When we think of Gordon Ramsay, a lot of things come to mind. And one of those things is his iconic series Kitchen Nightmares.
We were pretty excited to learn that Kitchen Nightmares was returning for an all new season on Fox in 2023. And for the most part, we really enjoyed the entire season. And then came finale night. Fox decided to do a doubleheader for the finale. It was two separate episodes on the final night of the season.
The problem with having a two hour finale that was really just two separate episodes, is that if one episode isn’t keeping peoples’ attention, it’s unlikely that they are going to stick around for the second episode. And it seems as if ratings support that. In fact, according to TV Line,
"Over on Fox, Kitchen Nightmares‘ double-episode season finale did 1.5 mil/0.2 and then 1.1 mil/0.1, with the second hour matching and hitting season lows."
Kitchen Nightmares didn’t end their returning season as strong as we hoped
I had high hopes for this series for a lot of reasons. Not only am I a big fan of Gordon Ramsay, but I always watched old episodes of Kitchen Nightmares. In fact, I still do. So I had expectations going into this new season of episodes.
And for the most part, I have to say that the series definitely delivered what I expected. Were there some fails, perhaps. However, I have to say that I was very disappointed in finale night because the first hour really did nothing for me. In fact, I found myself falling asleep while watching the episode. And that’s not what you want to have happen for a season finale.
That being said, I did go back and watch the second hour the next day to see if that was a better finale for the season, and I have to say that it was. I think that if Fox had not chosen to do a doubleheader of two episodes for the finale, I think they would’ve had better ratings.
By putting those two episodes together, I think they messed up. I think they put an episode that didn’t pack a punch with an episode that really could have drawn people in. There was no reason for them to do a two episode season finale night. Sure, the schedule may have caused them to make this decision, but I don’t think they planned correctly. These two episodes did not belong together. And that is the problem.
It really felt like the season ended down, because of the decision to put these two episodes on the same night. I think, the actual final episode of the season was really good. It really was what we expect from a Kitchen Nightmares episode.
I really hope that Fox decides to bring back Kitchen Nightmares for another season. And I am hopeful that they do not make the same mistake again. Some episodes just don’t hit as hard as others, and putting a weaker episodes with a solid one, isn’t going to make people watch.
I don’t know if it is just me, but I will watch anything that Gordon Ramsay is in. And I am a big fan of what he does on Kitchen Nightmares. So if there is a second season of this returning series, count me in.