@@plantdaddy999 Micheal did happen to be the better cook though? Watch the first season in its entirety, you can tell he was in a league of his own even before the tactics factored in
Oh yea Gordon admitted to sabotaging some of his competitions restaurants in the past. He said he released mice into their restaurant and then called the health inspector 😅. It’s a dog eat dog cut throat industry
Chris was the most fucked over chef in the shows history. Yeah he got put up but I remember watching it and realizing he only got sent home cause Gordon didn’t like him ☠️.
@@thewargod129 Are you kidding? Michael didn’t make a single service mistake as far as I can remember. Chris was very underwhelming for an executive chef and as brutal as it was for Elsie the other 3 knew if they stuck to their stations and shut her out she wouldn’t be able to cope due to her lack of culinary skill and experience on the line, when they did it showed the difference between her and them as she couldn’t cope. Michael’s only real competition past Chris was Ralph and even then there was a clear gulf in skill and smart’s between the two of them, even taking away the tactics he was the clear best and his tactics essentially set the blueprints for a lot of future HK seasons.
@@skorpion3993 Chris could have beat him potentially. Michael would have folded if he had Gordon breathing down his back the same way instead especially in the beginning he kind of went under the radar. Not only that I remember he straight up stole meat and pretended he found it to make himself look better. That’s not only sabotage but it’s so sneaky I feel like if they made a bigger deal of it that would have gotten him eliminated right then and there.
That's not his iconic line. That iconic line was originally "You run like old people fuck you know that, Pyle?!" and it was given by R Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket.
I remember he sabotaged a girl from that season too. He purposely hid some steaks from the blonde girl ( I forget her name ) in another room. She desperately needed them for dinner service. He then brought them out later after it was too late claiming he just 'found them.' She got booted from the show that night. I'm surprised they didn't kick him off the show for that - I mean they had him on camera and everything; that's just dirty.
@@dailynews5683 That's why he won Season 1, while everyone is way focus on their cooking, he's using the mind game just like how he betrayed Chris by nominated him even though they made an alliance before. What a dirty bastard!
@@margarethmichelina5146tbf though winning the earlier seasons wasn't really worth it because you didn't compete for a high ranking position in Gordon Ramsay's business but some competitor who then not only demoted the chefs from the beginning but probably also let them go after the promised year.
@@firefly56embers33 Gordon basically dose small sabotages here and there when testing the black jackets to see if they can call out what is wrong, it also proves if they are actually good enough to win or not which is smart on his half
Yeah, he's on a downward spiral now from what I've read. Worked out well for him, didn't it? Dead kid, divorce, addiction and other stuff. Karma is a mean mofo 🤣
Survivor originated that ish for reality TV 👏. Coarse now everyone does pretty much the same f over moves every season. Same with Big Brother or Amazing Race.
@@Soldier4USA2005 Ramsay does this too, if they are able to call out the sabotage and specify what's wrong, then it means they are good enough, if they can't, then they are out. Its the same here, if the contestants couldn't notice something was off, then they're out
Also, during the double-booked service, Michael sabotaged the team in the kitchen by recommending the lasagna as much as possible. The lasagna took the longest of any dish to make and he knew they might run out of it. His team still lost but I think it's a neat strategy.
