Gordon Ramsay has no patience for comparisons between his new show, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, and the late Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations.
The MasterChef host, 52, participated in a panel for his latest TV project as part of day one of the Summer 2019 TCAs on Tuesday, July 23. During the discussion, he recalled how, when his show was first announced in the aftermath of Bourdain’s death about a year ago, people were quick to leap to certain judgements.
“We took a lot of flak on the announcements with Nat Geo about rivaling Tony Bourdain, and that was incorrect,” he said, according to Us Weekly. “Judge the program and the integrity and the team that’s gone to hell and back to make this work.”
Added the British-born chef: “With respect to what he [Bourdain] did and how he did it, I started this journey back in 2004, discovering India, Vietnam, Cambodia and literally getting away from the three-Michelin-star setup with 25 chefs.”
Ramsay went on to say that he has long strived to answer questions like what’s it like to be “at the coal face and vulnerable” and how to create a “magical” meal for a family of six that’s worth being proud of using only a few dollars. “That’s what this is all about, and not getting carried away with the sort of highfalutin end,” he explained. “It’s scaling it back and unearthing those secrets that sometimes we’ve forgotten about.”
The show, which features the famed chef and other experts such as New Zealand chef Monique Fiso and Laos adventurist Mick O’Shea, takes place in six “unchartered territories” including Peru and Morocco. It was designed to find new culinary inspiration and to expand both Ramay’s and viewers’ understanding of international flavors and gastronomic traditions.
In the inaugural episode, which premiered on Sunday, July 21, the Hell’s Kitchen host was criticized for eating guinea pig (a local delicacy) in Peru. “I won’t be putting guinea pig on the menu in Vegas, that’s for sure,” he noted. “But you have to look beyond that furry, cuddly pet thing, because this is a means to an end and a way of not just surviving, but an incredible protein.”
Unlike on some of his other reality shows, Ramsay’s personality on Uncharted is much less prone to foul-mouthed tirades. “The curse word is an industry language, and when you’re up against it with sort of high-pressured environments in kitchens, then you need to get that little sort of point across urgently,” he explained of his habit of cursing on other programs.
But that wasn’t the case on this project. “On Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, it’s not just being surrounded by incredible professionals … they just made it so seamless for me to tap into their world and bed down.”
Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on National Geographic.
With reporting by Amanda Champagne
