‘Hell’s Kitchen’: Gordon Ramsay Is Fired Up About the ‘Bloody Talented’ Gen Z Chefs of Season 25

Gen Z may say “cooked” is a bad thing, but the young foodies vying for a head chef spot at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants are far from fried. “It’s interesting with this generation because they are bloody talented,” raves Ramsay of the aspiring chefs — all fittingly 25-years-old or younger — competing in Hell Kitchen’s 25th season.

Not only did these kids who grew up watching Fox’s hit know what they were getting into, they showed up ready to impress. “I raised the bar,” admits Ramsay, adding that even with the heat turned up, he wasn’t let down. “The breaking news is the fact that [the premiere] has the highest-scoring ever Signature dish in the history of the competition.”

That may be in part because of shows like HK, Top Chef and others. “We couldn’t have been able to do a show like this in Season 3 because the quality of the chefs weren’t there,” agrees exec producer Arthur Smith. “But now as Hell’s Kitchen has continued to be on the air, so has the food scene and the quality of chefs and more people are going to culinary school, more people are into food. I mean, I see it in my own kids. Food was in a much different place in America when we were taping the show in 2004 as it is in 2026. It’s just remarkable. Years ago, working in the kitchen for some people was a career of necessity as opposed to a career of choice.”

Jeff Neira / Fox

So much so, he continues, that finding a stable of up-and-comers was easier that boiling water. “I think with the advent of Hell’s Kitchen and other great shows that are out there like Top Chef, for example, being a chef is [now] such a desired profession. One of the young guys on our show, he’s valedictorian. He could have gone to law school or whatever. He had all these choices, but he wanted to be a chef. So it was actually really, really easy to cast. We had such a huge turnout of young chefs and they’re all at the stage in their career where, who wouldn’t want to be Gordon Ramsey’s protege, right?”

“These kids have access now to this untold, incredible depth of knowledge on social media,” adds Ramsay, who happily learned that the younger generation is tougher than the memes would have you believe.

Jeff Neira / Fox

“All this bulls**t about the snowflakes and wokes, et cetera, their attitude was impeccable,” he confirms. “They took the wrongs, we praised their rights, and their bounce back was extraordinary. And so all this bulls**t about, this generation is never going to succeed is absolute utter nonsense. It’s one of the most talented group of kids I’ve ever met in my entire life. And I can safely say on wrapping Season 25, the future of the industry in this country is in f**king great hands because these kids bought their A-game.”

He says, “I pushed them to the absolute limit, and they responded brilliantly.”

Good thing, because the season is also shaping up to be a celebration of Ramsay’s iconic run complete with challenges catering to the theme.

“There’s a black-tie gala dinner to celebrate 25 that’s coming up,” reveals Smith, hinting at some celebrity guests that include “some really well known comedians…well-known performers and there’s some athletes thrown in there, too. It’s like a whole mixed bag of stuff.”

He shares, “And then we do these little bumpers throughout the season. The show’s in post right now. As a matter of fact, before I got on with you, I was watching all these flashbacks to some really crazy moments that have happened in the past.”

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And how does Ramsay feel about these reminders of his fiery past 21 years?

“I’m not good,” he laughs. “It scares the f**king s**t out of me, if I’m honest. I get enough of those memes sent from my kids saying, ‘Dad, why you such a dick?’ And so I don’t need to look back.”

He adds, “But in all honesty, 25 seasons and I still get incredibly excited when [maître d’] Marino opens the doors to Hell’s Kitchen because it’s unscripted. You don’t know what’s going to unfold, right?”

Unless they botch the risotto, then we all know!

Hell’s Kitchen, Season 25 Premiere, Thursday, September 24, 8/7c, Fox