~ Not only that. I remember he sabotaged a girl from that season too. He purposely hid some steaks from the blonde girl ( I forget her name ) in another room. She desperately needed them for dinner service. He then brought them out later after it was too late claiming he just 'found them.' She got booted from the show that night. I'm surprised they didn't kick him off the show for that - I mean they had him on camera and everything; that's just dirty. ~
Legend says that the tradition of having the sous chefs in later seasons intentionally forget ingredients in dishes to test contestants at the pass was inspired by this
Everything about Ralph was respectable. He might act a bit pompous, but he always took responsibility and tries to carry struggling team mates when he can. Michael was a better chef, but Ralph just has natural leadership and charisma
and struggled with painkiller addition after the metal rod in his spine snapped (before he was on the show)... and then dealing with his daughter's death during birth, divorcing, and struggling with drug addiction and homelessness for some years afterward, but he's in a much better place now -- got proper treatment, remarried, working again, and hoping to save up money for a food truck and travel the country to serve the homeless
@@davisjohn1517 dude, it's just a televised cooking competition. Jesus fucking christ you psycho. Also, not only did Gordon Ramsey borrow some of this contestant's "sabotages" in order to test finalists, but these are actually things that happen in real restaurants. Do you want a line cook or head chef who gets a whiny fit because someone missplaced some food or do you want them to have some composure and solve the problem? Or a head chef who does not actually do the quality control like they are supposed to? Should that head chef just trust that the line cooks get it perfect every time?
People don't realise that if Gordon notices chefs are being voted out for stupid reasons just to sabotage or tactically to win the show. He puts a stop to ot and calls out people himself thinks should be up for the vote.
@@nickclark18To be fair every first season is sort of a test run for any show. There has to be some twists and turns to keep viewers invested. But if Gordon catches someone deliberately trying to fuck over another contestant he will put his foot down.
@@dualwieldroxas358 I'd say around season 4 or 5 is when he really cracked his foot down, had enough of these head games and Gordon definitely decided that he chooses peoples fate in hells kitchen. Not the other way around 💀
The only way it works is if you notice one of the strongest chefs make a big slip up during dinner service. It gives you the opportunity to take out your biggest threat before the finale.
@@RJWayneriumThe aesthetic of the restaurant felt more like a reality TV studio than an actual restaurant. It began to feel like that after season 10. Nothing against the contestants but they started to become more forgettable after that point as well.
Michael won but then lost everything. He opened his own restaurant and tried to open a second only to not have the funds. His wife left him after their child died shortly after being born. He was addicted to drugs while filming and after due to an accident he had where the Doctors prescribed him pain meds leading him to getting addicted (which isn't surprising considering most people who start taking them become addicted leading them to meth and heroin for a stronger high). After being homeless and living in his car and underneath a bridge, he finally got clean and decided to open up a food truck. I wish him nothing but success. He said that denying the opportunity to go to London with Chef Ramsay was a massive mistake that he regrets deeply because he was afraid of Ramsay finding out he was on pain killers and high.
Only thing I have to say is for the pain medication. There is more to it than just people get addicted. It depends on the type of pain medication it is, and sometimes genetics play a part in it. If he was taking opioids then it definitely could have just simply been the drugs. If it was something else, he had to have been taking more than prescribed. I'm not an expert at all for this stuff, but as somebody who has been on pain medication since I was 8 for chronic pain, there is only one drug they have refused to try with me. That is opioids because they are the main pain medication drugs to get addicted to. Also, it is very unfortunate that most of his downfall was the drug addiction. Things definitely wouldn't have fallen apart if he didn't have the addiction like he did.
It just doesn't become a cooking competition anymore. Some people prefer drama and betrayal. I just want people trying to make the best food they can. You don't have to be friends, but sabotage actively takes away from the point of a cooking competition for me.
It's inevitable. The prize is a life changing career path and people will stoop to unknown depths to get it. Plus it's TV so there's already forms of manipulation going on.
@@rdu239 way to remove the “path” from his comment. yes you start at a low position but ideally you don’t stay there forever lol it’s about the fact you worked for Ramsay
He also had one of the funniest lines of the entire series. When doing the finale, he said to his brigade “you guys cook like old people f*ck” It broke both Ramsay, and my wife and I when watching it lol
@@dieiceNGC Do you remember who it was, I don't remember the season either, but there was a chef who was doing so well throughout the entire competition, I think he even won the king of the hill portion, but then just had a single bad night and he got kicked off, but Ramsay actually told him to call him or keep in touch or something. Always wondered what happened to that guy, because he was clearly the strongest the entire time, but just fucked up in the most insignificant way one night that cost him since no one else fucked up lol
@@A_Random_Ghost No one forced him, or ANY other addicts to pop pills, or stick shots! There are NO excuses in this day and age to be an addict. Help is EVERYWHERE, THANK YOU TECHNOLOGY!!!!
