by Thinus Ferreira
Besides the chef-wannabe's in Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef who definitely have personal experience of it and who know how it feels not to be good enough for the infamously caustic chef Gordon Ramsay, I suppose I can say I know a little bit how it feels not being good enough to make the cut as well.
The second season of Gordon Ramsay: Unchartered starts tonight on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220).
It starts with a South African filmed episode in which Gordon Ramsay makes food with the South African chef Zola Nene in KwaZulu-Natal where he learns more about Zulu traditions.
In late-July The Walt Disney Company Africa that oversees the National Geographic channel in the territory decided to do a Zoom media presentation to promote the second season of Gordon Ramsay: Unchartered.
It did so around using the localised hook of the South African filmed episode in which Zola Nene appeared, in the form of an interactive, virtual cook-along session with Zola Nene.
The media were couriered ingredients that arrived on the day and Zola Nene showed how to make chakalaka.
National Geographic during the Zoom suddenly told the media "that it was wonderful seeing what we saw on set coming to screen". Mmm. Was there a South African episode set visit? Surely National Geographic would have communicated that?
National Geographic allowed media to type questions into the Q&A box during the Zoom media presentation.
TVwithThinus participated whilst trying to make chakalaka and typed and asked if Gordon Ramsay was as sarcastic and overbearing as he is known for in his reality shows.
"That's the Gordon that I expected too," said Zola Nene. "I'm a bit feisty too, so I was ready. If Gordon's gonna swear on me, I was ready for a comeback too, you know. And he was such a gentleman. So, so warm. So interested. So engaging."
"He was so lovely. So no Hell's Kitchen Gordon was revealed to me on set. So patient. The National Geographic team is so organised, and everything runs on schedule so there isn't really opportunity to be impatient. Everything happened as they told me it would."
"There was no diva tendencies at all. And you know, what the most surprising thing was when I first met Gordon? How tall the man is. I'm telling you, TV does not do it justice. He is so tall."
After the conclusion of the Zoom presentation and then doing research on the show for the season, it turned out that yes, there was actually a media set visit.
National Geographic invited media and took them to the Gwahumbe Game Lodge and Spa in Illovo in KwaZulu-Natal in December 2019 to meet and interview Gordon Ramsay personally.
Of course it's completely National Geographic's choice and prerogative as to which media it values and invites on press engagements, and what media National Geographic wanted to take to the set visit and give access to Gordon Ramsay during the filming of the South African episode.
While some media got to do sit-down interviews with Gordon Ramsay in December for the show, months later the rest got to make chakalaka.
This TV critic and journalist is terrible in the kitchen and the chakalaka wasn't bad but tasted borderline-fine. For dinner on 29 July three people ate it all.
What left a bad aftertaste after the Zoom presentation though, was discovering that National Geographic did a set visit but couldn't bother to communicate any of that to the media that it interacts with.
Is it sour grapes to have an expectation that at the very least National Geographic could just have said that a set visit is happening?
Is it wrong to think that National Geographic's reps could maybe have reached out to offer up something like a short phoner interview for media who were not good enough to have been invited to set?
Is it unreasonable to have an expectation that National Geographic could just have informed journalists and the leftovers media contingent that "Hey, just want to touch base that Gordon Ramsay is in South Africa and that there is a press engagement for just certain media but we'll have something for the rest of you later"?
It's an odd feeling when you set aside and give your time and effort to engage with a brand making chakalaka for a TV show as part of a marketing and publicity exercise, only for it to turn into a distinct sense the next day of feeling like you're not good enough for the actual main course - except to give exposure to it.
