Truth behind viral 'Idiot Sandwich' skit as dish is available at several Gordon Ramsay restaurants
Anyone familiar with daytime TV will have tuned into Hell's Kitchen at least once in their lives.
Not the show where Gordon Ramsay whips failing restaurants into shape, but instead the one where several chefs battle it out for a cash prize and a spot as head chef at a restaurant of Ramsay's choice.
Running for 23 seasons in the US, the expletive-filled series has produced plenty of memeable moments, including 'You f**king donkey,' 'I'll stick a GoPro up your ass, so you can see how s**t you are', and 'It's so raw, it's still got its wool on'.
But perhaps the one phrase which most of us think about when we hear the words 'Gordon Ramsay' and 'viral' is this line: 'Idiot Sandwich'.
"What are you?" a frustrated Ramsay shouts, while holding a piece of bread on either side of the woman's face, to which she replies: "An idiot sandwich."
Was the 'Idiot Sandwich' moment from Hell's Kitchen?
For years, anyone who's seen the above clip has assumed that Gordon Ramsay + chef uniform = Hell's Kitchen.
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And why wouldn't you, as we've already established that Ramsay wasn't shy about unloading on contestants he believed had messed up.
But try to find the episode, and you'll quickly learn that Chef Ramsay never slapped two pieces of bread on either side of a person's face and called them an idiot sandwich, as the whole thing was a skit.
Aired 11 years ago as part of a 'Hells Cafeteria' skit for The Late Late Show with James Corden, the sketch saw Corden 'compete' against former CBS' The Talk presenter Julie Chen Moonves.
That's right, the infamous 'idiot sandwich' woman isn't a Hell's Kitchen contestant who offended Chef Ramsay with her take on the staple convenience food, but instead a talk show host taking part in a prerehearsed skit.
If you feel lied to by the revelation, then don't worry, as you're not the only one.
The topic recently came up on Reddit, with several users similarly stumped that Chen Moonves wasn't one of the many unlucky Hell's Kitchen chefs.
"I've seen this meme so many times and never knew it was her," wrote one person.
They weren't alone either, as another viewer wrote under the YouTube clip: "My heart broke... I thought 'idiot sandwich' was from an actual episode of hell's kitchen."
"I thought this was a real part of hell’s kitchen and i’m low-key so disappointed," added a second viewer.
Meanwhile, a third person managed to sum up the heated nature of a Hell's Kitchen experience perfectly, writing: "I thought it was legit because that’s something Gordon Ramsey would actually do lmao."
As anyone who's encountered or worked alongside a chef will know, they can fly off the handle pretty easily.
Despite the clip being unmasked as a skit and not an organic Hell's Kitchen moment, the meme still has a place in many people's hearts, with the video regularly doing the rounds online.
Meanwhile, Ramsay has capitalised on the moment in the only way he knew how, releasing an idiot sandwich line at his restaurants.
Available at the chef's Bread Street Kitchen chain, the idiot sandwich contains beef short rib, tomato chutney, oyster mushrooms and jack cheese, served alongside fries.
Ramsay has also turned the meme into a YouTube series, in which he invites various celebrities, content creators and influencers to take part in fast-paced cooking challenges.
Who is Julie Chen Moonves?
Despite being known primarily for being the idiot sandwich outside of the US, Chen Moonves is actually pretty famous on the other side of the pond.
As well as hosting daytime series The Talk from 2010 until 2018, the 56-year-old is the host of the US spinoff of Big Brother. She was also the anchor for the early morning series, The Early Show, between 2002 and 2010.
She has presented the series ever since its inception in 2000, with the 28th season set to air next month.
Topics: Gordon Ramsay, TV, Viral, Nostalgia
Brenna Cooper