Kitchen Nightmares Vs Next Level Chef: Which Gordon Ramsay Show Gets Better Ratings?
From "Kitchen Nightmares" to "Hell's Kitchen" and "Next Level Chef," if there's a great food-based reality show on our screens, there's a chance Gordon Ramsay is involved with it. Since "Kitchen Nightmares" was renewed in 2023 after a 10-year hiatus, the same year Season 2 of "Next Level Chef" premiered, it's natural that these two shows are being compared as they both feature the volatile chef. Are audiences sticking with their familiar favorite, "Kitchen Nightmares," or has the new format of "Next Level Chef" caught their fancy?
At first glance, it certainly seems like "Next Level Chef" is taking the lead. The Season 2 premiere broke records as the highest-rated and most-watched second-season premiere of an unscripted cooking show in history (via Studio Ramsay Global). Compare that to the Season 8 premiere of "Kitchen Nightmares," which, according to Nielsen Media Research (via Programming Insider), brought only 1.58 million viewers, and it appears to be no contest.
Are more people watching Next Level Chef than Kitchen Nightmares?
A closer look at the viewing figures reveals that it's not quite that simple. "Next Level Chef" may have had a record-breakingly impressive premiere in its second season, but the second episode shows a sheer drop to 1.93 million. That's likely because the premiere aired immediately after Super Bowl LVII on the same network. This drew more people in, particularly folks who may not have typically sought out a show of this nature.
The best way to establish overall performance is to look at the seasons as a whole and how they interacted with their expected viewership. Discounting the premieres of both (the debut of "Next Level Chef" should be counted as an outlier) and calculating the average should be a solid indicator. "Kitchen Nightmares" Season 8 had a mean viewership of 1.5 million, whereas "Next Level Chef" Season 2 boasts 1.9 million. Even without the boost of the premiere, "Next Level Chef" is currently enjoying better ratings. When it comes to matching its Ramsay-based counterpart, "Kitchen Nightmares" may need to take on some of the ideas in "Next Level Chef" or consider fan feedback regarding what they want to see in future seasons.