Hell's Kitchen is All in the Eye of the Beholder

I watch a lot of TV.  I know it, you know it, we all know it. 

I watch a lot of TV.  Sometimes I actually wonder to myself if it's all worth it, but I tend to quickly answer in the affirmative.  Oh sure, there are nights like last night, where I stared at the screen as the silliness of Hawaiian Tropic models eating in Hell's Kitchen.  After all, everything I personally know about staying thin deals with sensible portion sizes, skipping dessert, and trying to avoid too many rich meals out.  Risotto, one of the things regularly ordered on the show, seems awfully rich.  Probably though I'm not giving the models enough credit, they probably exercised wonderful restraint in what they ordered and how much they actually consumed.  Plus, let's face it, they probably have certain genetic characteristics that help them.

I watch a lot of TV.  So, I have to wonder, just a little bit, about how all these reality shows find people who want to be on them.  Are we, as a society, so starved to each get our 15 minutes of fame that we'll go on television and do anything that is required to not get eliminated.  By this point with reality television, I think the vast majority of contestants out there are incredibly savvy - they know what they have to do to get more airtime, and they do it.  There's a constant one-ups-man-ship that takes place, it has to, otherwise the next reality show will be a letdown.  Consequently, when someone like Jen takes to the fore of Hell's Kitchen and insists over and over again that she's doing everything perfectly, that Ramsay is insane, and that she is the best cook on the face of the planet (okay, that last one is a slight exaggeration of what she says, but only slight), I wonder if she's delusional or just smart.  Almost everything about it seems to point towards delusional, but it's possible that she's smart.  It's possible that she knows exactly what to do to get more screen time and that said screen time is more important to her than winning the contest.  You have to take into account the fact that it's almost certainly easier to get screen time (if you don't get eliminated) than to be chosen by Ramsay as the winner. 

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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