Reddit Has A Scathing Prediction For Hell's Kitchen: Battle Of The Ages

While autumn-lovers everywhere are eagerly sucking back pumpkin spice lattes, planning road trips for the arrival of fall leaves, and dragging out their Buffalo plaid, "Hell's Kitchen" fans have another reason to celebrate. The brand-spanking-new premiere episode of Season 21 will air on September 29 (via Deadline). Yes, show enthusiasts will soon be treated to a new collection of Gordon Ramsay's trademark insults, contestants' cooking blunders, and another round of food being squashed, spat out, and sent soaring through the air. It's all very exciting, indeed. 

This season is called "Battle of Ages" as it will see the abandonment of the regular men vs. women format and pit chefs in their twenties against forty-somethings, instead (per Twitter). Fans witnessed a similar format in Season 18 "Rookies vs. Veterans" (via Reality TV Revisited). According to Guilty Eats, another thing that makes this season extra special is that the prize will be the head chef job at the first Hell's Kitchen Restaurant on the East Coast at Atlantic City's Caesars Hotel and Casino. 

No matter which team you'll be cheering for, "Hell's Kitchen" is known for delivering humor and drama, all sprinkled with Ramsay's sardonic wit and impressive repertoire of four-letter words. If the past is anything to go by, this season promises to be equally entertaining. The folks on Reddit, however, do have some concerns. 

When a Redditor posted in r/HellsKitchen about the show's upcoming season, most commenters seemed concerned about the same thing: the contest devolving into a predictable battle of the genders. One remembered Season 18's Rookies vs. Veterans, saying, "The whole point of the season was to see rookies vs veterans, not men vs women again." Another concluded that the last part of the season trailer appears to be divided by gender, lending credence to these fears. A commenter also worried that Gordon Ramsay may have a bias towards the twenty-year-olds that could lead to favoritism on his part. 

Another r/Hells Kitchen Reddit conversation expressed similar concerns. While one person posted, "Prediction: The experiment is over and Gordon reverts to gender battle," another agreed asking for the "over/under" on the number of episodes it will take. One said it would only be two or three dinner services before the man vs. woman format returned. A side conversation also developed regarding Alyssa, one of the upcoming season's competitors. After one commenter said, "I'm like 99% sure that's season 20 Alex's girlfriend. Based on the amount he's hyped her up," another Redditor claimed that they definitely appear to know each other based on their Instagram profiles.

Whether Ramsay sticks to the new format or reverts to a war of the sexes, one thing is certain. "Hell's Kitchen" fans will be glued to their screens on Thursday, September 29.