There's something even more disconcerting than seeing Gordon Ramsay on Hell's Kitchen screaming at the contestants — and it's Gordon Ramsay being nice . Season 14 of the cooking show ends on Tuesday, June 9 with T. Gregoire and Meghan Gill facing off, and though Ramsay does give compliments on Hell's Kitchen to the finalists, benevolence from Ramsay on the show is not a common occurrence. I find Ramsay's fantastic use of f-bombs and creative sarcastic comments pretty hilarious — not to mention impressive — but he can be tremendously frightening. Yet, while it's a rarity to see the entrepreneurial chef being super nice to anyone on Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay does have the capacity to be a super likable guy.
Ramsay first became well-known in the U.S. for Hell's Kitchen with his profanities and rants, but he has shown his softer side on his other U.S. shows like Kitchen Nightmares, MasterChef, and particularly with MasterChef Junior. He also is typically less of a raving maniac on his U.K. shows like Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
When Ramsay is sweet and genuine, it can be a shock to the system for American fans of the chef. But, when he so freely gives compliments and smiles to the children of MasterChef Junior, it's particularly heartwarming since you know what a miserable bugger he can be to adults who do their jobs incorrectly. In honor of all the abused chefs on Hell's Kitchen over its 14 seasons, here are seven times Chef Ramsay decided to stop cursing and play nice. See, it is possible.
1. Building Confidence With Apple Pie On MasterChef
In a moment that might make you teary-eyed, Ramsay gave encouragement to MasterChef Season 3 contestant Christine about her apple pie. Christine, who is blind, ended up being the winner that season, so it was only right that Ramsay proved that her doubts in her skills were severely inaccurate.
2. Head Shaving On Hell's Kitchen
While you could say it was supremely messed up for Ramsay to even make the Hell's Kitchen Season 10 think they had to shave their heads to show their dedication, he got to be the hero and relieve contestant Dana of losing all her hair. (Whatever, people! It's only hair!)
3. Being A Feminist On Kitchen Nightmares
Although Ramsay can be tough on the owners and staff of the restaurants he attempts to save on Kitchen Nightmares, there is a point to his no-nonsense demeanor since these failing restaurants asked for his help. While at the Hot Potato Café in Philadelphia (unfortunately, the restaurant has closed now), he was most excited by the turnaround of the four women who ran the restaurant, saying, "Long live the power of women." Go Gordon Ramsay — the feminist!
4. Savoring The Sausage Roll On MasterChef
In his audition for MasterChef Season 2, contestant Dustin cooked a sausage roll to woo the Scottish Ramsay. Ramsay's pure excitement for this twist on a U.K. meal is contagious. Even though Dustin didn't make it to the top 18, I'll always have him to thank for this moment of Ramsay giddiness.
5. Naming His Favorite Chef On MasterChef Junior
Ramsay is always kind on MasterChef Junior, but during Season 3 (the most recent season) of the cooking show for kids, Ramsay really bonded with the show's "tiniest competitor" Riley. Seeing Riley's face beam when Ramsay tells Riley that he's his favorite chef made me audibly "aww."
6. Faking Eliminations On Hell's Kitchen
It was a seemingly ordinary elimination during Season 8 of Hell's Kitchen when Ramsay told Rob to hand over his jacket — not because he was going home, but because it was "filthy dirty." He let both Rob and Nona stay on (Nona ended up winning that season), and I adored his glee while the contestants showed their relief and surprise.
7. Coining The Phrase "Idiot Sandwich" On "Hell's Cafeteria"
Although "Hell's Cafeteria" was just a sketch for The Late Late Show with James Corden, Ramsay demonstrated his playful side with Corden and Julie Chen. The fact that Ramsay is able to make fun of himself shows that he's actually a good guy — he just happens to have a filthy mouth and he knows how to use it.
Image: Greg Gayne/FOX
