Anyone just watch the end of Hell's Kitchen?

[DrunkIrish05]

WTF, the guy wins his own restaurant and chef Ramsey immediately puts pressure on him to not accept it and go work in his kitchen instead. That's pretty awful, the winner looked he had no idea what to say to the offer, but felt he had to say yes.

I'm so confused. I sat through that whole show and still don't know what just happened. Why is he not getting his own restaurant? Seems stupid.

[astroglide]

i think working for ramsey and getting more experience/recognition, living in london, etc is an absolute slam dunk easy yes.

[Bulldog]

Potential value of training versus actual value of restaurant? Screw London.

I didn't understand it either. I thought they would then give the restaurant to Ralph (clearly the better chef but not the "gourmet" guy Ramsey wanted) as a consolation prize.

[Blarg]

I was surprised we basically heard no more about anything Ralph got for 2nd place, so I guess he got zip.

For opening a restaurant or getting investors, having a top chef's name on your resume is enormous, as good as going to the best cooking schools in its way, maybe better. Not to mentoin, the way this whole scheme shaped up, Michael will have extreme name value recognition from the show, and will compound it much more by further association with Ramsey. Whenever he feels it's time to move on from Ramsey(or he may go into partnership with him), the extended tenure with Ramsey will stand him in very good stead. It's still his game to lose, but Michael is getting a hell of a boost by winning, and compounding it very nicely by continuing to study under Ramsey. It seems Ramsey taught these guys a lot in a matter of weeks; imagine how much he can refine and clean up someone's act by working with him personally on an ongoing basis.

One thing, though, is it looks like Michael is going to have to split up with his beloved Lola for quite some time. He's already been separated from her by living in the dorm for weeks; now it's going to turn into months or even years in London.

He definitely looked hesitant and confused. I don't blame him; it's like signing up on a submarine tour if you've got a significant other. No matter how fantastic London and everything about his experience there with Ramsey and otherwise is, he's going to be going home alone when all his new friends go home to their partners, husbands, and wives. Not much of a celebration -- more of a prolonged, lonely adolescence for someone who had already grown out of it and was damn glad of it. I feel bad for the guy and good for him at the same time.

On the Fox/Ramsey side, my guess is they were hoping he would go for the offer so they wouldn't have to set him up in a restaurant. Working for someone is going to cost Fox/Ramsey an airplane ticket and some initial housing costs -- big deal. Quite a moneysaver, and I'm sure Fox is thrilled.

Unfortunately, Michael is still an employee. Ralph might wind up with his own restaurant before Michael does.

[shant]

I may have missed something but is his wife allergic to England?

[touchfaith]

Just a guess, but I would imagine he will receive some sort of compensation for winning, certainly enough to afford him the option of bringing his fiance to London with him, especially if they are not giving him his own place.

From a legal standpoint, don't they already owe him the restaurant? You never know, the offer from Ramsey could have been above and beyond the prize (though it didn't sound that way).

I'm sure we'll see something on Inside Hollywood by tomarrow /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Blarg]

Most women these days work, and Michael didn't seem anywhere near a guy with a lot of money, so I was guessing his wife was working too -- who knows, maybe providing the majority of income, as I don't know how you'd maintain a job while being on that show. If Michael's dream was to open a restaurant in L.A., I was assuming his wife was working there and had a life set up there.

Maybe she's a stay at home, but that's not all that common these days unless you enjoy having a very low standard of living.

Anyway, they both looked really hesitant to me when Ramsey asked if he wanted to come to London, and it seemed a natural assumption to me that it was because moving would mess up Michael's life and relationship, like it probably would for the majority of other people with a working wife, unless she just works at McDonalds or something.

I'm sure Michael would be paid enough to bring his wife. After all, two can live cheaper than one, so even if Fox paid Michael nothing extra to make it easier to bring his wife, it would still probably be both doable for Michael and more affordable than maintaining two households on opposite sides of the world.