I don't like reality shows. I don't regularly watch the genre, and I probably won't review any of them (No, Nathan For You doesn't count). My problem with reality TV is simple, it doesn't actually depict reality. Most reality shows are staged to some degree, and it's pretty obvious that the editing, sound design, and even production is manipulated for "maximum drama". I don't want to get into how terrifying it is for showrunners to essentially manipulate the lives of real people for the sake of entertainment, but putting that aside, I think these shows tend to underestimate just how bizarre and fascinating real life can be, completely unmodified, and that's why Amy's Baking Company is by far my favorite episode of a reality TV show ever. It's honest, damning, and incredibly entertaining as a result. You just can't stage something like this.
Kitchen Nightmares is one of Gordon Ramsey's shows where he goes to a failing restaurant and offers feedback on how to improve it, in his usual tough love kind of way of course. In most episodes, you can expect a lot of cursing from Ramsey, reality show mayhem, and an ending that at the very least shows signs of improvement within the restaurant. Usually, there's a point where Ramsey takes to the kitchen and helps them pull off a big re-opening night of sorts where everything goes wrong but they pull through regardless. Amy's Baking Company doesn't have any of that. There's no hope for the titular restaurant, no signs of improvement, it's an exploration of what is essentially a lost cause of a restaurant, run by two narcissists that refuse to admit they're doing anything wrong. ABC suffers from a disorganized service, awful food, and a shockingly bad turnover rate, but the big issue is that the owners refuse to make any changes. So what does Ramsey do? How does he save the restaurant? Well, he doesn't. Amy's Baking Company ends with Ramsey giving up, and it's the only time he's ever done this.
Part of what makes this episode so fantastic is just how real it feels. I don't even want to sugarcoat this, the owners of ABC, Amy and Samy, are absolutely bonkers! Their sheer stubbornness leaves even Ramsey baffled, to the point where he barely even bursts into anger for most of the episode. As a matter of fact, he seems uncharacteristically muted most of the time. Amy and Samy's abuse of their staff, claims of internet bullies, struggles with organization, frequent contradictions, and refusal to take any sort of criticism is kind of scary to watch. It's horrifying that people like that exist, but at the same time, you just can't look away. I don't think I can overstate just how hysterical this episode is. Moments like Amy saying she speaks feline, Ramsey biting into the greasy burger only for it to completely collapse, the waiter Miranda sending food back without even asking why, and the many arguments Amy and Samy have with their customers left me in absolute stitches because of just how much things escalate throughout the episode. It's like watching a trainwreck in slow motion, and hardly any of it was staged at all. Granted, this episode still suffers from some reality show trappings, particularly the overdramatic music, irritating musical stings, and at times odd editing.
But then again, that's what makes the ending so impactful. Ramsey quitting on ABC is so impactful because, just for a brief moment, the tropes of reality TV are completely subverted. Ramsey doesn't burst out in anger, he gives them a calm but scathing speech on why he can't work with them. There are no dramatic musical stings, rather the music cuts out entirely. And we don't get a happy ending, real or fabricated, this episode ends on a downer through and through. It's no surprise this episode went viral, and it's no surprise it pretty much became a moment of reality TV history. Amy's Baking Company cuts the melodramatic crap and, as a result, feels more real than pretty much anything else in the genre. There's definitely an irony to the fact that my favorite episode of reality TV is the least like reality TV as we know it today, and I wouldn't really say it reflects well on Kitchen Nightmares or most of the genre. However, I also think it shows that you don't need manufactured and manipulative drama to gain people's interest. Being honest and real can be just as compelling.
5/5 Stars
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