Is Hell's Kitchen a rip-off? Are they lying about the prizes?

[Snaploud]

The year one winner was promised a million-dollar restaurant. He ended up with "a big check and some snazzy kitchen equipment." Season three of Hell's Kitchen showed the season one winner as some sort of big shot, but that's apparently a lie:

Wray, the season-one winner, is "executive chef of his own restaurant, Tatou in Los Angeles." Cut to a shot of Michael in the Tatou kitchen cooking, and the chef says, "Owning this restaurant is a dream come true. I owe it all to Hell's Kitchen." If he's such a big player in the restaurant, why was it overlooked in the LAT article? Because he's no longer the executive chef. A call to the restaurant confirmed this, but then the staffer told Eater, "Well, he's still involved with Tatou." We're still working out the details, but owner/manager J.D. Iriarte hasn't returned our calls. Stay tuned.

http://la.eater.com/archives/2007/06/07/tatou_wheres_michael_wray.php

The season two winner was promised the Executive Chef position at the Red Rock Casino and Spa in Las Vegas. She was supposedly also eligible for a financial interest in the restaurant and to assist in its design. Instead, she gets the job of "senior chef," and her contract was discontinued after one year.

http://la.eater.com/archives/2007/02/14/hells_kitchen_la_connections_spoilers_and_empty_promises.php

Season three's winner appears to have actually gotten the prize he was promised, but it's still early. We'll probably get more news as his story develops.

So, is Hell's Kitchen a rip-off?

 

[Roger Wilco]

Wouldn't surprise me, very few of the people on the show seem to have to potential to be high-end chefs. Much of that is scripted/editing of course to make the show more exciting, but I really think the candidates are almost without exception simply incompetent. If I had a restaurant I wouldn't hire any of the people I've seen on Hell's Kitchen so far.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

They may get the prize but then their job (like all of ours) is to do well enough to keep it.

Have you seen any of the HK winners display enough talent and skill to run anything above a 2-star local diner?

 

[Roger Wilco]

^^
ehm, 2-star is very, very, very good already (if you are referring to Michelin-stars), many excellent and ambitious cooks never achieve that.

 

[Trekker4747]

The year one winner was promised a million-dollar restaurant. He ended up with "a big check and some snazzy kitchen equipment." Season three of Hell's Kitchen showed the season one winner as some sort of big shot, but that's apparently a lie:

It's worth pointing out that at the end of Season One Ramsey offered Michael an apprentice ship with himself in England (something much more valuable than your own restaurant) which Michael accepted, but shortly afterwards he had to decline because his fiancee/wife was pregnant and they didn't want to uproot and move to England. Ramsey re-offered the original prize which Michael declined and took a cash-equivilant and used that to start his knife company. It was my understanding he went on to start his own restaurant but I guess I was mistaken and he just became an EC at one.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

^^
ehm, 2-star is very, very, very good already (if you are referring to Michelin-stars), many excellent and ambitious cooks never achieve that.

I was referring to AAA star rating..

2-star is a denny's

 

[Roger Wilco]

^^
Alright, I see. But I wouldn't even trust some of the contestants to cook the burgers in a McDonald's.