@@DripC I actually know a kid who was drugged without his knowledge and his life went downhill pretty quick. Dude got his cigarette laced and it was like he had to relearn how to talk and keep his mouth shut without drooling
Integrity matters. Deliberately sabotaging someone isn’t even a fair and honest win. It’s underhanded. I would think someone would want to know they won fair not by hurting someone on purpose. That’s just lousy.
Michael was my favorite from the winners other than Heather but when the Florida man came into the show and won it with only using one hand, he won my heart as well.
This guy played the show Hell’s Kitchen like Big Brother. He deliberately gave time consuming dishes like lasagna to the opposing team to win the competition
Michael was a legend, I remember when he was silent minding his own buissness, and then turning around and yelling at everyone: You People Cook Like Old Fucks. And then turned around and worked at his station like nothing happened
"Legend" is apparently used for no reason , more like a two faced snake , he got that street smart I'll give him that , but cheap tricks doesn't work always and for long
@@luna-mt7sf why do I keep seeing these comments. Everyone keeps complaining about “cheap tricks” and “cheating”. He didn’t win because of “cheap tricks” the show doesn’t work like that. You can tell the whole time he’s a good chef. He still has to battle in the final properly like every other season. The person it talks about him sabotaging in this short didn’t even go home because of it. They faced off in the final and Michael out performed him (as far as Gordon is concerned).
Here is how I feel about sabotage, especially in a competition. 1) It's not honorable and in a way that's relevant. If you have to sabotage your opponents, then you know you're not as good as you should be ... so you have to cheat to win. This then means you have a "title" you don't deserve and have potentially ruined the reputation/career of someone who did deserve it. 2) It creates a toxic and distrusting atmosphere, which WILL fuck you later down the road. be it with fellow chefs in the same kitchen or potential employers. Shows like this only breed such behaviors, which then "justify" people doing it on their own. And people wonder why society is in such shambles.
In survival, you have to be clever. It matters not if you are the strongest or smartest or the best. You have to adapt to not get screwed over of you wanna continue. Michael was clever (albeit evil) by betraying, sabotaging and eliminating both the weak link and those he deemed a challenge to his goal. PS: He suffered some sort of Karmaic Comeuppance and addiction, but was able to turn around a new leaf.
@@ralphcaluag2403 but this isn't about survival. This is a competition to find the best chef among the group. By doing it the way they're doing it they're not finding the best chef they are finding the one who can screw people over the most. It's about cooking food in the best way possible.
am i the only one who dislikes him? i know its a competition but he won unfairly and sabotaged the others- yeah he was smart but it was also dishonest and cowardly
Which is why he was homeless and drug addict and his kids dead. Sucks to suck, but sucks to be a giant chud dickwad. 🤷♂️ he got what he got… he’s tainted and no one wants him. Can’t be trusted
I would expect a lot of people actually praise him for it. Yes it's strategic but for him to resort to such a thing means his cooking skills aren't good and he is not confident in them. A true professional doesn't use to such tactics. They just simply prove they are better with skills. It's the same thing as tripping a runner for the win.
IMO, Michael ended up living a fairly tragic life in the 17 years since -- at the time of production, he was struggling with opioid addition since the rod in his back snapped (he had a rod in his spine because of scoliosis) and it led to a painkiller addiction that he was struggling with during the show. Although on camera he accepted Ramsey's offer to study under him in London, off camera he turned it down because he was afraid of confronting his pain killer addiction in a foreign country. Although he overcame it and started a restaurant in LA, his daughter died in childbirth which led to his divorce with his wife as well as relapsing into his drug addiction. For some years afterward, he lived out of his truck going from food service job to food service job until he even lost his job and ended up living underneath freeway passes and at one point nearly OD'd out in the desert. He is doing much better now as he got addiction and grief treatment again -- he has since remarried and working at high end restaurants in LA, but he's saving up money for a foodtruck and wants to travel the country helping homeless people.
