one side of the bellicose chef. On those shows, he's a screaming, cursing, demanding, hard-driving taskmaster. He's compelling, but you wouldn't want to be on the other side of one of his verbal tongue-lashings.

On last night's 'Hell's Kitchen' premiere, chef Gordon Ramsay finally got a taste of his own medicine when the hot-tempered Joseph lost his cool during eliminations.

After a heated interrogation, Joseph -- who refused to reveal whom the men's team had nominated -- threw off his jacket, stormed the stage and suggested that he and Gordon "step outside."

Read more on this plus Gordon Ramsays' nastiest moments after the jump.

The sixth season of 'Hell's Kitchen' premieres tonight at 8PM ET on Fox, in which chef Gordon Ramsay will unleash his merciless stream of verbal abuse on the new set of cooks.

This season's winner will get the job of executive chef at Araxi restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia. And Reality Blurred reports that season 2's winner, Heather West, will be Gordon's sous chef for the women's team.




Watch a preview clip after the jump ...

This week on TV: the 'Torchwood' season premiere (and finale!), 'So You Think You Can Dance''s 100th episode and Daisy finally picks her man.

'Torchwood' (9PM, BBCA) 3rd season premiere
Even the most devoted fans of 'Doctor Who' spin-off 'Torchwood' are in for more than a few surprises and one big treat of a miniseries with this five-night (Mon.-Fri., 9PM each night) special that serves as the show's third season.

Captain Jack and his (few) remaining cohorts are up against a particularly wily foe this time, as a race of aliens – with a shocking connection to Jack – is demanding 10 percent of Earth's children, lest they release a deadly virus that will kill millions.

Fox is planning to enter the upcoming fall TV season a bit later this year.

Today, the network announced premiere dates for its biggest new and returning series, including 'House,' 'Fringe' and a brand new season of 'So You Think You Can Dance,' set to air beginning Sat., Sept. 12. This is the first time in years where Fox will debut shows closer to TV's official premiere week (beginning Sept. 21), according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Check out the full list of premiere dates after the jump.

He screams, he curses, he gets amazing ratings -- Gordon Ramsay takes cooking to the extreme on two hit Fox shows, 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Kitchen Nightmares.'

In anticipation of the season finale of 'Hell's Kitchen' (Thurs., May 14 at 9PM ET), we got Ramsay to dish on seeing his cheftestants get creative and what makes him feel really old. We also learned that he'd be interested in doing another show on Fox -- could he really be serious about taking over 'American Idol' judging duties if Simon Cowell retires? Keep reading to find out. -- By Maggie Furlong

Do the American people really like watching their favorite shows this way? Assuming you have more than one or two shows you enjoy following, this week is daunting to say the least and beyond exhausting. Just last night I had a three-hour finale of The Biggest Loser and that awesome Fringe finale. In the past few days we've said goodbye to The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, Cold Case, The Unit, Brothers & Sisters, The Big Bang Theory, House and Castle. And that's just on the major networks.

Over the next two days we have America's Next Top Model, Lie to Me, Lost, Bones, My Name Is Earl, Smallville, Parks & Recreation, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Hell's Kitchen, The Office, Supernatural and even CSI: NY on a special night. And it goes on through the weekend. In an era where ratings are slipping, how can it make good business sense to put all of these finales on against one another all within a few days of each other. I know they've always done that, but I just don't think it makes sense anymore.

An opinion was put forth at a Hollwood Radio and TV Society luncheon for reality television executives that questions the use of the 30-second spot in that type of programming anymore (the entire context was about the decline in television advertising, in general). While they were referring to reality TV, I was wondering if that question could be asked of television, in general.

Consider this: the BBC in England doesn't use commercials. They get money via other methods such as merchandising. While I don't think that would work in America, why ruin the flow of the show? The existence of Tivo somewhat renders commercial breaks moot. We already see ads scrolling around the sides of the screen during many television shows (Fox is notorious for them), not to mention product placement, so why not use that method for all advertisements for all shows?

I ask this of you, television viewers: would seeing commercials during the run of a program sell more products, or would it just ruin the viewing experience?