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TV Media Weekly | August 16 - 22, 2014 2001. But it wasn't until 2004 that Ramsay's television career really took off. "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" premiered in Britain in 2004 and had a premise very similar to that of "Hotel Hell" — the famous chef would travel the U.K. dishing out tough love to failing restaurateurs and doing what he could to help them turn things around. "Hell's Kitchen," Ramsay's first reality TV project, also premiered in 2004, wherein the Scottish chef men- tored and critiqued hopeful com- petitors, sending them home one- by-one until there was a winner. Catch a new episode of this dy- namic series as "Hotel Hell" airs Monday, Aug. 18, on Fox. By Shona Dustan TV Media G ordon Ramsay is a force to be reckoned with. After taking his native Great Britain by storm, Ramsay has officially won over hearts — and television sets — on this side of the pond. His fourth se- ries for the Fox network is now well into its second season, and with Ramsay's candid and colorful per- sonality as popular as ever, it shows no signs of slowing down. Catch a new episode of "Hotel Hell" airing Monday, Aug. 18, on Fox. The sophomore season of Ram- say's latest reality hit premiered in July and saw the world famous Scottish chef working his magic in Las Cruces, N.M., where Cali Szc- zawinski runs the Meson de Mesil- la Hotel, a Tuscan-style accommo- dation in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Unfortunately — as with all of Ramsay's "Hotel Hell" subjects — her business model leaves much to be desired. Watch- ing Ramsay swoop in with his char- acteristic brash bluntness is always a delight, and he really didn't pull any punches for this season opener. After being besieged with imag- es of how the plain, dirty, unprofes- sional hotel was being run, fans got to revel in the carnage as Ramsay tore Cali's business acumen to shreds. A general manager was fired, cooks were given the third degree and, most importantly, Cali was banned from ever singing ka- raoke in her hotel again. One guest even told the woman, "I would pay you $100 not to sing," but Ramsay managed to make it happen with- out shelling out cash. By the end of the season pre- miere, it's clear that the great Gor- don Ramsay still has that special something that has made him a fix- ture of both British and American TV — that plus an impressive phy- sique, as a quick dip in the Meson de Mesilla Hotel's contaminated pool reveals. This season of "Hotel Hell" promises even more drama than the last, and it seems Ramsay is in his element once again. Oddly, though, Gordon Ramsay began his professional life in a job far from the hospitality industry. Once upon a time, he was a foot- baller (or soccer player, if that suits you better), though his short com- petitive career was marred by set- backs and injuries. When it came time for him to move into the big leagues, Ramsay had the distinct honor of training with his beloved Glasgow Rangers, but fell short of taking the field for any professional games. As his dreams of playing pro- fessional football crumbled around him, the tenacious Ramsay had to make alternate plans for his future. After taking classes on hotel management and studying under some of the world's best chefs, Ramsay spent the late '80s and early '90s making a name for him- self in the restaurant world. Despite a few scandals (an affair with the wife of a restaurateur he worked for definitely created a bump in the road to success), Ramsay's work spoke for itself. By 1998, he had opened his own restaurant, and by 2001, he had become the first Scot to be awarded three Michelin stars. As his business interests ex- panded, so too did his empire. Soon he was opening restaurants all over Europe and, eventually, in America as well. Meanwhile, his culinary and business skills — as well as his unpredictable personali- ty — had already earned him some television time in the U.K. with the kitchen documentaries "Boiling Point" (1999) and "Beyond Boiling Point" (2000), as well as a BAFTA- winning episode of "Faking It" in Dubious digs Ramsay checks into Fox for season 2 of 'Hotel Hell' 2 | Cover story CHANNEL GUIDE Comcast Walton Cable- Vision Sammo ns of Indiana Tipton Cable TV Oak Hill Cable Swayzee AT&T U-Verse

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