@@aandyherr817 I am sure you are a big expert on sucking... I see you are so sad and pathetic that you travel trough multiple comments to inform everyone that his kid is dead and what a awful human being he is. Not only you look like a bigger piece of shit but most likely you are one IRL. It's cool and fun until you will be hit by a big tragedy. Then somewhere in back of your head you will remember these comments you wrote :)
1) Michael wasn't Hell's Kitchen contestant, but beta-tester 😉😂😂 2)Imagine alternate universe, where Michael accepted Gordon Ramsay's help, then returned in one of later seasons to Hell's Kitchen as his Sous Chef
I remember Gordon getting mad at a chef for accusing him of sabotaging them yet he does it on a regular basis and encourages other contestants to do it and then berates them for it. All to make himself look important and for entertainment.
I love Michael, I made a lucky guess by picking him as my favorite within the first ten minutes of the show solely based on vibes and stuck with him throughout. I loved watching him bc of his talent, cleverness and determination. A lot of ppl don't like him for the stuff he pulled but he's the only one who understood that Hell's Kitchen isn't a talent show, it's a drama fueled competition, he knew how to play the game and wasn't afraid to do it. He's still my favorite contestant ever.
Man, i liked him, a few years ago he was loving on street, Heroin addict and trying to do a go fund me for a food truck which he was unable to reach the goal for, hope he is doing well now
Hey! So I ended up working at a grocery store and got really close with one of my coworkers. One night after closing she said her step dad was picking her up. Mf chef michael pulled up. I got really close with him through her and he’s great. His cooking has only improved, he does a lot of private events now, pop ups for restaurants. He was the head chef at our local restaurant and man, the specials he made.. you’d close your eyes after every bite just experiencing how good the flavors are that he puts together in a dish. He went through unimaginable horrible times but he is clean now, and doing well.
Michael was the main character of season one. The strategies he used and the freaking monologue he had while staring at a billboard of Gordon Ramsay lol I didn’t like him much but I respected him because of how he played the game and ultimately won.
“Welp, there’s no explicit rules bout doing any of this heinous shit” …..that….that was because we thought it was self evident to..yknow NOT be an asshole.. “Whoops, oh well, give me the prize” *rule about contestants intentionally sabotaging gets added immediately after the season ends*
With the thing where he purposefully didn’t put crab in the risotto literally became a thing that was done by the sous chefs in later seasons. Also, with not helping Elsie, if she was better she wouldn’t have gotten into the situation anyways. Michael didn’t do anything wrong here
Gordon Ramsey sabatoged his mentor turned rival Marco Pierre in real life. He openly talks about it now but I can imagine that’s why he was impressed by what others might see as slimyness.
Isn't this how most reality contest shows go? People try to eliminate their strong competition until alliances amongst the weaker ones who remain are made and then broken
Chef here, this is an EXTREMELY common tactic used by lead cooks and sous chefs to slip there way up. Arrogance does terrible thing to people when they think putting someone down can give them a leg up. I personally had to fight against a few individuals like that. The restaurant industry is a cruel world.
I don’t know how many are still open, but he went on to open several restaurants. He typically names them Naked -something. He also became a successful television personality chef. Did nearly die from kitchen gas leak explosion. He has mostly recovered, but his hands are badly scarred. All 3 finalist of season 1 had extreme bad stuff happen to them at one point after with Ralph nearly dying in an explosion somehow being the mildest of the 3.
That's pretty cool. I didn't watch Hell's Kitchen until season 3 so I always thought the sabotage was always a thing. Also I like how he nominated the strong chefs for elimination, I wish they still did that but the chefs mostly always play it safe.
