The Food Network's "Restaurant Impossible"

So why are these places still open before that guy arrives? Aren't there food inspectors in those towns?

• Good question. There's something about this show (other than Robert Irvine's muscular bod) that I enjoy. I love a winning story. I don't know how much of these shows is real and how much is false, but I like seeing the rebuilding of the restaurants.

• I liked it better when it was called "Kitchen Nightmares" with Gordon Ramsey. Seriously. It is the exact same show--right down to the angry, loud-mouth Brit-- with a bit of "Extreme Makeover" thrown in. I'm sure it's mostly scripted though. If you research the restaurants from Ramsey's show, you will see that most of them ended up closing down anyway. Often within the year.

  PPSM

• Irving is nowhere near the asshole that Ramsay was, though.

• Agree that Irving is more tolerable than Ramsey, but both shows are among my "guilty pleasures." Have you seen the show on SPIKE TV called "Bar Rescue"? It's the same show again, only this one goes into bars and taverns (most of which also serve food) and do a two day "makeover." The stuff they find in dirty bars (fruit flies in bottles, bugs and mouse droppings in the ice bin, etc.) will make you think twice before you drink at a "dive bar" again.

• The formula is the same for each episode and it's grown tiresome. I hate the Restaurant Stakeout show....My favorite food show is now Chopped.

• Last Saturday morning I went to a place that was on this show. Poco's on the Blvd. (Kansas City, MO) I liked that it was not a rat infested, dirty, cockroach type restaurant that seems to be featured on this show. It was about a family in crisis who had just lost their matriarch and owner of the place. The place is beautiful, the food is grand and service was excellent. I will go back.

  JohnEric

• Richard Irvine should do that show naked. Then, I'd consider watching it.

• I am so tired of fake reality.

• Oops, Robert, not Richard.

  R7

• Not naked, but stripping.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dc2jzrPKrZ-w%23t%3D0h0m48s

• The first time I thought he [italic]might[/italic] not be totally straight was on the special about him getting married to Gail Kim -- he was the one doing all the wedding planning. It could just be that he's a control freak, but he was getting all Bridezilla about tableware and such.

• To me, Irvine looks like an anteater.

• RI does nothing for me but I'd definitely fuck his carpenter, Tom Bury. Love the show. It's like the male Tabatha.

• I wanted Tabatha's fifth season already. I watch Restaurant: Impossible and I do like Robert Irvine, but those shows do get a little formulaic after a while. Tabatha seems to be more personally invested in the owners, generally gives good advice, and does suffer fools gladly. I've also read a few articles that say that RI plays up the dirtiness of the restaurants (Tabatha's been accused of that too), and will often redo the restaurants with little thought to the local clientele. It also impresses me more that Tabatha goes back to personally see how the businesses are doing. That said, I would happily be spit-roasted by Tom Bury and designer Lynn Kegan.

  http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pn4uLnoGIi0/ShQCx69C0LI/AAAAAAAAAZk/DaMEn-nFEVM/s400/LynnKegan_shirtless.jpg

  The Voice of the Night

• The Food Network on-demand special: "Back to the Crack: Robert Irvine vs Tom Bury".

• r8 Heaven forbid you actually turn off the TV and read a book.