Gordon Ramsay on Reputation, Kitchen Nightmares and More

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With yet another reality show coming out, Gordon Ramsay is in hot demand. TV Guide recently caught up with the celebrity chef...

TV Guide: You've developed something of a coarse reputation on Hell's Kitchen. Are you OK with that?
Gordon Ramsay: When I'm in the kitchen, and the s--t is hitting the fan, there are two ways you can handle things: my way or the soft way. To me, it's far better to reprimand the cook and say, "Wake up and get to it or you'll be flipping f--king burgers for a f--king living!" I mean, can you imagine trying to be polite in such a setting?

Gordon Ramsay in Action
TV Guide: You're a dad of four kids. Are you concerned that they'll follow your cursing proficiency?
Ramsay: Well, my wife and I have four children with immaculate manners, and I certainly don't want them thinking they can go around saying whatever they want, whenever they want. That said, they need to know that there's a right place and a wrong place to speak that way. I think I do it in the right place.

TV Guide: In Kitchen Nightmares, your fall Fox show that's based on the U.K. series, you whip failing restaurants into shape. What did you find?
Ramsay: I thought I found some sh--holes in Britain, but nothing will ever compare to the places I encountered in the States. I can't wait for the viewers to have access to what I encountered. What dumbfounded me was the way some of the chefs take advantage of the customers.

TV Guide: You take it personally, don't you?
Ramsay: I can't help it. Food is personal to me. I was in Las Vegas earlier this year and I had an executive chef who had never touched a stove in his life. He looked like a pig, he smelled like a pig. He actually tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Tell me the truth â€" you're not a chef, you're an actor. Right?" I said, "Do me a favor, f--k off." A lot of these guys forget that they're here for the customers, not to feed their egos.

TV Guide: Are we going to see a kinder, gentler you on the American version of Kitchen Nightmares?
Ramsay: Nicer? I don't think so. I am who I am. Truth is, I don't even watch the shows, because I don't want to see myself and say, "Man, I need Botox" or "Those jeans look terrible" or "My teeth need to be whitened."

TV Guide: You've completed 10 marathons. Does running help you as a chef?
Ramsay: I run about 30 miles per week, and it lifts a great deal of stress. Pressure is healthy, and enough pressure can actually make a good chef. But being a chef is a very physical job that's both mentally and physically draining. You have to keep yourself in shape to maintain.

TV Guide: Are you concerned about what people write about you online? You're described in 8,000 horrible ways.
Ramsay: I never surf the 'Net, like some lazy ass with nothing better to do. I don't give two f--ks what people are writing about me. My critics are my customers. I've never Googled myself, and….

TV Guide: Really? Never?
Ramsay: Never. I wake up in the morning, take a run and work my ass off. I don't wanna listen to some vegetarian in Texas or Minnesota who can't stand the way I talk to my staff.

TV Guide: You're driving down a highway and you're hungry. You see a McDonald's on the side of the road. Do you stop for a Big Mac?
Ramsay: My friend, I'd rather eat a f--king cow-pie sandwich.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

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